LESSON 3

• Humanities


  The study of human culture, including subjects such as literature, philosophy, art, music, history, and language
• Intended Learning Outcomes


  • Discover the etymology of "humanities"
  • Identify the place of humanities in the history of Western civilization
  • Differentiate the different humanistic disciplines from each other
  • Describe the Western concept of art
  • Give the classification of Western art
  • Identify the seven arts in Western civilization
  • Give examples of the minor arts
  • Explain and evaluate different theories of art presented
• Humanities etymology


  The word "humanities" comes from the Latin "humanitas", meaning "human nature, human quality, kindness"
• Concepts of the human person in Western civilization

  • Cosmocentric view (Ancient times)
  • Theocentric view (Medieval times)
  • Anthropocentric view (Renaissance)
  • Scientific-technocentric view (Modern times)
  • Eclectic view (Post-modern times)
• Humanistic disciplines


  • History - study of human events
  • Languages - study of written and oral forms of human communication
  • Philosophy - study of human reason concerning reality
  • Art - study of human-made objects and human creativity
• Art


  A skillful production or performance
• Branches of art

  • Liberal Arts - produced by artists
  • Servile Arts - produced by artisans
• Major/Fine Arts


  • Literature
  • Music
  • Visual Arts
  • Dance
  • Theater
  • Architecture
  • Cinema
• Minor Arts/Crafts


  • Tattoos
  • Pottery
  • Woodworks
  • Ironworks
  • Printed textiles
  • Billboards
• Western concept of art

  • Artists must be academically trained
  • Art is meant for the higher social class
  • Art is hierarchical - Liberal Arts vs Servile Arts, high art vs low art, major art vs minor art, artists vs artisans
• Artisans are craftsmen that help artists complete their job, but are not considered artists themselves
• Laura Morelli: '"Is there a difference between art and craft?"'
• The Western art concept has three qualifying standards for a person to be considered an artist: academic training, elitism, and hierarchical classification
• Cosmocentric View (Ancient Times 800 BC)


  A vision of reality that places the highest importance or emphasis in the universe or nature which strongly focuses on humankind as the most important element of existence.
• Protagoras (Ancient Times 800 BC)


  Man is the measure of all things.
• Geocentrism (Ancient Times 800 BC)



  Man is the center of the universe.
• Theocentricism (Medieval Times 300 AD)



  is the belief that the Christian God is the central aspect to our existence. In this view, meaning and value of actions done to people or the environment are attributed to God.
• Scholasticism (Medieval Times 300 AD)




  Man is created in the image of God. Man is the center of creation.
• Anthropocentrism (Renaissance Times 1400 AD)


  is the worldview that considers humans to be the most important thing in the Universe, or at least on the planet Earth.
• Humanism (Renaissance Times 1400 AD)



  Nothing more wonderful than man
• ScientificTechnocentric view: Technocentrism (Modern Times 1600)


  is a value system that is centered on technology and its ability to control and protect the environment.

  Man is part of nature.

  
  

  Another important work, "Gadgets," 1947, done in two versions, reflects the increasing importance of machines in the post-war industrialization period, as well as what he perceived was the insidious threat of human metamorphosing into machine.
• Eclectic view: Eclecticism (Post Modern Times 1960)

  • is a conceptual approach that does not hold rigidly to a single paradigm or set of assumptions, but instead draws upon multiple theories, styles, or ideas to gain complementary insights into a subject, or applies different theories in particular cases.
  • Man is a piece of everything.