hu·man·ism

(hyo͞o′mə-nĭz′əm)

a. A system of thought that focuses on humans and their values, capacities, and worth.

b. Humanism A cultural and intellectual movement of the Renaissance that emphasized human potential to attain excellence and promoted direct study of the literature, art, and civilization of classical Greece and Rome.

c. The study of the humanities; learning in the liberal arts.

d. Secular humanism.

2. Concern with the interests, needs, and welfare of humans: "the newest flower on the vine of corporate humanism" (Savvy).

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

humanism

(ˈhjuːməˌnɪzəm)

1. (Philosophy) the denial of any power or moral value superior to that of humanity; the rejection of religion in favour of a belief in the advancement of humanity by its own efforts

2. (Philosophy) a philosophical position that stresses the autonomy of human reason in contradistinction to the authority of the Church

3. (Literary & Literary Critical Movements) (often capital) a cultural movement of the Renaissance, based on classical studies

4. interest in the welfare of people

ˈhumanist n

ˌhumanˈistic adj

ˌhumanˈistically adv

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

hu•man•ism

(ˈhyu məˌnɪz əm; often ˈyu-)

n.

1. (often cap.) any system of thought or action in which human interests, values, and dignity predominate, esp. an ethical theory that often rejects the importance of a belief in God.

2. devotion to or study of the humanities.

3. (sometimes cap.) the studies, principles, or culture of the Renaissance humanists.

[1805–15]

humanism

1. any system or mode of thought or action in which human interests, values, and dignity are taken to be of primary importance, as in moral judgments.
2. a devotion to or study of the humanities.
3. a theory of the life of man as a responsible being behaving independently of a revelation or deity. Also called naturalistic, scientific, or philosophical humanism. — humanist, n. — humanistic, adj.

humanism

A view originating in the Renaissance that reason must be autonomous from authorities such as the Church.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	humanism - the doctrine that people's duty is to promote human welfare humanitarianism doctrine, ism, philosophical system, philosophy, school of thought - a belief (or system of beliefs) accepted as authoritative by some group or school
	2.	humanism - the doctrine emphasizing a person's capacity for self-realization through reason; rejects religion and the supernatural secular humanism doctrine, ism, philosophical system, philosophy, school of thought - a belief (or system of beliefs) accepted as authoritative by some group or school
	3.	humanism - the cultural movement of the Renaissance; based on classical studies cultural movement - a group of people working together to advance certain cultural goals

Translations

humanismushumanizmus

humanizam

humanisme

humanism

[ˈhjuːmənɪzəm] N → humanismo m

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

humanism

[ˈhjuːmənɪz^əm] n → humanisme m

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

humanism

n → Humanismus m

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

humanism

[ˈhjuːməˌnɪz/əm] n → umanesimo

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

A member of the Oxford group in its second generation, a close friend of Erasmus, his house a center of humanism, he became even more conspicuous in public life.

View in context

It provides a magisterial survey of the development and impact of humanism in Silesia during the sixteenth century, including some provocative reflections on the impact of the Italian Renaissance upon its origins.

The Harvest of Humanism in Central Europe: Essays in Honor of Lewis W. Spitz

Humanism in the Renaissance took its name from the studia humanitatis, those studies (grammar, rhetoric, poetry, history, and moral philosophy) that were thought to possess human value: the ability to make man a fully realized human creature, elevated and distinct from the lower animals.

Humanism

I am an AHA member and strong supporter of humanism. I loved Daniel Thomas Moran's recent article, "Beethoven and His Ninth Symphony" (Humanism & the Arts, J/A 2018), however there was one error that should be addressed--the date of Beethoven's death was in the year 1827, not 1857.

Beethoven's Death

This volume by George Novack (1905-1992), a leader of the Socialist Workers Party (US), explains the relationship between humanism and Marxist historical materialism over the course of eight chapters that progress from a labor theory of mankind's origins to the necessity of revolutionary socialism.

Humanism & socialism. (reprint, 1973)

IGNATIAN HUMANISM: A DYNAMIC SPIRITUALITY FOR THE 21ST CENTURY.

Ignatian Humanism: A Dynamic Spirituality for the 21st Century

The result was a book The Drama of Atkeistic Humanism [Le Drame de l'humanisme athee], which argued that the civilizational crisis in which Europe found itself during World War II was the product of a deliberate rejection of the God of the Bible in the name of authentic human liberation.

Politics without God? Reflections on Europe and America

In the intellectual domain humanism has been shaken by demands to overstep or even overturn the old rules that claimed to govern and police humanity in the very name of humanity's progress.

'Human, still human!'

I should also make it clear that secular humanism is not antireligious; it is simply nonreligious.

A new approach.

This magazine has recently discussed two of the most important books of this century so far: Steven Pinker's Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress and Kurt Andersen's Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire: A 500-Year History, both of which praise Enlightenment values and humanism.

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