How understanding the humanities' past illuminates their present and future importance, as they have discovered new findings critical to understanding our world.
"Philosophia vitae magistra": philosophy is the teacher of life Who is unaware that human life without the liberal arts is not only destitute and empty, but indeed far inferior and worse to that of many animals? When I then turn my attention to philosophy itself, how many times have I heard from you that it in [...]
The healing arts of writer and physician: how both treat the ailments and bolster the hopes of our humanity.
The current administration proposes to do away with the National Endowment for the Humanities, as well as with the National Endowment for the Arts.
Modern tragedy: the fears of physical annihilation and the role of the writer Our tragedy today is a general and universal physical fear so long sustained by now that we can even bear it. There are no longer problems of the spirit. There is only one question: When will I be blown up? Because of [...]
A physician recalls not only her own past, but also the history of health care that involves the greater story about the human condition.
The Question of the Humanities: the editor of Humanities Watch weighs questions the humanities ask, and are asked, concerning their relation to the sciences, technology, and business interests. Text of the remarks can be found here.
How the current shape of healthcare can learn much from investigating Renaissance perspectives on the human condition, and the manner in which humanists describe this condition.
On silence. Why poets, and others, look for quietude – with lovers, friends, or by themselves – in lieu of words Doodle: Good morning, Noodle. You appear deep in thought. Noodle: Thanks for the interruption. I’m puzzled by a poem. As a professor of the humanities, I’ve read a lot of poetry, and should be [...]
Are the humanities "useless"? If so, do they still provide a use? Said Hui Shih to Chuang-tzu: “These sayings of yours are useless.” “It is only with people who know about the useless that there is any point in talking about uses. In all the immensity of heaven and earth, a man uses no more than [...]
