The Value of the Humanities [Hardcover]

InThe Value of the Humanitiesprize-winning critic Helen Small assesses the value of the Humanities, eloquently examining five historical arguments in defence of the Humanities.The Value of the Humanitiesprovides a critical account of the principal arguments used to defend the value of the Humanities. The claims considered are: that the Humanities study the meaning-making practices of culture, and bring to their work a distinctive understanding of what constitutes knowledge and understanding; that, though useful to society in many ways, they remain laudably at odds with, or at a remove from, instrumental use value; that they contribute to human happiness; that they are a force for democracy; and that they are a good in themselves, to be valued for their own sake. Engaging closely with contemporary literary and philosophical work in the field from the UK and US, Helen Small distinguishes between arguments that retain strong Victorian roots (Mill on happiness; Arnold on use value) and those that have developed or been substantially altered since. Unlike many works in this field,The Value of the Humanitiesis not a polemic or a manifesto. Its purpose is to explore the grounds for each argument, and to test its validity for the present day. Tough-minded, alert to changing historical conditions for argument and changing styles of rhetoric, it promises to sharpen the terms of the public debate.Introduction1. Distinction from other Disciplines2. Use and Usefulness3. Socrates Dissatisfied: The Argument for a Contribution to Happiness4. 'Democracy Needs Us': The Gadfly Argument for the Humanities5. For Its Own SakeConclusion: On Public ValueBibliographyHelen Smallis Professor of English at Oxford University and Jonathan and Julia Aisbitt Fellow of English at Pembroke College, Oxford. She is the author ofThe Long Life, which was awarded the Truman Capote Award for Literary Criticism 2007, and the editor ofThe Public Intló=