PRACTICAL HUMANITIES AND LITERATURE. How Does A River Help A Poet?

Abstract

The essay redefines the role of the humanities as a form of practical orientation in a world dominated by metrics, algorithms, and market logic. Drawing on Gayle Greene’s pedagogy and József Attila’s By the Danube, it argues for an “ecorhythmological” humanism grounded in shared presence and attentiveness rather than quantifiable outcomes. The study links literary reading and ecological thinking, showing how art sustains empathy, ethical awareness, and coexistence – capacities eroded by technocratic systems but essential for a livable civilization.