Humanities Today Essay Example for Free

Humanities Today EssayFor as bulky as humankind has existed so have art, music, architecture, writings, and philosophy. The University of Phoenix (2009) defines humanities as an approach to study that emphasizes ideas and set finished analysis of modes of cultural expression, philosophical and religious thought, and modes of human communication (University of Phoenix, Week maven Supplement). Gloria K. Fiero (2006) further defines humanities as literature, philosophy, history, architecture, visual arts, music, and dance (p. 4).Humanities impact daily life without many mountain being aw ar of their presence. What distinguishes humanities from other modes of human inquiry and expression is that they focus on ideas and values, non simply the production or result of an action. This paper will provide current examples of visual art, music, architecture, philosophy, and literature and analyze how they reflect current developments in politics, socioeconomics, and engineering. V isual art jackpot be, however is not particular to, painting, sculpture, and photography.Classic paintings by renowned artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Claude Monet, Vincent Van Gogh, and Pablo Picasso are remedy considered masterpieces in todays monastic order but are not enjoyed by the reciprocal macrocosm the way that graphic and digital art have in the past century. Graphic and digital engine room have begin the means by which visual art is to be viewed and cherished among the mass cosmos in a way that has never been available in history. Todays society has father focused on instant gratification.Changes are expected to be made in politics overnight, struggles in socioeconomics demand rectification within weeks (even though they took age to create), and advancements in technology feeds societys addiction on better, faster, and stronger tools. Unfortunately, visual art has become victim to this need for instant gratification. No longer are single masterpieces creat ed by the flow of an artists hands, shaping and molding art into a founding of his or her soul. Instead, art is generated digitally by the click of a mouse and a selection of food color and size from a predefined chart.The art can then be mass-distributed and mass-produced around the world in the matter of minutes. The creativity is still there, but the love generated through the time and patience required to get to that art by hand is no longer there. With the flood of self-help books saturating the market, literature also reflects societys need for instant gratification. Self-help books are a reflection of the current socioeconomic state in which everyone is spirit for a way to better his or her life instantly.Politicians have indirectly supported this literary writing style by focusing and promoting what is wrong in the country and in each other. For example, if a politician has shortcomings in his or her public speaking abilities, the opposing political party will ridicule that person publicly. Citizens who emotional state they also do not have strong speaking skills and fear being mocked may then be compelled to purchase a self-help book on public speaking. As technology has advanced, self-help books have become a wonderful tool for individuals struggling to learn how to use the newest electronic devices.One popular technology self-help series is the For Dummies books. The books began in 1991 with DOS for Dummies (Johnson, 2006, para. 3), but they have now sold over 150 gazillion Dummies books in 39 languages. Many people have benefited from the simple, helpful language used in these books, but not all self-help books are created equal. Some self-help books offer a quick solution that often leaves individuals expression worse than when they began. Striving for self-improvement is excellent however, self-help books can sometimes do more harm than upright. medication in todays society can also do more harm than good when presented to an impression able mind. Music has always been used as a means of creatively reflecting political and socioeconomic issues, but since the inception of the Rap and Heavy Metal music genres, discontent, anger, and frustration have become common and wide-spread in music over the past 50 years. Songs about drug use, suicide, murder, and rape and those that use unequivocal language are common in these two genres of music and have begun to permeate other forms of music.This reflects not save societys discontent with the current political and socioeconomic state, but it also reflects societys tolerance and acceptance of freedom of speech. The sound of music, the production of music, and the enjoyment of music have evolved as technology evolves. New sounds that have never been realistic before are now available through technology. Music is now available anywhere through the use of an MP3 player or cell phone. No longer does a person have to stop and listen to a musician music can be vie at any time. This fills societys need for instant gratification.Todays architecture also caters to the on-the-go lifestyles of society. Bigger, stronger, smarter, and faster are all ideas and values visibly manifested in current architecture. The aesthetic appeal of a building has given way to designs which exploit opportunities to get the most for the money. A new-made trend which reflects a change of political and socioeconomic initiatives is building environmentally-friendly structures. That means creating a building that produces inadequate waste, uses alternative power solutions, and emits minimum greenhouse toxins.Advances in technology have made these structures possible however, they hail additional money to construct, and businesses and individuals are charged more money to use them than a traditionally strengthened structure. Instant gratification, the struggle for self-improvement, tolerance and acceptance, and the idea of making as much money as possible are all philosophies in todays society. Each is reflected in art, literature, music, and architecture, but as a whole, they make up the philosophy of society through their ideas and values.Developments in politics, socioeconomics, and technology have all played a part in creating these philosophies, but they are visibly manifested in the humanities. One can only wonder how the current humanities will be viewed and analyzed 50 or 100 years from now. The examples this paper has provided of visual art, music, architecture, philosophy, and literature demonstrate how current developments in politics, socioeconomics, and technology are reflected. As politics, socioeconomics, and technology change so too will art, music, architecture, philosophy, and literature.They are a reflection of one another and intertwined in their evolution. References Fiero, Gloria K. (2007). The humanistic tradition (5th ed). New York, NY McGraw-Hill. Johnson, Doug (2006, October). For dummies books are popular learning aids. Retrieved from http//www. voanews. com/specialenglish/archive/2006-10/2006-10-12-voa1. cfm University of Phoenix (2009). Week One supplement Humanities Terminology. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, Week One, HUM102 Introduction to the Humanities website.