Dictionary

humanism en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈhjuːmənɪz(ə)m/ (UK)
• /ˈhjumənɪz(ə)m/ (General-American)

Etymology

From human + -ism, borrowed from German Humanismus, coined by Friedrich Immanuel Niethammer in 1808.

Meanings

1. (uncountable, usually) The study of the humanities or the liberal arts; literary (especially classical) scholarship.
   • The distrust of specialization within the domain of humanism, which even today makes itself felt in Italian culture and the Italian university system, was enhanced in the nineteenth century by the Hegelian tendency to think in global terms and relate every specific problem to some large, panoramic vision of history. 1978 [1976], Leszek Kołakowski, translated by P[aul] S[teven] Falla, Main Currents of Marxism, volume II: The Golden Age, Oxford: Clarendon Press, translation of Główne nurty marksizmu: rozwój (in Polish), →ISBN, →OCLC, page 176:
2. (capitalized, historical, often, uncountable, usually) Specifically, a cultural and intellectual movement in 14th-16th century Europe characterised by attention to classical culture and a promotion of vernacular texts, notably during the Renaissance.
   • There were good reasons for humanism and the Renaissance to take their origins from fourteenth-century Italy. 2009, Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity, Penguin, published 2010, page 575:
3. (uncountable, usually) An ethical system that centers on humans and their values, needs, interests, abilities, dignity and freedom; especially used for a secular one which rejects theistic religion and superstition.
   • The idea of a universal human nature brings us to a third theme, humanism. The thinkers of the Age of Reason and the Enlightenment saw an urgent need for a secular foundation for morality, because they were haunted by a historical memory of centuries of religious carnage: the Crusades, the Inquisition, witch hunts, the European wars of religion. They laid that foundation in what we now call humanism, which privileges the well-being of individual men, women, and children over the glory of the tribe, race, nation, or religion. It is individuals, not groups, who are sentient—who feel pleasure and pain, fulfillment and anguish. Whether it is framed as the goal of providing the greatest happiness for the greatest number or as a categorical imperative to treat people as ends rather than means, it was the universal capacity of a person to suffer and flourish, they said, that called on our moral concern. 2018, Steven Pinker, “Chapter 1: Dare to Understand!”, in Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress, Penguin, →ISBN:
4. (uncountable, usually) Humanitarianism.
   • Near-synonyms: solidarity, philanthropy, generosity

Forms

Deriveds

humanist · antihumanism · neohumanism · religious humanism · humanistic · New Humanism

Relateds

posthumanism · Age of Reason · Enlightenment · transhumanism

Synonyms

philanthropy · solidarity · generosity

Translations (104)

th ลัทธิมนุษยนิยม (ethical system) · jv humanisme (ethical system) · tl palaturuangtao (ethical system) · pt humanismo (ethical system) · bg хумани́зъм (humanitarianism) · cs humanismus (historical revival of Classical culture) · id humanisme (ethical system) · es humanismo (ethical system) · da humanisme (ethical system) · cs humanizmus (ethical system) · ru гумани́зм (ethical system) · ru гумани́зм (humanitarianism) · cs humanizmus (historical revival of Classical culture) · fi humanismi (ethical system) · gd daonnaireachd (humanitarianism) · be гумані́зм (humanitarianism) · de Humanismus (historical revival of Classical culture) · vi chủ nghĩa nhân văn (historical revival of Classical culture) · ar إِنْسَانِيَّة (ethical system) · kk гуманизм (historical revival of Classical culture) · ka ჰუმანიზმი (ethical system) · fi humanismi (humanitarianism) · uk гумані́зм (ethical system) · gl humanismo (ethical system) · fi humanitarismi (humanitarianism) · sq humanizmi (ethical system) · hi मानववाद (ethical system) · ky адамгерчилик (humanitarianism) · nl humanisme (ethical system) · fur umanisim (ethical system) · et humanism (ethical system) · de Menschlichkeit (humanitarianism) · he הומניזם (ethical system) · de Humanität (humanitarianism) · fr humanisme (humanitarianism) · gd daonnaireachd (ethical system) · nl humanisme (historical revival of Classical culture) · ro umanism (historical revival of Classical culture) · cmn 人文主義 /人文主义 (ethical system) · pt humanismo (historical revival of Classical culture) · ja 人文主義 (historical revival of Classical culture) · ko 인문주의 (ethical system) · ca humanisme (historical revival of Classical culture) · kk адамгершілік (humanitarianism) · el ανθρωπισμός (ethical system) · la humanismus (ethical system) · hi मानववाद (humanitarianism) · fr humanisme (ethical system) · tl palaturuangtao (historical revival of Classical culture) · ko 인도주의 (humanitarianism) · nb humanisme (ethical system) · kk адамгершілік (ethical system) · hu humanizmus (humanitarianism) · sco humanism (ethical system) · sl humanizem (ethical system) · lv humānisms (ethical system) · is húmanismi (ethical system) · pl humanizm (historical revival of Classical culture) · ca humanisme (ethical system) · lt humanizmas (ethical system) · th มนุษยนิยม (ethical system) · uz gumanizm (ethical system) · uk гумані́зм (humanitarianism) · sh humanizam (ethical system) · oc umanisme (ethical system) · sh хуманизам (ethical system) · cmn 人文主義 /人文主义 (historical revival of Classical culture) · ru гумани́зм (historical revival of Classical culture) · nl menslievendheid (humanitarianism) · ia humanismo (ethical system) · ro umanism (ethical system) · pt humanitarismo (humanitarianism) · nn humanisme (ethical system) · ja ヒューマニズム (ethical system) · ky адамчылдык (historical revival of Classical culture) · gsw humanismus (ethical system) · ml മാനവതാവാദം (ethical system) · fi humanismi (historical revival of Classical culture) · eo homismo (ethical system) · cy dyneiddiaeth (ethical system) · vi chủ nghĩa nhân bản (historical revival of Classical culture) · hy հումանիզմ (ethical system) · sk humanizmus (ethical system) · ja 人道主義 (humanitarianism) · cs humanismus (ethical system) · pl humanizm (ethical system) · fr humanisme (historical revival of Classical culture) · cmn 人道主義 /人道主义 (humanitarianism) · hu humanizmus (ethical system) · fa اومانیسم (ethical system) · ja 人文主義 (ethical system) · mk хуманизам (ethical system) · de Humanismus (ethical system) · it umanesimo (ethical system) · vi nhân văn chủ nghỉa (ethical system) · ta மனிதநேயம் (ethical system) · an umanismo (ethical system) · tr hümanizm (ethical system) · pl humanizm (humanitarianism) · bg хумани́зъм (ethical system) · el ουμανισμός (historical revival of Classical culture) · ky адамчылдык (ethical system) · sv humanism (ethical system) · vi chủ nghĩa nhân đạo (humanitarianism)

wikidata: Q775858 · wikidata: Q846933 · wikipedia: Friedrich Immanuel Niethammer · wikidata: Q80083 · wikidata: Q46158