Humanities

Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture, including certain fundamental questions asked by humans. During the Renaissance, the term "humanities" referred to the study of classical literature and language, as opposed to the study of religion, or "divinity". The study of the humanities was a key part of the secular curriculum in universities at the time. Today, the humanities are more frequently defined as any fields of study outside of natural sciences, social sciences, formal sciences (like mathematics), and applied sciences (or professional training).^[1] They use methods that are primarily critical, speculative, or interpretative and have a significant historical element^[1]—as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of science.^[1]

The humanities include the academic study of philosophy, religion, history, language arts (literature, writing, oratory, rhetoric, poetry, etc.), the performing arts (theater, music, dance, etc.), and the visual arts (painting, sculpture, photography, filmmaking, etc.).^[2]

The word humanities comes from the Renaissance Latin phrase studia humanitatis, which translates to the study of humanity. The studia humanitatis was a course of studies that consisted of grammar, literature, rhetoric, history, and moral philosophy, primarily derived from the study of Latin and Greek classics.The related Latin word humanitas inspired the Renaissance Italian neologism umanisti, or "humanists" which referred to scholars dedicated to these fields and were instrumental in reviving classical learning, a hallmark of "Renaissance humanism."^[3][4] (The term humanist can also describe the philosophical position of humanism, which antihumanist scholars in the humanities reject.)

Historically, the humanities have been distinguished from the social sciences by their methods and objectives.^[1] While both fields study human behavior and culture, the humanities adopt an idiographic approach (focusing on the unique and context-specific), emphasizing critical, interpretative, and speculative methods, often with an emphasis on historical context and subjective meaning. In contrast, the social sciences employ a nomothetic approach (seeking general laws and patterns) through empirical and quantitative analysis, a distinction first conceptualized by philosopher Wilhelm Windelband.^[5] This methodological distinction, however, is not absolute. Although sociology, anthropology, archaeology, linguistics, and psychology are commonly classified as social sciences, these fields include scholars who employ qualitative methods closely related to those employed by humanities scholars, such as narrative inquiry, textual analysis, or historical methods.^[6]

The humanities have also been justified as fostering self-reflection, civic responsibility, and cultural continuity. Though debates persist about the practical utility of the humanities, proponents argue that their unique focus on meaning, creativity, and critical inquiry contributes both to individual enrichment and the public sphere.^[7][8][9]