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What are the Humanities?

The humanities are disciplines that study and curate the various expressions of the human mind and spirit. They tend to collect, investigate, and display the many creations of humanity, whether in the form of musical pieces, sculptures of brass and marble, styles of buildings and monuments, or the ideas that give the inner life purpose and meaning. Separate disciplines of the humanities include art history and musicology, language and linguistics -- including the study of foreign languages such as Spanish -- literary studies, philosophy and ethics, and religious studies. Many of these fields of study date back to antiquity. In many understandings, the Classics and the related disciplines of archaeology and history are also considered humanities.

The main purpose of the humanities is to further the research and interpretation of their respective foci, whether through the study of a language or an ancient religious sect. The cultural element of these studies makes the humanities appear similar to the social sciences, especially anthropology and sociology, though they differ in method and practice. Some would describe the difference between the social sciences and the humanities as the difference between explaining human phenomena versus understanding them. In any case, while the humanities may be more rooted in the method of literary analysis rather than the scientific method, they are undergirded by thoughtful principles that assist the search for patterns in the products of humanity across space and time. Thus, these fields are referred to as the humanities; they deal with all of the unique creations of human beings.