Humanities

In the academe, great literature, classics, history, philosophy, and art supplied perennial questions: how ought we to live? What work is worthy of a life? Sometimes, defining humanities is quite confusing. However, when dealing with humanities pertaining to arts, music, architecture, philosophy and literature, it has denotative meaning.

What does the term “humanities” means?

The humanities are a group of academic subjects united by a commitment to study some aspect of the human condition and qualitative approach that generally prevents a single standard from coming to define any discipline (Paulson, 2001; Cravath, 2003). Academically, the humanities are generally considered as one of the major components of the liberal arts and sciences along with the social and the natural sciences. The humanities are the stories, the ideas, and the words that help people to make sense of their lives and the world. It is deemed that the humanities are found in the zones of interaction between human beings, the cultures and societies, sciences and technologies, and most of the entire world.

While the particular characterization of humanities is debatable, the following fields of study are generally recognized to structure their legion. Among these are: literature and the Classics, art, philosophy and religion, law and jurisprudence, music, and cultural and area studies. Today, some expanded the array of diverse studies of human life with qualitative description and analysis such as cultural anthropology, sociology, political science, archeology, and some branches of economics.

In the end, defining humanities restrict someone in relation with the terms “humanism” which is a specific philosophical belief and “humanitarianism” that concerns for charitable works ad social reforms. All in all, the humanities are an all-encompassing, multi-faceted, and highly specialized discipline.

Humanities: a comprehensive discipline

Because humanities cater to almost all modes of human inquiry and expression, this characteristic make it highly renowned. The humanities introduce people we never met, places we never visited, and ideas that may never ever crossed our minds (Gaff & Ratcliff, 1997). It helps us to address the challenges of times and face them together. The values of the civilization used arts and humanities in making connections. It is a form of participation in networks of human communication and transmission. Humanities aid in the mobilization of the past to present, the dead and the living, the far away and the familiar. It is a way of adding to the richness of human activity and life as a whole. A way of noticing things that otherwise neglected (Goleman, 1997) and provoking kinds of action to be carried out, humanities made it all.

Its all-encompassing perspective makes it exceedingly exceptional among other arrays of human investigations and phrases. The humanities can develop an understanding of cultural life that supports the ideals of social equality (Kimball, 1994). There must be arts of living and of self-cultivation in order to reconstitute its value. However, the present times poses some dilemma of struggling helplessly under the dead weight of tradition and losing the capacity to imagine as genuine actors of the world. Therefore, there is a need to develop the work of the arts and humanities in our times and start to imagine and create alternatives that are more satisfying, just, and equally pleasant.

Art in particular visual are the images that we see on the newspaper, magazines, televisions, and even movies or multimedia devices that portrays the reality of the world. Present-day situations of natural calamities (Hurricane Katrina), war and terrorism (Iraq), poverty and social illnesses (crimes) cover the area in which humanities can provide adequate description to neither the neither paradox nor the beauty of life (Gaff & Ratcliff, 1997). It reflects the current pitfalls as well as the gains of various sectors of the world and human life in particular.

Music today portrays the feeling of every music makers and lovers worldwide in the quest for infinite happiness as well as the inevitable expression of loneliness. Various genres in the music industry like popular music (Black Eyed Peas, Eminem, Avril Lavigne, etc.) reflect the modernization of the world – from the youth’s point of view (Delgado, 2002). The use of modernized techniques in making songs, music videos and the likes shows the evolution of technology in connection with human life.

Architecture – with the advent of modernized process and materials, architecture mirrors the ingenuity of every human being in the creation of new-fangled infrastructure and designs. For example, Hong Kong Disneyland perfected the balance of fantasy and reality in connection with world politics (collaboration of economic activity between U.S. and Hong Kong), socioeconomic progress of both countries and providing aid to neighboring nations, and technological advancements in terms of the services it offer.

Philosophy – contemporary philosophies are used and modified by political leaders and economist in implementing goals (Cravath, 2003; Kimball, 1994). For instance, the “universalism” principle is applied towards globalization and prospers the creation of international cooperation among nations worldwide.

Literature presents a futuristic view of the world that helps in visualization of potential plans towards development. The novels of Dan Brown (The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons, Deception Point, etc.) are examples of literary writings that presents the significant events, inventions and circumstances of the history and at the same time, providing a challenge for human survival and thinking. William Paulson (2001) presents the imaginative and exploratory uses of language in reading, writing and speaking and not only exposes people to different societal aspects but leads them to different ways of conceiving and expressing human experience in relation to their own lives – be it success or failure.

Disciplines of the humanities like the aforementioned offer models and methods of addressing problems and acknowledging the reality of vagueness and paradox (Gaff & Ratcliff, 1997). They can help people in facing apprehensions between the various concerns of individuals and the groups in which they belong to the society. It also provides civil and informed discussions of conflicts by placing current issues in historical perspective. Amidst all the logical settlement, they also give a voice for feeling and artistic shape to experience, balance passion and rationality, and explore issues of morality and values. The study of humanities provides a venue for self-expression of interpretations and experiences that can be recognized in the areas of common interests that every individual in this world must explore and experience. Humanities are the only place to turn when we want to study ourselves, to know how and why we live.