Humanism: history, philosophy, and contemporary applications

Humanism is an important subject that has been in existence, as a philosophy, since the Renaissance in the 1500's. Yet few know what humanism means, and what it refers to. This paper will provide definitions of humanism, as well as a brief history. With these in mind, thus, one is better prepared to then understand the philosophy and, if needed, apply it to daily life.

As a definition, humanism means, according to the Free Dictionary, any of four things:

as a philosophy, it signified "the denial of any power or moral value superior to that of humanity" as well as the rejection of religion in favor of a belief in the ability of humanity and its advancement through its own efforts;

it can also signify the philosophical position that "stresses the autonomy of human reason in contradistinction to the authority of the Church";

as a literary movement, as aforementioned, it can signify the movement in the Renaissance based on classical studies;

it can also mean a genuine "interest in the welfare of people." [footnoteRef:1] [1: "Humanism - Definition of Humanism by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia." Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary. Web. 30 Oct. 2011. .]

In order to dig deeper, however, one can also-based humanism definitions on the following ten points, offered as a guidance to a better understanding of the philosophy. As humanism got its start during the Renaissance, and was further impacted by the Enlightenment, one can surely state that one of the most important aspects of humanism is its complete rejection of religion and its complete approval of humanity's abilities. Humanism has, needless to say, evolved throughout the ages, to a great extent.

In his book, The Philosophy of Humanism, Corliss Lamont describes the phenomenon, as mentioned above, in 10 stages, all of which are rendered below, and all of which are meant to give a better idea of what this philosophy can mean. Lamont thus states that humanism:

1. believes in a "naturalistic metaphysics or attitude toward the universe that considers all forms of the supernatural as myth";

2. regards Nature as "the totality of being and as a constantly changing system of matter and energy which exists independently of any mind or consciousness";

3. is based on facts and science rather than an invisible conjecture, and blieves in the inseparability of mind and body;

4. has the ultimate faith in humankind and in its abilities;

5. believes that man can solve his own problems on his own;