Defining The Humanities

I believe the Humanities in colleges and universities should be directed toward two central themes: discovering and defining human nature, and then discovering and finding how culture can deal with and balance itself with human nature. Basic syllabus courses in literary studies, philosophy and other humane disciplines, and even sociobiology can be examined with this in mind.

Traditionally in the West, for eight hundred years or so, the Church defined human nature in higher education, and people were educated with skills that taught them to be of service to Church and state.

Over time this changed to where the humanities were expected to be an actual indoctrination regarding the evils of class, race and gender. (see R. V. Young, “The Liberal Arts and the Loss of Cultural Memory”)

With the financial collapse now comes the virtual abandonment of the humanities---which had already abandoned the traditional humanities---in favor of humanities directed toward research that will have a direct economic impact on society, that is, making higher education more like glorified vocational schools.