humaniora

Humaniora, or the humanities, is a broad field of study that investigates human culture, thought, and value systems across time and place. It emphasizes the interpretation of texts, artifacts, acts, and institutions to understand how people construct meaning, express creativity, and organize societies. In contrast to the natural and formal sciences, the humanities rely largely on critical analysis, historical contextualization, and philosophical inquiry rather than empirical experimentation.

Disciplines commonly associated with the humanities include literature, philosophy, history, languages and philology, art history, musicology, theatre and film studies, religious studies, and cultural studies. Archaeology and area studies are often included as well. Methods center on close reading, textual and historical analysis, hermeneutics, comparative and cross-cultural approaches, and theoretical reflection. The humanities increasingly incorporate digital tools and interdisciplinary methods, giving rise to digital humanities and public humanities.

Education in humanities aims to cultivate critical thinking, clear writing and communication, ethical reflection, and cross-cultural understanding. The term humaniora is used in several languages—such as Indonesian, Dutch, and some others—to denote the humanities as an academic discipline and field of study.