A Background of the Humanities: A Glimpse of the Foundation of our Culture
"Over time society lives by its culture, for good or ill. A crucial role is played by the humanities in the broad sense, for they profoundly affect a people's fundamental sense of reality and innermost dreams. In the end, these are what determine the long-term evolution of society." --National Humanities Institute
The term humanities is often used in describing academic areas of study that require a close look at the fine arts and social sciences. These areas of discipline are the root of our society's culture--and we often determine ourselves and our place in society by how much we integrate the humanities into our lives.
"The humanities is a way of thinking about and responding to the world--as tools we use to examine and make sense of the human experience in general and our own individual experience in particular. When we do this--when we reflect upon our lives and ask fundamental questions of value, purpose and meaning (and especially when we do this in a rigorous and systematic way)--what we are doing is the humanities."
Furthermore...
"To change society more than superficially it is necessary to change the basic orientation of the culture. Any real and lasting renewal of society must start in the humanities, in the mind and the imagination--in universities and schools, literature and the arts."
According to the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities, the humanities is a study of the following disciplines, but not limited to: