Role of Humanities Essay Example

Currently there is a separation between science and humanities that keep the two fields as opposite ends of the human culture. The society regards science as the field that provides answers to some of life's most pressing questions such as the issue of cloning could help improve food security by coming up with high resistance crops. There is also genetic mapping that could help humanity get rid of genetically inherited diseases such as breast cancer. The same technique could help people determine the traits and features of their children. It is a fact that science plays a vital role in these processes. "Scientists provide the tools for these choices" (Martin 1). Despite these important discoveries in the scientific world, the reaction and reception of these discoveries are what reflects the importance of humanities. At the end of the day, the decision of whether to adopt of reject these discoveries will be made by humans.

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The humanities will help us get closer to ourselves and understand how we would react to these scientific discoveries. Humanities will help us relate these scientific advancements with out values The humanities subject helps us understand our feelings and the feelings of those close to us. The subject helps us discover our values and how we express these values. Humanities such as art enable us to express our values. As Martin explains:

Among the numerous ways to approach the humanities, we have chosen the way of the arts because, as we shall try to elucidate, the arts clarify or reveal values. As we deepen our understanding of the arts, we necessarily deepen our understanding of values.

Through engagement with art we are able to enrich our lives considerably.

"Art may also help us understand the dark side" (Martin 3). From the history and failures of those that came before us we can avoid the same mistakes and plot a different path for ourselves and the future generations. For one, humanities acknowledge the weaknesses present in human beings and society. By factoring in the emotions and various life experiences, the subject helps us gain control of our emotion and mental being.

Humanities also help us to establish communication with others. Humans are social beings that make great achievements when they live alongside each other. Humanities enable us to achieve that by identifying the human side of the other person or people and knowing how to relate to them. If we are unable to recognize the humanity in others, we shall recognize it in ourselves. Art enables us to identify the essence in human existence.

Producers use art to show us that commercial success of movies is not the most viable option. That the essence of movies should be to interpret the human experience at a certain level of complexity that warrants humans to conduct examination and re-examination of the experience. Art is used in communicating our thoughts, emotions and feelings. The various forms of art such as music carry various messages in them that the audience can relate to. On the other hand, other forms of art such as movies have an element of entertainment within them. The same applies to art forms such as songs and works of literature. Works of literature also have other purposes in that they may be used to store information ar messages for future generations. In general, art is used to enhance our experiences and build great satisfaction in life.

Work Cited

Martin, David. The Huanities through the Arts. New York: McGraw-Hill Education, 2015. e-copy.