Historical definition of humanism
Humanism is first and foremost a philosophy of life that began anew during the Renaissance, based on a return to the ancient humanist writings of the Greeks, and a desire to free oneself from a vision of man subordinated to the holy scriptures of the three monotheistic religions, which during the Middle Ages formed the main accepted source of inspiration for thought in Europe and beyond.
Humanist goals
The Renaissance humanists wanted to educate people to grow and build a better, more moral society, based on respect for the human being.
- The most active humanists of the time were Erasmus, Guillaume Budé, Jean Pic de la Mirandole, Pétrus Ramus, León Battista Alberti and the Estienne family. Thanks to advances in printing, the works of Erasmus, Rabelais and Montaigne were widely distributed.
In the same way, today’s humanists prefer human relationships based on shared human values and the desire for peace.
On the contrary – all religions promote the golden rule of reciprocity between human beings.
Notes:
– For the Romans, humanitas was opposed to the male virtues of courage and energy.
– During the Middle Ages, various philosophers and figures from their respective religions also drew inspiration from Greek texts (Aristotle, …), notably St Thomas Aquinas (Christianity), Maimonides (Judaism), Averroës (Islam), …