Defining the Humanities
Defining the Humanities
Defining the Humanities The purpose of this paper is to differentiate the humanities from other modes of human inquiry and expression. I will define the humanities of a cultural event of music and how music was an expression of what I know about the humanities, art, style, genius, and culture from the 60s. I will also discuss how the music of the 60s compares with other forms I know about from the same period. One of the definitions of humanities, according to the American Heritage Dictionary, is “Those branches of knowledge, such as philosophy, literature, and art, that are concerned with human thought and culture; the liberal arts.” Culture is a big part of humanities. Culture, as defined by the American Heritage Dictionary, is the totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and other products of human work and thought. These patterns, traits, and products considered as the expression of a particular period, class, community, or population (American heritage dictionary, 2000). Music is an artistic form of sound communication via musical instruments and voice that produce sounds and tones. Music is as old as mankind and cultures past and present have music. The "oldest known song" dates back 4,000 years ago and was written in ancient cuneiform. Cuneiform is a character or characters formed by the arrangement of small wedge-shaped elements and used in ancient Sumerian, Akkadian, Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian writing (American heritage dictionary, 2000). The certainty of how or when the first musical instrument was invented, however, most historians point to early flutes made from animal bones that are at least 37,000 years old (Bellis, 2010). The music of the 60’s in America is the humanities or culture of the American people of that era. Many changes going on in the 60s including revolutionary changes, extraordinary levels of sexual freedom among youths, and
Defining the Humanities The purpose of this paper is to differentiate the humanities from other modes of human inquiry and expression. I will define the humanities of a cultural event of music and how music was an expression of what I know about the humanities, art, style, genius, and culture from the 60s. I will also discuss how the music of the 60s compares with other forms I know about from the same period. One of the definitions of humanities, according to the American Heritage Dictionary, is “Those branches of knowledge, such as philosophy, literature, and art, that are concerned with human thought and culture; the liberal arts.” Culture is a big part of humanities. Culture, as defined by the American Heritage Dictionary, is the totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and other products of human work and thought. These patterns, traits, and products considered as the expression of a particular period, class, community, or population (American heritage dictionary, 2000). Music is an artistic form of sound communication via musical instruments and voice that produce sounds and tones. Music is as old as mankind and cultures past and present have music. The "oldest known song" dates back 4,000 years ago and was written in ancient cuneiform. Cuneiform is a character or characters formed by the arrangement of small wedge-shaped elements and used in ancient Sumerian, Akkadian, Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian writing (American heritage dictionary, 2000). The certainty of how or when the first musical instrument was invented, however, most historians point to early flutes made from animal bones that are at least 37,000 years old (Bellis, 2010). The music of the 60’s in America is the humanities or culture of the American people of that era. Many changes going on in the 60s including revolutionary changes, extraordinary levels of sexual freedom among youths, and
References: American heritage dictionary. (4th ed.). (2000). Chicago, IL: Houghton Mifflin Company. Bellis, M. (2010). Inventing musical instruments. Retrieved from http://inventors.about.com/od/mstartinventions/tp/musicalinstrument.htm Country rock Folk rock. (2010). In Folk rock. Retrieved May 5, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_rock Goodwin, S Hard rock. (2010). In Hard rock. Retrieved May 5, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_rock Nite, N Punk rock. (2010). In Punk rock. Retrieved May 5, 2010, from Rhythm and blues Shock rock. (2010). In Shock rock. Retrieved May 5, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shock_rock Soft rock The music of the sixties--the psychedelic era. (1998). Retrieved from http://library.thinkquest.org/21342/text/1960.htm