The Value of the Humanities

The Value of the Humanities sets out the main arguments conventionally made for the value of studying the humanities: that they pursue a special kind of work (the study of culture) that is different in kind and character from the work of the social sciences and sciences; that they are necessarily at odds with, or at a remove from, measures of economic use value; that they contribute to the happiness of individuals and/or the society; that they are a force for democracy; and that they are good in themselves, or have value ‘for their own sake’. Unlike most contributions in the field, this book is not a polemic. It examines the terrain of argument in the past and now and seeks to test the validity of each of the arguments for the purposes of defending the public value of the humanities now.