Stanley Fish wrote a column for the "New York Times" entitled "Will the Humanities Save US?" Here, Fish asserted that the humanities can't save humans, and in fact they don't really "do" anything, other than give pleasure to "those who enjoy them." This sustained shrug elicited a blast of energetic and mostly negative response from the Times' online readers. To read through the hundreds of comments is to be reminded that Americans do seem to have a strong and abiding respect for the humanities. For many of these readers, Fish's remarks failed the test of moral seriousness, and failed to come to terms with exactly what it is that makes the humanities special and places upon them a particular task, a particular burden, in the life of human civilization. What does it mean to speak of the "burden" of the humanities? In this article, the author tries to impart some clarity to the term "humanities." The author also examines the challenges of the humanities and discusses why people still value them.