Philosophy vs. Humanities

Main Difference

The main difference between Philosophy and Humanities is that the Philosophy is a intellectual and/or logical study of general and fundamental problems and Humanities is a academic disciplines that study human culture

• Philosophy

  Philosophy (from Greek φιλοσοφία, philosophia, literally “love of wisdom”) is the study of general and fundamental questions about existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. The term was probably coined by Pythagoras (c. 570 – 495 BCE). Philosophical methods include questioning, critical discussion, rational argument, and systematic presentation. Classic philosophical questions include: Is it possible to know anything and to prove it? What is most real? Philosophers also pose more practical and concrete questions such as: Is there a best way to live? Is it better to be just or unjust (if one can get away with it)? Do humans have free will?Historically, “philosophy” encompassed any body of knowledge. From the time of Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle to the 19th century, “natural philosophy” encompassed astronomy, medicine, and physics. For example, Newton’s 1687 Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy later became classified as a book of physics. In the 19th century, the growth of modern research universities led academic philosophy and other disciplines to professionalize and specialize. In the modern era, some investigations that were traditionally part of philosophy became separate academic disciplines, including psychology, sociology, linguistics, and economics.

  Other investigations closely related to art, science, politics, or other pursuits remained part of philosophy. For example, is beauty objective or subjective? Are there many scientific methods or just one? Is political utopia a hopeful dream or hopeless fantasy? Major sub-fields of academic philosophy include metaphysics (“concerned with the fundamental nature of reality and being”), epistemology (about the “nature and grounds of knowledge [and]…its limits and validity”), ethics, aesthetics, political philosophy, logic and philosophy of science.

• Humanities

  Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at the time. Today, the humanities are more frequently contrasted with natural, and sometimes social sciences, as well as professional training.The humanities use methods that are primarily critical, or speculative, and have a significant historical element—as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences, yet, unlike the sciences, it has no central discipline.

  The humanities include the study of ancient and modern languages, literature, philosophy, history, human geography, law, politics, religion, and art.

  Scholars in the humanities are “humanity scholars” or humanists. The term “humanist” also describes the philosophical position of humanism, which some “antihumanist” scholars in the humanities reject. The Renaissance scholars and artists were also called humanists. Some secondary schools offer humanities classes usually consisting of literature, global studies and art.

  Human disciplines like history, folkloristics, and cultural anthropology study subject matters that the manipulative experimental method does not apply to—and instead mainly use the comparative method and comparative research.

• Philosophy (noun)

  the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, especially when considered as an academic discipline.

• Philosophy (noun)

  a particular system of philosophical thought

  “the philosophies of Plato and Aristotle”

• Philosophy (noun)

  the study of the theoretical basis of a particular branch of knowledge or experience

  “the philosophy of science”

• Philosophy (noun)

  a theory or attitude that acts as a guiding principle for behaviour

  “don’t expect anything and you won’t be disappointed, that’s my philosophy”