The Humanities in Western Civilization: An Overview

Introduction to the Humanities

The human condition is a complex field—one that in fact requires many different fields of knowledge. The different fields of knowledge that take as their object of study what it means to be human are collectively referred to as "the humanities." The humanities are nothing new; they form an integral part of civilization as it has developed in the western world. The humanities are distinguished from other, more scientific fields of knowledge in that they do not make use of empirical means of investigation. Rather, they tend to employ methods that are analytical, speculative, and/or critical. The sections that follow explore the many facets of the humanities and show how they have been integral to western civilization from the outset.

Some of the numerous disciplines that comprise the humanities include foreign languages, literature, philosophy, history, the visual and performing arts, religion, and more. There are also a myriad of fields that the humanities often take as their object of study, including anthropology, cultural studies, communications, and area studies—although most of these fields are normally relegated to the social sciences.

While scholars working in the humanities are sometimes referred to as "humanists," this term is usually rejected because it can easily be confused with "humanism," which is a distinct philosophical school of thought. There is also an "antihumanist" position, which a number of scholars working in the humanities adhere to.

Core Disciplines of the Humanities

At the cornerstone of humanistic thought lie the classics. The classics form the basis of all inquiry into the nature and evolution of what we now regard as western civilization. They take as their object of study the culture, language, and literature of classical antiquity—particularly that of Ancient Rome and Greece. Throughout the twentieth century, the classics were somewhat relegated to the background of the humanities, though they remain widely studied. The classics have had a tremendous impact on the literature and philosophy that continue to be produced today, and it is thus vital for anyone working in these disciplines to have a thorough knowledge of them in order to draw conclusions relevant to present-day modes of inquiry. Classical works of literature and philosophy serve as the foundation upon which more current modes of thought are built. Of course, classics exist in other cultures outside the West as well—in China, for instance, there are the writings of Lao-tzu, Confucius, and Chuang-tzu, while in Egypt the Book of the Dead is considered highly relevant. All countries have their classics, but in the western tradition it is the classics of Rome and Greece that form the backbone of culture.

Another vital component of the humanities is the study of history. History can be thought of as a systematic means of collecting information about the past. For this reason, history is often considered a social science—especially when information is collected and distributed in a chronological fashion. At the same time, in terms of subject matter, history takes as its object of study the evolution of humans and their civilizations over time, which lodges it firmly within the domain of the humanities. In order to use history to their advantage, scholars must not merely possess a knowledge of historical events but must also be able to think critically in historical terms. History is based largely on the interpretation of events and facts, making it a vital part of the humanities, where speculative thinking is highly valued.

Today, when most people hear the term "humanities," they automatically assume it refers to the study of ancient and modern languages, literatures, and cultures. To a certain extent, they are correct. The humanities have always focused on writing. Occasionally, however, the study of ancient languages and literatures falls into the domain of social science—particularly in linguistics, the scientific study of language. Language is so important to the evolution of the humanities because minute changes in language over time can have profound effects on the way the humanities are conducted, researched, and conceived.

At the heart of humanities curricula in the West today is the study of literature. This can include prose forms such as short stories, essays, and the novel, as well as other literary forms such as poetry and drama. When one studies foreign languages at the university level, the study of literatures in that language is typically included in the curriculum. While a literature is typically a collection of prose, poems, and dramas centered on a particular topic, literature need not necessarily carry nationalistic implications. The Western Canon consists of literature from many different nations. Today, the term "literature" has come to signify many different things depending on the context in which it is employed. It is often used to refer to specific symbolic records of subjects, which may include everything from sculptures to letters. At the same time, the term is often employed to separate certain types of writing from others; for example, certain novels may be considered "literature," while genre fiction—such as horror or romance novels—may not. For this reason, the term "literary fiction" is often used. People also speak of a particular work possessing "literary merit" as a way of drawing this distinction.

Another important part of the contemporary humanities is law. The basic definition of law refers to rules that can be enforced through institutions (Robertson 2006, p. 90). By its fluid nature, the study of law often blurs the boundaries between the humanities and the social sciences, situated at a crossroads between the two. Other common definitions of law include "a system of rules," "an interpretive concept" employed for the attainment of justice, an "authority" used to mediate the interests of the people involved, and "the command of a sovereign, backed by the threat of a sanction" (Hart; Dworkin; Raz; Austin). As a discipline in the humanities, law is unique in that it is simultaneously one of the most vital institutions at the crux of our society. Nearly every aspect of the humanities and social sciences comes to bear in the formation of legal policies. Law also extends to other fields both within and outside the humanities: it is situated in political science, since it is politicians who ultimately create and sign off on laws; it is pertinent to philosophy, since precepts rooted in morality and ethics shape the ideas behind laws; it is rooted in history, since laws tend to build up over time in reaction to specific historical events; and it is rooted in economics, since laws related to money can have lasting effects on the distribution of wealth within a country.

The Performing Arts and Music

The performing arts are a key component of the humanities. The term "performing arts" is used to distinguish these art forms from the visual arts or the plastic arts, in that the performing arts require the use of the artist's body in some way. In this respect, the performing arts encompass theater, opera, film, music, marching, juggling, busking, dance, comedy, magic, and more. The artists working in any of these mediums are referred to as performers, and may include singers, actors, comedians, dancers, and musicians. A number of people also work "behind the scenes" in the performing arts, such as playwrights, songwriters, and stage crew. Performers often alter their physical appearance during performances through the use of stage make-up, costumes, and lighting. The performing arts are sometimes confused with "performance art," a field that describes visual artists who perform their work in front of a live audience; however, much performance art is more properly rooted in the plastic or visual arts.

People in the humanities who study music typically wish to become either music performers or music teachers. In addition to learning how to play instruments, the discipline of music involves music theory, musicology, music history, and composition. Listening and concentration skills can also be developed through the study of music, which is why it is often incorporated into classrooms in the West.

Theater has been a popular means of enacting stories since the beginning of western civilization. Actors in theater draw on a diverse array of elements, including gesture, speech, music, spectacle, sound, and dance. There are a number of different forms of theater, including pantomime, ballet, opera, mime, and mummers' plays.

Dance is human movement presented in the setting of a performance. In some cultures, however, dance is also used for spiritual purposes. The art of creating dances is known as choreography.

Bibliography

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Hart, H. L. A. The Concept of Law. New York: Oxford University Press, 1961.

Kant, Immanuel. Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals. Translated by Allen W. Wood. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2002.

Kernan, Alvin, ed. What's Happened to the Humanities? Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1997.

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Robertson, Geoffrey. Crimes Against Humanity. New York: Penguin, 2006.

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