Humanism: what it is, types and philosophical characteristics

The word humanism is often mentioned in contexts as seemingly different as the Renaissance, modern philosophy, and psychology. Because of its name it has something to do with the human being, but what?

The humanist has many meanings if the focus of attention is placed on the historical moment and on the branch of knowledge with which you want to relate, although all of them closely related beyond sharing the same adjective. Then we are going to talk about what humanism is, its history and what can be understood by being a humanist person.

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What is humanism?

Defining what exactly humanism is is not easy, since its definition varies greatly depending on what we associate it with. In a broad and general sense, it is understood that Being a humanist means valuing the human being and the human condition.

Thus, this term is related to generosity, compassion and concern for the appreciation of human traits and attributes, the relationships between people and their well-being.

The Renaissance Humanist

The historical context that has been most related to humanism is, without a doubt, the Renaissance. It is at this time that a humanism arises as a philosophical, intellectual and cultural movement, whose place of origin is the Italy of the fourteenth century and that, throughout that century and the next, would spread through Europe, breaking with the theocentrism that had characterized the medieval Catholic mentality.

It should be said that Renaissance humanism would not have been so powerful if it had not been given a event that would mark a before and after in the history of the West: the creation of the printing. In 1450 Johannes Gutenberg created his machine which, although it was not the first invented printing press in history (there are older cases in Asia) yes, it was this that allowed to give force to the very powerful cultural phenomenon that was the Renaissance.

With the printing press, hundreds of books, banners and pamphlets could be manufactured at a speed never before seen, allowing also print texts with critical messages that spread faster than the censors of the time could prevent. Thanks to this invention, the humanistic thoughts with which the Renaissance came fragmented medieval theses and allowed the progress of culture.

It was from then on that European society began to stop putting God at the center of everything to give way to anthropocentrism, that is, giving greater importance to the human being and erecting it as the measure of all things. Thus, Renaissance humanism exalts the qualities of human nature as aspects of high value that serve to establish the cultural parameters of a society.

Humanist philosophy It offered new perspectives when reflecting and thinking about art, science and politics, something that brought with it a true revolution in the cultural and social spheres.. That is why it is considered that the Renaissance is the intermediate step between the Middle Ages and Modernity, more deeply in this last period with regard to the conception of man.

Renaissance humanism recovers the classic works of Greco-Roman authors, considering them models of truth, beauty and perfection. Humanist artists and intellectuals wanted to explore the origins of Western culture, bring it back to modern times, and learn about them. The names and surnames of many humanists of this time have passed into posterity, as are Erasmus of Rotterdam, William of Ockham, Francesco Petrarca, Thomas More, Vincenç Vives and Michel de la Montaigne.

There was also a secularization of scientific knowledge, freeing it from the monopoly of the Church and bringing it to the population. Science gained strength and acquired a functional character but satisfying curiosity. Physics, mathematics, engineering and medicine increase their corpus of knowledge and things that were previously unthinkable, such as dissecting corpses become a more common action, focused on knowing in depth both the human body and soul and enhancing the value of being human.

Renaissance humanists, in addition to expanding their level of knowledge, investigated and experimented in order to to improve people's lives, with the clear objective of bringing happiness and freedom to the gender human. It is for this reason that they were also so interested in classical works, such as Aristotle's and Plato's, intending to provide the population with knowledge and make it more cultured and independent and, therefore, less credulous and abusable from those who held power.

Without ceasing to focus on the humanism that emerged in the Renaissance, we can highlight some fundamental characteristics of it to understand more fully how transcendental it has been for the history of West.

• Anthropocentric view of the world. The human being is a natural and historical being.
• Abandonment of the theocentric vision.
• Use of human reason as an engine for the search for answers.
• Less importance of beliefs and dogmas of faith as sources of knowledge.
• Importance to the Greek and Latin classics.
• Promotion of the study of vernacular languages.
• Promotion of the dissemination of knowledge in vernacular languages.
• Development of multiple sciences linked to the human spirit.
• Search for the total development of man: physical and spiritual, aesthetic and religious.

Secular humanism

In more recent times the word "humanism" has been increasingly heard. While it has a certain relation to Renaissance humanism, secular or secular humanism is a expression that can be related to a system of thought developed at the end of the 20th century, in the fact that social justice, ethics and human reason take on a very important role.

Secular humanists are usually followers of naturalism and also opt for atheistic or agnostic positions, denying the doctrines religious traditions, pseudosciences, superstition and any supernatural explanation to explain the phenomena of the nature. Within this stream morality and decision-making is based on reason, science, personal experience, and deep reflection on historical events, which serve to develop an ethical and moral system to give meaning to life.

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Humanism in psychology

Closely related to secular humanism, a trend also emerged in the field of psychology that has called itself humanist. It's about the humanistic psychology; This has its origins in the 1950s, gaining importance in the 1960s and 1970s. This stream became a new stance on psychotherapy, emerging as a reaction to the tendency to analyze only visible behavior, radical behaviorist base.

Taking as bases secular humanism, phenomenology, existentialism and functional autonomy, this psychological current intends to endow give people the tools they need to find their potential for self-realization within themselves, and use it in the way that best suits them convenient.

Bibliographic references:

• Kristeller, Paul Oskar (1982). Renaissance thought and its sources. Mexico: Economic Culture Fund. ISBN 968-16-1014-8.
• Giustiniani, Vito. "Homo, Humanus, and the Meanings of Humanism", Journal of the History of Ideas 46 (vol. 2, April – June 1985): 167–95.