Introduction to Humanities

Instructor Introduction

• Instructor: Miguel Benitez
• Course: Introduction to Humanities

What are the Humanities?

• Common misconceptions: history, art, etc.
• Working Definition: Formal study of human thought and culture
• Disciplines involved:
  • Archaeology
  • Art history
  • Language
  • Literature
  • Philosophy
  • Religion

Why Study the Humanities?

• Current world is STEM-focused
• Humanistic education seems less relevant to job markets
• Humanities are not only about usefulness but also about being human

Reasons to Study Humanities (Stanford Humanities Center)

1. Insights into Everything
   • Helps think creatively and critically
   • Allows reasoning and questioning
   • Connects liberal arts and humanities
2. Understanding Our World
   • Adds to knowledge about cultures, art, and history
   • Preserves past accomplishments to understand present and future
3. Clarity to the Future
   • Ideal foundation for understanding human experience
   • Encourages ethical thinking, appreciation of cultures, and understanding of history

Importance of Liberal Arts

• Liberal Arts vs. Servile Arts
  • Liberal arts: Education for free human beings
  • Servile arts: Education for a specific trade
• Essential for maintaining freedom in society
• Contributes to both liberal and conservative perspectives:
  • Liberal: Promotes independent thinking and progress
  • Conservative: Preserves Western civilization and traditions

Core Questions in Humanities

• "Who are we?": Understanding human nature
• "What is the good?": Exploring purpose and the good life
• Humanities provide answers through historical and cultural perspectives

Crisis of the Humanities

• Growing skepticism in humanities and knowledge
• Skepticism: Belief that nothing can be known for sure
• Appeal to skepticism has hurt the humanities
• Need to reject skepticism and embrace rational thinking

Rationalism vs. Empiricism

• Empiricism: Knowledge through senses
  • Senses can be deceptive
• Rationalism: Knowledge through reason
  • Begins with basic laws of thought

Laws of Thought

1. Law of Identity: A is A (self-evident)
2. Law of Non-Contradiction: A cannot be both A and not A
3. Law of Excluded Middle: A is either A or not A

These laws help test meaning and reason truth, especially in understanding human identity and purpose.

Next Lecture

• Chapter 1: The Prehistoric Past and Early Civilizations