Throughout the existence of humanity, many people, public figures, and scientists have asked questions of an existential nature. Humanity wanted to understand the essence of life, knowledge of culture, and human traditions. Thus, as human civilization developed, certain branches of knowledge were born that reflected the achievements of human life, the foundations of spiritual orientation, and self-expression. This work contains a definition of the humanities and examples of different cultures in the era of human development.
Studying human development before written records helps understand origins of people. In the later stages of prehistory, ancestors made tools and weapons from stone and bone to hunt, collect, and provide means for their survival. Some descendants made rock paintings inside the caves; others left their signs outside (Fiero 2). Culture is the totality of all the creations of mankind throughout existence (Fiero 2). As food production gradually supplanted gathering and hunters became farmers, communities of a different kind emerged: urban societies developed writing systems, metallurgy technology, and sophisticated forms of civic life. Thus, the origin of human culture dates back to antiquity, when civilization was emerging.
A significant event of the Paleolithic culture was the manufacture of tools and weapons. Toolmaking represents the beginning of a culture that comes from the manipulation of nature in its most basic sense. Toolmaking, humanity’s earliest technology, was the primary act of prehistoric humans to expand control over nature and a real example of problem-solving behavior (Fiero 3). Their ritual preparation of the deceased suggests a fear of the dead or an expectation of life after death. While toolmaking is an iconic technology of Paleolithic culture, rock art is an enterprise whose meaning remain the subject of much debate.
Understanding the evolution and development of the three great world religions – Judaism, Christianity, and Islam – answers the question of why religion plays a central role in people’s lives. All three religions are based on the belief in revelation: the divine revelation of sacred knowledge (Fiero 95). They believe that the Supreme Being gave humanity a set of holy precepts through a prophet, God’s agent on earth. To Abraham in Canaan, to Moses on Mount Sinai, to Jesus on the Jordan River, and to Muhammad in the Arabian Desert came a holy message that inspired the teachings of these founders.
The birth of Judaism, the oldest of these religions, took place in the second millennium BC, a thousand years before the rise of the classical civilizations of Greece and Rome. During the reign of the Roman emperor Augustus in the Roman province of Judea, Jesus and his followers ignited the flame of Christianity. Islam, the youngest of these three world religions, only appeared in the seventh-century CE. e. It flourished in the region of Southwest Asia that nurtured Judaism and Christianity (Fiero 97). Buddhism is in contrast to those world beliefs based on revelation. Born in India in the 5th century BC. e. Siddhartha Gautama, its founder, known as the Buddha, achieved spiritual enlightenment not by divine decree but through meditation and the practice of humility.
People have created cultures with their identification marks, beliefs, and currents from each religion. It can be said that all religions are cultural teachings for the people who follow them. Thus, religion is a critical factor in the birth of human culture and a vital part of the humanities. Each religion has its scriptures and rules by which believers must live. Following religion, a person first follows culture and teaching, which have been formed for centuries.
Thus, referring to the above examples from the history of humankind and theory, we can say that the humanities are branches of knowledge related to people, cultures, and values. They are based on recognizing the unique values ​​and abilities of a person to express himself. The humanities focus on studying languages, literature, art, history, and philosophy around the world. The study of the humanities is a crucial aspect of personality formation. It is necessary to understand the culture of different times, compare different eras with each other, achieving the integrity of the universe and worldview.
Work Cited
Fiero, Gloria. Ise Landmarks in Humanities. McGraw-Hill Education, 2020.