On the Utility of the Humanities

Abstract

Humanities have already been criticized for enclosing themselves in a self-referential world that needs to interact with other fields of knowledge in order to accomplish its original aim: to make human life meaningful. Based on The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann and on the concept of Narrative Medicine by Rita Charon, this essay sheds light on the role of Humanities in the world today and the importance of discussing this issue.

Keywords: Literary texts; Bioethics; Narrative Medicine; Humanities