Why (study) the humanities? The view from science

This chapter addresses the relationship between the humanistic and scientific visions of the human being, says why the humanistic vision is not undermined by what science is teaching us about ourselves, and then turns to a discussion of the kind of understanding that the humanities provide. It argues that that understanding differs from the kind of understanding provided by the sciences, and that it is indispensable to human flourishing. The humanities enrich our experience of the world; educate the imagination; help us understand ourselves and other people; and teach us how to live, how to love, and how to feel.