A Philosophy of the Humanities

Co-authored by three philosophers, this ground-breaking book explores a range of new and classic questions concerning the humanities. For example, do the humanities (like the sciences) really make progress? Is there anything that unifies scholarship in the humanities, across fields as diverse as history, literary studies, philosophy, and musicology? And what should we make of the political aims of the humanities--for example, the desire by many scholars in the humanities to uncover systems of oppression and domination?

Co-authored by three philosophers, this ground-breaking book explores a range of new and classic questions concerning the humanities. For example, do the humanities (like the sciences) really make progress? Is there anything that unifies scholarship in the humanities, across fields as diverse as history, literary studies, philosophy, and musicology? And what should we make of the political aims of the humanities--for example, the desire by many scholars in the humanities to uncover systems of oppression and domination? Does this interfere with "objective" scholarship or not?In many ways this book is the first of its kind, considering new topics such as the value of replication studies in the humanities, and deference to other humanities scholars. A Philosophy of the Humanities offers new ways of thinking about the nature of the humanities and the distinctive contributions they make to human understanding.