The humanities are academic disciplines that seek to understand the human experience through studying individuals and cultures. They involve discovering, preserving, and communicating past and present records to enable a deeper understanding of society. The humanities help develop empathy, foster social justice, teach critical analysis of complex information, reveal how people make sense of the world, encourage consideration of multiple perspectives, and build communication skills. They also value questions over answers and encourage creative and civic thinking. As they study what makes us human, the humanities can intersect with natural and social sciences.