Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society, culture, and the human experience. They explore fundamental questions about human values, beliefs, ideas, and expressions through critical, speculative, and interpretative methods rather than empirical scientific approaches
. The humanities encompass a wide range of subjects including:
- Literature (studying written works like novels, poetry, and plays)
- History (examining past events and their impact)
- Philosophy (exploring fundamental questions about existence, knowledge, and ethics)
- Religion (understanding religious traditions and beliefs)
- Languages and linguistics
- The performing arts (theater, music, dance)
- The visual arts (painting, sculpture, photography, filmmaking)
- Cultural studies, media studies, and related interdisciplinary fields
Historically, the term comes from the Renaissance Latin studia humanitatis , meaning "study of humanity," which originally focused on grammar, rhetoric, history, and moral philosophy based on classical literature
. The humanities differ from natural sciences and social sciences by emphasizing human culture, creativity, and critical thinking rather than empirical data and experiments
. In essence, the humanities help us understand ourselves, others, and the world by examining how humans express their experiences, values, and ideas across time and cultures
