Why Study Humanities - 2444 Words

I want to take this occasion to address one of the most prominent criticisms of the humanities today. I am not referring to criticism of more recent vintage, which takes to task the humanities for a supposed excess of political correctness; this complaint we can set aside as the ideologically motivated lament that it surely is. Rather, I’m speaking of the more long-standing critique that takes the humanities to task for its inconsequence, its uselessness. The presumption that underwrites this critique is simple: its claim is that we do not learn anything by attending to the objects of humanities research. These objects – a poem, a film or play, a piece of music, or what have you – do not furnish our minds with information we can use.†¦show more content†¦Even if we are not prepared to go quite so far as Plato did, and denounce the poet for actively obstructing the search for truth, we may still need to answer to the charge that the objects of humani ties research – I’ll follow Plato in taking poetry as the paradigmatic example – teach us nothing. We need to ask then: what does the poet, or what does the humanist, know? I now want to turn to two poems of the British Romantic period that offer perspectives on this very question. We will recognize that in neither case is an unequivocally affirmative answer provided to the question of what the poet knows. Indeed, both poems would seem to confirm the premises of Plato’s criticism, inasmuch as they give expression to a type of knowledge that can barely be called knowledge as such, since it remains necessarily speculative, provisional, and incomplete. As I’ve suggested, this has been the ground on which the humanities has long seemed weakest in the eyes of its critics. Whereas Plato regards this kind of poetic thinking as useless and worse, however, we find in these poems a qualified defense of not-knowing, and a concomitant claim on behalf of what the poet John Keats called â€Å"half-knowledge.† Both poems make a brief for the importance of attending to thoughts principally characterized by their incompletion and open-endedness; they embrace a kind of thinking that pointedly does not resolve into determinate knowledge. And bothShow MoreRelatedThe Humanities And Its Impact On Education Essay1750 Words   |  7 Pagesinstitutions are cutting the humanities from curricula. According to Nussbaum, our nation and those like it are economically hungry and are pushing technical careers instead. She disputes that a decrease in the humanities will cause a loss in free thinking, and therefore a loss of democracy. Her argument is based off of her theory that without the humanities, citizens become soulless, mechanical, and profit-making machines. This theory is based off the notion that the humanities are continuing to beRead MoreEssay about The Study of Anthropology and the Humanities1361 Words   |  6 Pages The humanities are a broad multidisciplinary field of study where its disciplines aren’t in just one department. Therefore, studying the humanities correlates to the study of anthropology. Simply put, anthropology is the study of humanity and the origins of human beings. Learning about the humanities can help those studying anthropology because the humanities looks into understanding and exploring the human condition. There is an idea of culture that is used to describe what humans do. AnthropologyRead MoreApplied Anthropology: Domains of Application Essay1502 Words   |  7 Pagesapproach, or any other specialized field of anthropology. All can have an effect on human culture and relationships, but all have their benefits and harms that can behoove or dismay a human individual in their field of study. The study of humanity is unfortunately as fallible as humanity itself, and to gage what applied anthropology actually is—we must understand the harms and benefits of the many different approaches. To me, applied anthropology is just the analysis of the way humans function asRead MoreThe Hippocratic Oath1099 Words   |  4 PagesWhat makes our history, religion, and our literature? What about our philosophy, science and our art? All of this is are the humanities. The humanities studies every aspect of the human experience all the way from the beginning of time. It is such an open and vast topic, that I will mostly focus on the medical part of the humanities, because that is where my field of study is. The medical field goes all the way back to the Hippocratic Oath which was written in the early 5th century BC. There wereRead MoreCriticism Of The Humanities769 Words   |  4 Pagesare many criticisms of the humanities and counter arguments against those criticisms. This response will attempt the explain value of studying the humanities, and the criticisms of humanities. According to the dictionary humanities is learning or literature concerned with human culture, especially literature, history, art, music, and philosophy. Through exploration of these subjects, we have found that humanities has played an important role in the world overall. Humanities gives us the ability to gainRead MoreWhat Are Ten Ways We Can Build Support For The Humanities?975 Words   |  4 Pagesways we can build support for the humanities? When looking at your television, computer, or any source of information you can also see what celebrities or people that have foundations for people in need. Humanitarians do so much for the world that sometimes they do not get the recognition on what they do. In the article it states ten different ways that people can do to support others in humanitarian work. Early childhood education is a good way to support humanities because as they get older they willRead MoreFour Goals of Psychology Essay793 Words   |  4 Pagespredict, and control behavior and the mental process. These goals were set to help psychologists to better understand what factors cause different types of behavior and why. In order for these goals to be successful, information must be obtained from direct observation of the patient. Do these goals help humanity? Do these goals hurt humanity? These questions will be answered in the essay below. Four Goals of Psychology The four goals of psychology are to describe, understand, predict, andRead MoreEssay On Recruiting Volunteers1649 Words   |  7 Pagesvolunteers For Macon soccer club Submitted to the faculty of: Middle Georgia State University Degree of Bachelor of Science. Submitted by Tushia Amin Date: 5th December 2017 Acknowledgment We would like to express our gratitude to habitat for humanity for their full support. The completion of this project would not have been possible without their help. We would also like to thank all of the soccer club members who impacted our project and experience. Abstract A Soccer clubs whichRead MoreSexuality : A Diverse Population Of People And Cultures1507 Words   |  7 Pageswho stray from the heteronormative ideals that society has set. Even at my college, there is a club for these individuals to unite together. I thoroughly enjoy this greater understanding I get from these sources. However, this also makes me curious why others have such negative and violent reactions to these people. It is a topic that should be explored and discussed by more of the population. Sexuality is an individual’s preference towards sexual interactions. It is an extremely controversial andRead MoreAfrica The Home Of Humanity1253 Words   |  6 PagesAfrica the Home of Humanity Human origins, evolution, and diffusion are important for understanding the history of Africa. African historians take pride in the fact that Africa is most certainly the birthplace of humanity. There is evidence showing that humanity began in Africa by remains left behind by human groups and societies. They have retrieved fossils of living organisms, and even written records, like cave drawings. Dating back millions of years ago Africa provides the best time line

Catalase Lab Report Free Essays

Investigating the effect of different environmental factors on the reaction of liver and hydrogen peroxide Table of Contents 1 Design3 1. 1 Variables3 1. 2 Safety and Environment3 2 Data Collection and Analysis3 2. We will write a custom essay sample on Catalase Lab Report or any similar topic only for you Order Now 1 Collected Raw Data3 2. 2 Qualitative data5 2. 3 Processed Data5 2. 4 Graph on test tube 25 2. 5 Graph on test tube 36 2. 6 Errors6 3. Conclusion and Evaluation6 3. 1. Conclusion6 3. 2. Evaluation7 3. 2. 1. Random Errors7 3. 2. 2. Systematic Errors7 3. 3. Improvements7 Design Look to sheet titled: ‘Investigating the action of the enzyme catalase’ 1 1. 1 Variables The independent variables are the acids used, the dependant variables the height of the bubbles formed and the control variables the test tubes used. 2 1. 2 Safety and Environment The safety and environmental precautions for this lab are quite strict. Wear safety goggles and a lab coat to avoid getting any acid on your person, and dispose of the acids in a sink with plenty of water. Collect the used liver samples and dispose of accordingly. 2 Data Collection and Analysis 1 2. 1 Collected Raw Data |Test tube |Height of bubbles (cm) | | | | |pH | | |30s | 30s |60s |90s |120s |150s |180s |210s |240s |270s |300s | |1 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 | |2 |12,9 |13 |14,1 |13,3 |11,7 |10,4 |9,3 |6,7 |5,5 |5 | |3 |14,2 |10,8 |8,4 |6,9 |5,5 |7,5 |3,3 |3 |2,8 |2,7 | |4 |1,9 |1,9 |1,8 |1,4 |1,3 |1,3 |0,4 |0,2 |0,1 |0,1 | |5 |0,2 |0,2 |0,2 |0,1 |0,1 |0,1 |0,1 |0,1 |0,1 |0,1 | |6 |0,5 |0,6 |0,9 |1 |1,4 |1,6 |1,8 |2 |1,3 |1,4 | | 2 2. 4 Graph on test tube 2 3 4 2. 5 Graph on test tube 3 As can be seen from the two above graphs, test tube 3, which had the exact same conditions as test tueb 2 except for the surface area of the liver, had a much more vigourous reaction, due to the increased surface area of the crushed liver. 2. 6 Errors The only piece of equipment that is to be considered in error calculations is the ruler used which had an uncertainty of approx. Â ±0,2 cm. 3. Conclusion and Evaluation 3. 1. Conclusion The experiment was meant to create an artificial catalase reaction between the enzymes in the liver sample and hydrogen peroxide. The sample in test tube 2 reacted with the hydrogen peroxide and produced oxygen bubbles at a somewhat steady pace, while the sample in test tube 3 reacted vigorously at first and then slowed down as most of the enzyme had been used up. 3. 2. Evaluation 3. 2. 1. Random Errors The liver was quite hard to get into perfect ? cm3 cubes, as it tended to get squished when the knife was pressed down, making the sample larger lengthwise, but smaller height-wise. Also when the reaction was very rigorous, the oxygen bubbles sometimes lifted the liver out of the hydrogen peroxide, causing it to stop reacting with the hydrogen peroxide. While not a major issue, sometimes the time at which the results were checked were not exactly at the designated 30 second intervals, due to many things going on at once. 3. 2. 2. Systematic Errors The ruler we were using was quite old and dirty, with some of the finer millimeter markings rubbed off or obscured, leading to readings that were not as accurate as they could have been. The molarity of the chemicals used can also be put into question. 3. 3. Improvements The liver could be frozen or in some other way petrified to make the cutting easier and more precise. The liver should be checked constantly and adjusted back down with a glass rod if necessary. Enough time should be allocated to ensure that the experiment can be done in a calm and orderly fashion to avoid any oversights in the time taking. Clean and clear rulers should be used to measure the bubbles. The molarity of the chemicals should be checked with titration or some other form of double checking the molarity. How to cite Catalase Lab Report, Papers

An Evaluation of the Successes and Failures of Reconstruction free essay sample

These included acquirement for Southern states to be readmitted into the Union. These acts created five military districts in the South, each commanded by a general and policed by soldiers. Another success was the expansion of both Northern and Southern economy. Both areas were able to flourish exponentially with the help and support of their newly reunited counterparts. Industries boomed, more new products were on the market than ever before, and trade with other countries increased. Numerous laws were passed during the Reconstruction period regarding the rights of freedmen.The Freedmans Bureau was one notable organization out of many that helped ex-slaves acquire property, education, healthcare, and other benefits. The Civil Rights Act of 1 866 granted citizenship and equal rights to all male persons in the U. S. without distinction of race or color, or previous condition of slavery or involuntary servitude. The Reconstruction Amendments were also passed during this time. We will write a custom essay sample on An Evaluation of the Successes and Failures of Reconstruction or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page They included the Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments, which abolished slavery and declared African Americans equal to whites. This period of Reconstruction was also a failure because it did not ensure equal rights for blacks and whites. With the removal of troops from the South in 1877, Southerners failed to maintain humane treatment of African Americans and objected strongly to the former slaves new role in society. Acts of violence from terrorist groups like the ASK kept African Americans and white Republicans form voting, and gradually caused the demise Of the radical Republican governments.The UK Klux Klan Act Of 1871 was Congress attempt to end the terrorism, intimidation, and violence that he ASK had been using but it ultimately failed to eradicate the Klan or abolish use of fear tactics and brutality against blacks and supportive whites. Overall the Reconstruction era was beneficial for the reintegration of the Southern states into the Union and it did have numbered successes. On the contrary, it failed in multiple ways and did not fulfill its purpose of ensuring equal rights for freed slaves. Both g ood and bad results came out of the Reconstruction era, therefore it cannot be classified as either a success or a failure.