Academic disciplines that study human culture, including literature, philosophy, history, and the arts. These fields focus on human experience and expression rather than scientific or technical subjects.
From Latin 'humanitas' meaning human nature or culture, derived from 'humanus' (human). The term evolved in medieval universities to distinguish studies of human culture from natural philosophy and theology.
The humanities emerged as a distinct category during the Renaissance when scholars wanted to emphasize the study of human dignity and potential. Interestingly, the term 'humanist' originally referred to teachers of grammar and rhetoric, not to people with secular worldviews as it often does today.
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