Basic Art Appreciation

and the
Humanities

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Writers/Editors

Anita U. Illenberger
Herly Fie U. Cervera
Josephine C. Madlangbayan
Sheila T. Salazar
PREFACE

The study of the Humanities is wide in scope as it embraces the

understanding of human beings as the greatest creation in the universe and the
appreciation of their creative expressions.

This book , Basic Art Appreciation and the Humanities aims to make the
students acquire knowledge of the different art forms, help them build good
foundation in improving their aesthetic life and develop their spiritual, socio-cultural

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values that will enable them to find significant meaning in life and enhance their
ability to form sound judgment.

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Divided into six chapters, the book gives a thorough discussion of the
meaning and importance of the Humanities, the essential principles of arts, the

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different methods of presenting art, the elements of different art forms and the art of
being human which includes topics on basic etiquette and social graces as well as
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brief notes on urban living and environmental care. Also, the book is designed to
underscore the importance of aesthetic and spiritual values in human development.
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Integrated in this lesson is the relationship between arts and human development.
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The sustainable development of human resource in the global society highlights the
fact that culture and the arts play a vital role in social transformation , economic
progress, and national identity. Understanding the creative expressions of people is
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basic to the learning of the Humanities not only as a discipline but also a means to
human development and recognition of the worth of every human being in a global
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community.

Study notes and short exercises are provided for after each lesson to help
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students in their learning assessment and self evaluation. Furthermore, the writers
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hope that the book will afford classroom teachers the opportunity to discover the
creative personality of their students and thereby, be a great help in the development
of their students’ creativity.
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The authors
Table of Contents

Page
Preface............................................................................................................... Ii
Chapter 1 Meaning and Importance of Art and the Humanities........ 1
The Humanities.......................................................................... 1
Definitions of Art....................................................................... 2
Truths About Art........................................................................ 3
Creativity and Artistry in Global Society................................... 4
The Role of the Artist................................................................ 5
Developing Appreciation of an Artwork.................................... 5

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Aesthetic Judgment.................................................................. 6
Medicine and the Humanities.................................................... 11

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Chapter 2 Essential Principles of Art............................................................. 17
Background................................................................................ 17

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Medium...................................................................................... 18

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Composition or Organization.....................................................
Style...........................................................................................
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19
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Chapter 3 Methods of Presenting Art............................................................ 33
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Realism...................................................................................... 33
Abstraction................................................................................. 35
Symbolism................................................................................. 38
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Dadaism..................................................................................... 39
Fauvism...................................................................................... 40
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Surrealism.................................................................................. 41
Futurism..................................................................................... 42
Impressionism............................................................................ 43
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Expressionism............................................................................ 44
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Chapter 4 Elements of Visual Arts................................................................. 49

Line............................................................................................ 49
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Color.......................................................................................... 51
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Texture....................................................................................... 56
Shape.......................................................................................... 57
Space.......................................................................................... 57
Perspective................................................................................. 58
Principles of Design................................................................... 61
Balance...................................................................................... 61
Proportion.................................................................................. 63
Harmony.................................................................................... 64
Rhythm...................................................................................... 65
Emphasis.................................................................................... 66
Chapter 5 Literature, Music, Architecture, Cinema, and Dance................ 71
Drama........................................................................................ 71
Fiction........................................................................................ 83
Poetry......................................................................................... 83
Essay.......................................................................................... 87
Music......................................................................................... 87
Architecture............................................................................... 97
Cinema or Films........................................................................ 99
Dance......................................................................................... 103

Chapter 6 The Art of Being Human............................................................... 113

Up-to-Date Manners.................................................................. 114

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At Home..................................................................................... 114
In a Restaurant........................................................................... 115

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In the Office............................................................................... 115
In a Dormitory............................................................................ 116
In Church................................................................................... 117

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In a Concert................................................................................ 117

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In a Hospital...............................................................................
Introducing People.....................................................................
Urban Lifestyle..........................................................................
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Environmental Care System...................................................... 127
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Earth Savers’ Ten Commandments............................................ 127

Tips of Caring for the Environment........................................... 128
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Global Warming......................................................................... 130

Natural Calamities: Earthquake, Tsunamis and Floods............. 134
The Importance of Aesthetic and Spiritual Values..................... 139
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Guidelines for a Healthy Self-Image......................................... 140

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References.......................................................................................................... 145
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Chapter 1
MEANING AND IMPORTANCE OF ART
AND THE HUMANITIES

The Humanities

The term humanities comes from the Latin word humanus which means
civilized, refined, cultured or disciplined. It refers to a group of cultural subjects
presenting the total experiences of man as expressed in his arts such as architecture,
painting, sculpture, literature, dance, music, cinema, etc. using a particular material

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called medium.
Painting - creating meaningful images on flat surfaces using colored

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pigments (solid material) mixed with vehicle (liquid material)
Architecture - designing and constructing buildings for a particular function
using single or mixed materials

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Sculpture - forming objects out of tangible materials such as stone, metal,
wood, etc.
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Literature - recording experiences in life using words in any language
Music - using sound of varying pitch to compose songs
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Dance - communicating ideas using parts or the whole body
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Cinema - producing moving three-dimensional images on the screen

involving complex technical process and acting crew completely
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controlled by a director

The subject humanities or sometimes called the arts includes areas in which
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human subjectivity is emphasized and individual expressiveness is celebrated and

given importance. It brings to enlightenment man’s search for identity and
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significance specially his thoughts and feelings and how he communicates them. It
stresses the worthiness of man and recognizes his creative expressions.
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As stated by Zulueta (1994), the humanities or the arts are records of man’s
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experiences, his values, his sentiments, his ideals, and his goals. They are ultimately
the channeling of man’s feelings and thoughts using a concrete medium such as
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stone, words, parts of the body, sound, etc. Exposure to the arts provides enjoyment
when a person understands and appreciates what is being communicated specially if
that person is much familiar with the idea showcased by the artist.

According to Andres (1980), if a man is to live like a human being, his heart
and mind must be nourished, and the best spiritual nourishment comes from the
humanities. It is in the humanities course where the creative expressions of the heart
and mind of man are analyzed and given value in order for him to understand what it
means to be human. Exposure to the humanities makes the person eventually
appreciate humanity and the arts as record or man’s experiences and how he reacts to
these experiences. Man has always been questioning the meaning of his existence
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specially that in the modern times when man’s traditional functions seem to be
replaced by machines. By studying our humanity we will realize what it means to be
human as we compare ourselves with machines. Another reason why we have to
study the humanities is to be able to appreciate artists whose role is to record and
preserve their personal point of view towards life experiences and the cultural
heritage at a particular place and time when they flourished as artists.

With the knowledge of the humanities, persons would be able to bridge the
gap and break the fences that may exist between peoples of the world. Individuals at
different places, cultures and times could reach out to one another in common bond
of compassion and understanding. This understanding will reinforce a deep sense of
recognition for human creativity and resourcefulness as innate in the human

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personality. This learning can be achieved by direct experiences as different
cultures, forms, and styles of art are studied. Humanities or the arts are important in

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preparing man in assuming his responsibilities and enjoying life specially in this fast
changing world as he also recognizes his self worth.

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The humanities and the sciences do not have the same emphasis. The
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sciences are focused on the outside or external world of man which can be
experimented, measured, and manipulated. On the other hand, subjects in the
humanities deal with man’s inner or internal world that cannot exactly be observed,
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dissected, and experimented. For instance, a mother’s love and a child’s hatred
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could not precisely be fathomed or measured using a thermometer. The approach in

studying the humanities is subjective since it is more concerned with perceptions,
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feelings, and intuitions while that of the sciences is concrete and objective. Salvador
Gonzales claims that science educates our minds and hearts while the humanities
educate our feelings and sensitivities so that we may use our minds without
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forgetting that we are human beings.

However in these modern times, both the sciences and the humanities are
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much essential for the development of the complete man as he takes his position in
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this puzzling and changing world.

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Art
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The word art is derived from the Latin word ars meaning ability or skill. It
deals with areas of creativity that seek to communicate beauty specially derived
through the senses. Art creation is an activity involving skill and imagination. Form
which is the visible and content, the invisible component, are the two interlocking
aspects of art as the inner man tries to find an avenue of expression.
Bogart (1978) says that a work of art is a record of a particular artist’s view of
the time and place where it was produced. It is a concrete embodiment of an idea or
feeling resulting from an unusual experience using a sensuous medium such as
sound, stone, words, etc. It is a channel of a personal interpretation of life and
nature. It is intuition and an evidence of man’s impressions towards anything in a
mysterious world.

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The world’s arts are considered treasury of humanity’s past and are regarded
as “humanity’s footprints in the sands of time” because they are tangible proofs of
man’s expression of his thoughts and feelings as he resides anywhere and anytime.
Arts constitute one of the oldest and most important means of man’s expression as he
discovers realities in his environment. They convey the artist’s personal,
psychological, and social insights. To an artist, art is a vision and an inspiration. To
the onlooker or audience, art is a revelation of the soul of the artist. The work of art is
the link between the artist and the onlooker at a certain place and era.

Other definitions of art:

Art is that which brings life in harmony with the beauty of the world. -Plato

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Art is an attitude of spirit, a state of mind - one which demands for its own

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satisfaction and fulfilling, a shaping of matter to new and more significant form.
-John Dewey

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Art is a product of man’s need to express himself. -F. Zulueta
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Generally, arts may be grouped into major or minor. Major arts are those that
appeal more to the senses of sight, hearing, and touch and they have great appeal
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because of their effect and dignity. Major arts include music, sculpture, painting,
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literature, and architecture. On the other hand, minor arts are those that are less
meaningful and pleasing to the senses but more functional or useful such as industrial
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arts, decorative arts, graphic and popular arts.

Whether major or minor, arts are valuable in people’s lives because of their
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practical purposes and as a source of aesthetic experience which may transform their
lives and make them highly cultured and noble human beings.
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Truths About Art

1. Art is made by man.

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Art has been created by all people at all times. It can be found everywhere as
long as there are people. It is never exhausted as long as humanity exists. As people
travel and reside in a place, they deposit behind a particular culture after leaving the
place. This culture is evidenced in their artworks such as literature, architecture,
sculpture. etc. At the same time, these people learn other cultures. When we see the
artworks later, we want to know the people and period of their existence.
Artworks are showcases of the past places, times, and cultures. They are
tangible creations of man.

2. Art is not nature.

Nature is made by God while art is made by man, and no matter how close
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the replication of nature is, there are always modifications in the art forms. Art and
nature are opposites and that is why viewers should not always insist and expect to
find in art exactly what they see in nature. Nature is decaying and fleeting,
undergoing stages of development, and always recreating itself. On the other hand,
art is unchanging, not submitting to the law of decay, and having only one form.
However in some ways, art is used to improve nature. Example of such art is
landscaping.

3. Art creation and appreciation involve experience.

Experience is the actual doing of something which involves sensory,

emotional, and intellectual aspects of man. Without experience, there could be no

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meaningful creation and appreciation of art because experience is the basis of
creation. A familiar experience shared by both artist and onlooker facilitates better

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appreciation by onlookers. If a person has not ridden a carabao, for instance, he does
not appreciate the riding experience which ought to be personal. The pleasure in
listening to a concert could not be derived from other people’s description but from

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personally attending or involving in the concert. The viewer’s perception may kindle
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an experience similar to that which the artist tried to convey in his artwork. The
impact of that familiar experience may become a source of another aesthetic
experience. Therefore, both creating and appreciating of art involve experience.
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Creativity and Artistry in the Global Society

Global society is characterized by multi-culturalism. It is a society of people
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with diverse sets of lifestyle, language, traditions and beliefs. These people live in a
time where it is natural for foreign influences to permeate a nation’s culture. Living
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in a global society means adapting to other people’s way of life while preserving and
protecting one’s own culture and identity. Significantly, the artists in a global society
keep the vision of the individual’s uniqueness. This vision is realized through art and
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art itself is vision fulfilled. This desire to be unique is part of man’s creative nature.
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Man is a creative being. To create means to generate something voluntarily

from imagination which manifests itself in the projection of images. Man possesses
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creative powers as he conceives an appropriate image from nothingness to

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something concrete and meaningful such as a poem, painting, a piece of music,

sculpture, dance, etc. which is termed as artwork. This artwork is generally meant to
be contemplated. The art creation is the language in images by which man
transparently conveys his perception about himself, his fellow men, his
environment, and the world as a whole.

Art creation is a process involving three phases as stated by Sanchez (2002).

1. Creation starts with something abstract or invisible such as thoughts and

feelings resulting from an extraordinary or unusual experience through
any of the five senses (sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch).

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2. Then, the artist uses medium which is the material in order to make the
invisible concrete or visible as he applies a personal technique of
manipulating the medium.

3. Finally, form results from the creative process. The artwork is the thing to
behold. It may be a movie, building, essay, novel, painting, song , etc.

Global artists are more conscious of their social and moral obligations. Their
arts are more functional to serve the ever-changing needs of the society. Global
people recognize that it is vital to the society that the artistic, cultural, social and even
economic goals must have a high degree of compatibility. A multi-cultural society
understands that this compatibility will allow people to survive and grow creatively.

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The arts can build this understanding (Scotese, 1985).

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The Role of an Artist

An artist is a gifted individual who exhibits an exceptional skill in any of the

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arts. His task is to preserve thoughts and feelings through his art and open people’s
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eyes and ears to new visions of life so that they could see and hear nature clearly and
distinctly. The discovery of realities around him is the focal point of interest that an
artist communicates in his art.
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Sanchez (2002) categorizes artists into two groups. They could be creators or
performers. The creator directly handles his medium to concretize his own concepts.
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Examples are painters, sculptors or architects. The performer interprets another

artist’s work. Examples are dancers, actors or singers. However, some artists could
be both creators and performers.
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By nature, an artist is different from other people because of his creativity,

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sensitivity, and temperament. Because he is keen to harmony of sounds, shapes,

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colors, ideas, he is more alert and observant and can detect special values in the
ordinary everyday world which have little appeal to non-artists. Using nature as
storehouse of ideas and hard work as a tool, an artist builds for himself a significant
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accomplishment through his artwork.

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The greatness of an artist is determined not by the monetary value spent for
creating his art but by his grip upon truth and by the quality of effort which reveals his
technical skill, personal worth, and unique personal vision that could stand the test
of time.

Developing Appreciation of an Artwork

Whether onlookers like a work of art or not, they tend to evaluate or judge
that work. Art viewers express why they like or do not like a particular artwork.
Each viewer has personal reasons why he considers an artwork beautiful or
unappealing. Appreciating involves giving comments on how the artist considers in
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his work the elements of line, color, texture or shapes. The viewers point out the
merits of the artwork giving comments on the magnitude or impact of the work of
art to them.

The following are what to be considered in appreciating or evaluating an

artwork:
1. Discovering the space or time used by the artist
2. Considering the medium or materials used
3. Deciding what the subject is and how it is presented
4. Identifying the elements and how they are organized

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5. Evaluating the artist’s sincerity, universality, and craftsmanship

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Aesthetic Judgment
Aesthetics is the study of beauty although beauty is a relative and subjective
thing and is not always essential in art. What may be beautiful to one person may not

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be pleasing to others. Objects of beauty give pleasure when perceived. This
experience is called aesthetic pleasure.
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To judge a work of art, one must consider both its objective and subjective
aspects. The judgment is justified or unjustified and never true or false. In order to
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judge the artwork objectively, one must first get rid of prejudices and personal
sentiments that may have been caused by ignorance, race, environment, religion,
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traditions or taboos. There are three basic factors in judgment- making in art
appreciation:
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1. objective merits of the work;

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2. skill, techniques, and originality of the artist; and

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3. personal interpretation of the evaluator.

One can verify the intrinsic value and the objective merits of an artwork
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through considering the following:

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1. a critical study of the properties of beauty (order, proportion, unity,

balance, clarity, harmony, emphasis);

2. the general agreement of the art experts and other recognized authorities
in aesthetics;

3. time factor which is the arbiter in telling whether a work of art is good or
bad, or can stand the test of time in the case of classical arts.

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To make art evaluation simpler, Estolas (1995) gives some guidelines in
understanding a work of art. Here are questions to answer to aid a viewer’s
understanding of an artwork specially visual arts:

1. What did the artist make? What is it about?

2. What is the function of the artwork?
3. What is the artwork made of?
4. How is the material organized or put together?
5. What is the personality , mood or style of the artwork?
6. What is your judgment of the artwork? How good is it?

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7. How does the artwork make life more meaningful?

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Study Notes:

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1. How are the sciences different from the humanities?
2. Why is the study of the humanities important?
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3. What are some basic truths about art?
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4. Why is art called “humanity’s footprints in the sands of time”?

5. How is art created? Explain the process.
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6. What is an artist? What is the role of artists in our society?

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7. Read the following paper of Dr. Herrera and explain the difference
between the sciences and the humanities.
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MEDICINE AND THE HUMANITIES
By Dr. Florentino Herrera

I am to talk about the value of the study of the humanities in the study of
medicine. I am qualified to talk about medicine (after all, I am a dean of a medical
college). I cannot claim competence to talk about the humanities. You are the
teachers in this area. I beg your indulgence should I fumble about establishing the
connection between the study of the humanities and the study and practice of
medicine.

Allow me then to first read a letter I received from a beautiful friend who was
dying of cancer.

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My dear Dean:

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In two months, I am going to die. Perhaps earlier; perhaps later. No
matter now. The cold objective fact is that my blood will cease to function –
my eyes shall no longer see a smile, my ears no longer hear laughter, my

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heart no longer love. When my last breath will leave my body, I shall be

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covered with a white sheet and taken away to where the ritual of death will be
replayed amid a thousand candles. In this hospital where I lie dying, I will
have become another chart filed away. What symbol is it that marks
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cessation of life and the end of the usefulness of a chart?
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Cold indeed is the fact of death. And to you I must sound now as cold
and objective and hard. If so, I am now what I have been exposed to these
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long months. I mirror those who have ministered to me, cold, objective and
hard. I cannot seem to help myself. How could I, to them because they are
men of science and my body is matter. Again and again, my flesh has been
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stabbed by countless needles, my limbs cut up for another blood vessel – all
accomplished within a given time by skillful hands – yes, hands rather
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faceless hands. After that first surgery, when I complained that pain was
unbearably intense, while shapes criss-crossed from every side of my bed,
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arms and hands lifted my gown, probed into my wounds, thrust cold
instruments into my chest, and jabbed more needles into my already tired
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body. The pains increased until they further jabbed me every four hours.
Could they not have known what I needed was the feel of the human in their
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hands, not that of the cold stethoscope? Did they not know how much a warm
smile, a hand squeeze, a caring sympathetic look, a human presence there
might have alleviated the misery or dispelled the fears? But everyone was so
cold, so impersonal, so professional. To them, my pain, my discomfort, was
just a consequence in the known formula of cause and effect. It could
therefore be easily handled by the application of pharmacological
knowledge. A problem concerning matter could be resolved by the intake of
another matter.
To many, too, I have even ceased to be a system of ailing parts, each
part to be diagnosed or treated in accordance with concept of all the parts
being equal to the whole, for they could not lick that part, which once was
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only a lump, and which will soon vanquish the whole of me.
And so they look at me not with concern but with curiosity. For I have
become a textbook. The learner enters my room, with clockwork precision,
together with avid learners.
Today, I am another section, or a new chapter, or an illustration in a
medical course. With their hands clasped behind their back, they nod, look
at my chart, talk in whispers, and then ask the perfunctory the inevitable
question, “How are you?” What is a textbook – treated patient supposed to
say, Dean? Must it not then be stay a while. But they have gone after two
minutes to visit the next case. Another group will visit me after one hour.
From another department, they will this time examine my gums. There is a
connection, isn’t there between the cause of my dying and the color of my

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gums? Why couldn’t they stay a little longer to understand me who has
become their textbook? They want to learn more about the nature of the

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disease, don’t they? Are they therefore interested in what else the patient
feels — this human patient dying of a malady that has its unique
manifestations because of my being me? Are they not curious about my

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aches, my apprehensions, my fears, my angers? They seem to leave their

so cold, so impersonal, so professional! US

humanity behind when they go their rounds to study their patients. They are

Because my doctors have been so, they have, in one sense, tutored me.
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Their detachment from pain, their direct confrontation of disease, their
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resolve to vanquish death – these have, gradually, over these months,

changed my perception. Death and illness are natural phenomena with
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which knowledge and skills must cope. I have, therefore, in this sense,
become like them. The death I face now is only physical death, and it is
therefore not to be regretted or feared. Why do I say this, Dean? And what
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do I mean? I say this because there has been a gradual dying too of the
human in me; whenever there was no response to my human need for human
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warmth and human concern, to that degree did the human in me atrophy. The
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human heart, I discover, can go into a state of paralysis even as it beats.

I do not cry for the death that will surely come. I cry for the slow
death of the human me that defined my own uniqueness as a human being.
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And this anguish reaches out to the rest who might have this misfortune
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without their even knowing about it. Theirs is perhaps a worse fate.
For this reason, I write to you, Dean. My son is entering medical
school. Furthermore, you will be in touch with my doctors. Is there some
way of letting them know that doctors, are first of all and basically, human
beings who must respond to the humanity of their patients? When they treat
an infection, it is not the infection alone they are treating. It is the patient’s
fears, his insecurities, his other pains. When they are confronted with an
incurable or malignant disease, should they not consider the patient’s
qualities – his strengths and his frailties – in their approach to treatment?
Above all, shouldn’t they be instilled with conviction that because science of
healing is life-giving, it is therefore also an art? That art is an art of love, and
to give love is to give of one’s self. It is the art and not the science that
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possesses the magical powers of healing. It is the time taken, the honest
concern, the warm approach, the human touch - - whether in the hospital or
in the clinic - - which injects life – bring cheer and sunshine into the patient’s
solitary moments. Thus, each moment of his life is recharged and therefore
lived, instead of ticked away by human indifference. Shouldn’t there be left a
devotion to that art so that, in the words of the wise, “the daily effort comes
from no deliberate intention or program but straight from the heart?
Approaching death has not robbed me of my sense of gratitude. To
many doctors who have healed both body and spirit, some of them have
eschewed wealth and comfort it brings and have, like you, committed
themselves to the art of healing in the depressed areas of our country. This
too is reaching out – selfless, noble, very human. The example fills my

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dwindling months with a new faith in our rediscovered capacity to be deeply
concerned and to respond to this concern. You might say then, that though I

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am dying, I am fully alive.
Goodbye, Dean, and thank you for reading this letter.
Yours,

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Ester C.
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What and how am I going to teach my friend’s son?
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This letter, from a dying patient, has seized upon the truth which is also very
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much like a paradox, that in our desire to save life, we have forgotten the meaning of
life. We have overlooked the most glaring truth about man: that man more than
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being a piece of matter, is human.

Perhaps there is something deeply wrong with the way we teach our students.
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The ideal is to teach them not only to cure but also to heal — and healing is an art – an
art of love. It is both a commitment and an expression of our humanity without
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wishing to get you to share the blame, you in College of Arts and Sciences and we in
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the medical school must come together and think very seriously of how we can get
that sense of humanity to take deep roots in our students.
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We in the medical college could very easily plead guilty to what we make of
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our students. Perhaps our unwavering commitment to scientism, to excellence,

very quickly disfigures them. But why so very quickly? Or did they have that sense
of humanity in the first place?

I would like to think that if this humanity we are talking about is deeply
rooted in their being, in their world view, in their attitudes and beliefs, it would take
more effort to uproot it.

If a doctor looks at his patient and sees only a body and not a man, he sees
only a part and not a whole. To be sure, one may argue that a doctor who sees not just
a body but a man may work with a serious handicap, for a doctor who shares the pain
of his patient may hesitate. This hesitation can be fatal. At times perhaps it is
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important that a doctor becomes objective and detached. But this demand for
objectivity and detachment does not equate with the demand for insensitivity and
blindness to the fact that at the bottom, this patient is human. It would seem that this
aching for humanity reduces to a plea that all of us —doctors, lawyers, engineers,
teachers, managers, should never lose sight of the whole. If our students emerge
from their studies with fragmented vision, that we have failed.

In the College of Medicine we are trying our best to get our students to focus
both on the parts and the whole. But we certainly need help in this enterprise. And I
honestly think our colleagues in the college of Arts and Sciences, more particularly
in the Division of Humanities, can provide the help we badly need; as that division is
to highlight the human element in practically all of man’s enterprise. The material

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that you concern yourself with — the colors on a canvas, the sequence of sounds, the
string of words, the movement of a body, the mathematical formula, the scientific

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prediction – all represent the creative achievement of man It is not just a blend of
colors. It is painting. It is not just a string of words. It is poetry. It is not just the
movement of the body. It is dance. In being painting, music, poetry, dance, it

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expresses what is human or the truth that we are human.
US
Or are we all getting lost in the form and forgetting the content? Are we
getting too involved with questions of technique – with the balance of colors, the
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architecture of sounds, with the logic of metaphors and images, or as they will say
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with matters quantifiable? If so, then we have all become technicians. We too have
become blind. And how could we transfer to our students that which we do not
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initially have?

You can help us by sowing the seeds of humanity in our young people by
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developing that whole vision of man — and we in the College of Medicine shall try
to nurture it and make it grow.
U
CP

But all these are abstract. Perhaps instead of talking about the recognition of
man’s essential humanity we could more fruitfully talk about the attitudes and
behavior of the medical professional, the doctor on whom the ailing man pins his
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hopes. We expect the doctor not only to display his diagnostic acumen, his unerring
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surgical skills at cutting through the flesh to get at the tumor but also his capacity to
recognize that this body that he treats is that of a man, a human being, whoever much
like him, is visited by anxiety, by fear of death, and who has a family who loves him
and whom he loves. A human being who aches in loneliness, one who probably feels
very guilty at the thought that in seeking medical attention he is trading off the little
that his family has reserved. We expect this doctor to stay a while with his patient and
be concerned about the latter’s physical and spiritual anguish.

Perhaps the study of humanities can help bring all this about, or at least
provide the initial condition that would make this possible. For in the study of
literature and the other arts, man stands in the center. Man, as it were, becomes the
measure of all things.
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But then perhaps we really expect more from this doctor: for beyond
recognizing and responding to the essential humanity of his patient, he is also
supposed to give part of his life to a group, to a community, to a nation. We now
expect him to turn to the countryside, to the depressed rural communities. We expect
him to live with and learn from and serve his people. His vision, therefore, must go
beyond one to the many.

The question is: how do we give him this vision? At this point, I grope for an
answer. I suppose that this vision is a function to understanding: and understanding
is grasping the whole not just the parts. If the goal of humanistic studies is to get our
young people to appreciate the true, the good and the beautiful, then I am afraid we
shall only be giving them a part of the reality. In addition to the true, the good and the

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beautiful, we must also get them to see the false, the bad and the ugly. Apart from the
colorful and impressive achievements of man in the arts and sciences, there are

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inequities and oppression, there is widespread poverty, there are people deprived of
opportunities to better themselves, children denied of hope. There are many people
in the countryside who live in ignorance of things that can harm them. Perhaps the

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recognition of the whole can bring forth the desired vision from whence shall spring
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the commitment to serve the people. I think you would agree with me that there is no
greater commitment to humanity than to give part of oneself to the people.
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When our doctors, someday, could go to the countryside to apply their
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knowledge and skills in the service of the people without the force of legislation, we
may then perhaps glory in the thought that we have taught them well. We have struck
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the delicate balance between scientism and humanism. Then perhaps the Dean of the
College of Medicine would receive no more letters such as the one I read to you. I
thank you.
ST
U
CP

Note: This paper was read by Dr. Herrera at the Seminar-Workshop of the
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Division of Humanities, September 9, 1977, UP, Manila.

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