Over the course of several thousand years, humanity has come a long way. Many things that were once considered the norm are now considered savagery, barbarism and crime. Modern humanism and its principles are now recognized as natural, having become an integral part of the moral foundations of society.
However, discussions around this concept do not subside. Secular and religious people, liberals, conservatives and defenders of the rights of various minorities continue to argue fiercely about humanity and its criteria. Therefore, first let us turn to the history of the issue.
What is humanism and humanity?
This concept comes from a Latin word that translates as “humane.” A humanist is a person who highlights the values of the human person. The point is to recognize the human right to freedom, development, love, happiness and so on. In addition, this also includes the denial of any violence towards living beings. The concept of humanism indicates that the basis of a worldview lies in a person’s ability to sympathize and help other people. It is important to note that the manifestation of humanity should not go against the interests of the individual.
Humanism in philosophy
This concept is used in various fields, including philosophy, where it is presented as a conscious focus on humanity without borders. There are a number of characteristics that help to understand the meaning of humanism:
- For every person, other people should be the highest value, and they should be a priority over material, spiritual, social and natural benefits.
- In philosophy, humanism is a position that describes that a person is valuable in himself, regardless of social status, gender, nationality and other differences.
- One of the dogmas of humanism says that if you think well about people, they will certainly become better.
Humanism
Personality
The humanistic approach to man and personality psychology described in the mentioned theory has been deeply analyzed by scientific psychologists. Of course, it cannot be said that this area has been completely explored, but significant theoretical research has been done in it.
This direction of psychology arose as a kind of alternative concept to the current that fully or partially identifies human psychology and animal behavior. Personality theory, considered from the point of view of humanistic traditions, is classified as psychodynamic (at the same time, interactionist). This is not an experimental branch of psychology, which has a structural-dynamic organization and covers the entire period of a person’s life. She describes him as a person, using terms of internal properties and characteristics, as well as behavioral terms.
Proponents of the theory that considers personality in a humanistic approach are primarily interested in a person’s perception, understanding and explanation of the real events of his life. Preference is given to the phenomenology of personality rather than the search for explanations. Therefore, this type of theory is often called phenomenological. The very description of a person and events in his life focuses mainly on the present and is described in the following terms: “life goals”, “meaning of life”, “values”, etc.
Humanity and humanism - the difference
Many people often confuse these concepts, but in fact, they have both common and distinctive features. Humanism and humanity are two inseparable concepts that imply the protection of individual rights to freedom and happiness. As for humanity, this is a certain human trait that manifests itself in a positive attitude towards other people. It is formed as a result of a conscious and stable understanding of what is good and what is bad. Humanity and humanism are interrelated concepts, since the first is formed by imitation of the principles of the second.
The role of science
Science is simply the best, almost the only, way to know for sure about the world, but its answers are always provisional, always open to reexamination in the light of new evidence. They are not eternal truths, never irrefutable. Newton's laws were overthrown by Einstein; Einstein's theories cannot account for quantum physics; String theory may undo current ideas.
What science gives is not the truth, but a gradual approach to the truth. Science refuses to accept dogma, refuses to allow anything to be certain, admits that it can make mistakes, but contains its own means for correcting them. Of course, scientists can make mistakes, but this is human error, not an error in the method. And this spirit of open-minded, intelligent inquiry is an important part of humanistic ideas.
Signs of humanism
The main features of humanism are known, which fully reveal this concept:
- Autonomy . The ideas of humanism cannot be isolated from religious, historical or ideological premises. The level of worldview development directly depends on honesty, loyalty, tolerance and other qualities.
- Fundamentality . The values of humanism are important in the social structure and are the primary elements.
- Versatility . The philosophy of humanism and its ideas are applicable to all people and all social systems. In the existing worldview, one can go beyond the limits, since every person has the right to life, love and other characteristics.
Humanism - types
There are several classifications of humanists, which differ in selection criteria. If we focus on the historical source and content, we can distinguish nine types of humanists: philosophical, communist, cultural, scientific, religious, secular, slaveholding, feudal, natural, environmental and liberal. It is worth considering what humanism is by priority:
- folk - living for the happiness of the people;
- human rights – advocating for the rights and freedoms of all people;
- pacifist - people who are peacemakers who fight against everything harmful on earth;
- public – providing assistance to children, disabled people and other people in need.
The principle of humanism
A person must develop and receive a certain set of knowledge and develop skills that he will return to the world through social and professional activities. A humanistic worldview implies compliance with the legal and moral norms of society and respect for social values. The principle of humanism implies adherence to a number of rules:
- Decent attitude of society towards all people, without regard to physical, financial and social status.
- When figuring out what humanism is, it is worth pointing out one more principle - the right of every person to be himself must be recognized.
- It is important to understand mercy as a step towards humanism, which should be based not on pity and sympathy, but on the desire to help a person integrate into society.
Famous humanists
The early figures of the humanist movement were primarily theoreticians—studying philosophy and formulating ideas. But then they were brought to life by other people. Among them are writers, scientists, doctors and representatives of many other professions.
Francesco Petrarch (1304—1374)
An outstanding Italian poet of the Proto-Renaissance era, an expert in Latin and the literature of Ancient Rome. A student of Barlaam of Calabria, an agnostic Greek thinker. Author of historical and polemical works, philosophical and lyrical works. Recognized as the founder of the humanistic movement in literature.
Creativity is characterized by a reflection of an acute conflict between the emerging ideas of humanism and the dominant theocentric value system based on Catholicism. At the same time, Petrarch's lyrics are distinguished by a deep interest in the inner world of the individual, declaring its versatility and value.
Lorenzo Valla (1407—1457)
Italian thinker, historian and philologist, who grew up in a family of educated officials close to the papal curia. He was engaged in research of ancient philosophy, as well as jurisprudence. Author of the treatise “On the Forgery of the Gift of Constantine,” which stood at the foundations of historical and philological criticism.
He sympathized with the ancient ideas of Epicureanism - the doctrine of life as a source of pleasure. He opposed church asceticism, polemicized with the scholastics and defended the ability to independently choose between good and evil. At one time he was persecuted by the Inquisition for his views.
Erasmus of Rotterdam (1466-1536)
Dutch scientist, thinker, translator and theologian. He is considered one of the major figures of the Northern Renaissance, who laid down the tradition of critical analysis and study of biblical texts. In the field of theology, he actively developed and defended the doctrine of free will. Lived and worked in Holland, France, England and Switzerland.
He was an innovator in the field of pedagogy and wrote a number of works on the issues of raising children. Orphaned at an early age, Erasmus grew up in an orphanage and suffered a lot from corporal punishment. Largely because of his experience, the scientist actively advocated for the protection of children from domestic and educational violence that was common at that time.
George Jacob Holyoake (1817-1906)
English public figure and publicist, participant in the labor movement. Born into a proletarian family, he worked as a teacher, actively developed the creation of cooperatives and wrote a number of works on this issue.
He was the last resident of England to be convicted of blasphemy and anti-religious attacks. Known for introducing the concept of secularism into active use, he advocated moral education using scientific achievements and without the participation of the church.
Paul Kurtz (1925—2012)
Famous American public figure, university teacher and Doctor of Philosophy. He adhered to skepticism, relied on critical thinking and rationalism, and vehemently criticized descriptions of paranormal phenomena. Kurtz distinguished himself as a popularizer of scientific knowledge and was among the key figures in the movement for the secularization of society. He became one of the authors of the Second Humanist Manifesto.
Elizaveta Glinka (1962—2016)
Better known as Dr. Lisa. Russian doctor, public figure, philanthropist and human rights activist. She was a member of the Presidential Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights, as well as the founder of several charitable foundations.
She was one of the main creators of domestic palliative medicine - a field dealing with hospice and support for seriously ill or incurable patients. She actively helped the homeless, disabled people and children victims of natural disasters and military conflicts. Tragically died in a plane crash.
Humanism in the modern world
Recently, the ideas of humanism have undergone changes, and it has even lost its relevance, since for modern society the ideas of ownership and self-sufficiency, that is, the cult of money, have come to the fore. As a result, the ideal was not a kind person who is not alien to the feelings of other people, but a self-made person who does not depend on anyone. Psychologists believe that this situation leads society to a dead end.
Modern humanism has replaced love for humanity with the struggle for its progressive development, which directly affected the original meaning of this concept. The state can do a lot to preserve humanistic traditions, for example, free education and medicine, raising wages for public sector employees will prevent the stratification of society into property groups. A ray of hope that all is not lost and humanism can still be restored in modern society are people who are not yet alien to the value of justice and equality.
Spirituality
This concept is quite controversial for humanists, since they reject the existence of a transcendental kingdom, souls and spirits. However, this experience is still very real, even if it is of natural origin. The fact is that the mystical feeling of expansion, union, has no specific intellectual content. In addition, one must take into account the breadth of the humanist tradition, represented by some thinkers who are recognized as representatives of humanism, although this concept did not exist previously. This tradition includes Confucius, Epicurus, the Stoic Marcus Aurelius, David Hume, John Locke, the French philosophers, Thomas Paine, Mary Wollstonecraft, George Eliot. Accordingly, spirituality should be seen as an important part of the humanistic value system.
Facts about Humanism
There is a lot of interesting information related to this area, since over the years humanism has been tested, adjusted, declined, and so on.
- The famous psychologist A. Maslow and his colleagues back in the late 50s wanted to create a professional organization that would consider the manifestation of humanism in society from the perspective of psychology. It was determined that in the new approach self-realization and individuality should come first. As a result, the American Association for Humanistic Psychology was created.
- According to history, the first true humanist is Francesco Petrarca, who put man on a pedestal as an interesting and self-sufficient person.
- Many people are interested in what the term “humanism” is in its interaction with nature, and so it implies caring for the environment and showing respect for all living beings on earth. Ecohumanists strive to recreate lost elements of nature.
Crisis of humanistic ideas
Even in the heyday of humanistic thought in the 16th-12th centuries, utopias based on the ideas of humanism began to appear. The most striking examples are Thomas More's Utopia (published in 1516) and Tomaso Campanella's The City of the Sun (published in 1623).
The appearance of utopias is the first symptom of a serious illness, which is expressed in the contradictions of the very ideas of humanism, in the absence of answers to important questions.
It is curious that Thomas More himself, a pure humanist, a friend of Erasmus of Rotterdam, in his “Utopia” compares a person with a stallion. We are talking about a description of the Utopians' choice of a groom or a bride.
They must first be shown to each other naked, because even stallions are chosen after removing their saddle and harness. Residents of the island of Utopia cannot afford to choose a life partner only by face; they need to survey the entire field of activity.
In the 19th century, humanistic thought faced a crisis in full force. According to the definition of the Russian philosopher N. Berdyaev:
“Because of the boundlessness and unrestraint of individualism, individuality perishes. /…/ humanism turns into anti-humanism.”
The appearance of Nietzsche with his Zarathustra, who says “I don’t like people,” and the ideas of the superman are a clear example of this. Nietzsche, although he came from humanistic ideas, argued that a person cannot be loved simply because he is a person.
It’s just that a person for him is an animal, therefore, ordinary people are a herd (remember Thomas More with his stallions). The Nietzschean idea of the superman, as it were, brings humanism to its highest point and destroys it , because it denies the main humanistic principle - the intrinsic value of man as such.
Karl Marx, meanwhile, modifies the ideas of humanism to suit his philosophical views. Working on the topic of socialism, he argues that the first priority is the liberation of the proletariat from its oppressors.
The measure of humanity according to Marx is how useful an action is for creating a socialist and communist society. Marx's socialist humanism formed the basis of Soviet ideology.
