History of Humanism
ORIGINS OF HUMANISM:
Humanism as we understand it dates to the Italian the Renaissance. It did not, however, spring fully formed from the writings of a few Italian scholars. These early humanists created a philosophical movement based upon what they discovered in ancient Roman and Greek manuscripts. Humanist thought can also be found in ancient China, India, and other cultures. Humanism as a spirit of inquiry and thinking has an ancient pedigree and a widespread influence on human culture.
Humanism involves any concern with humans (including human needs, human desires, and human experiences) first and foremost. This often means giving human beings a special place in the universe on account of their abilities and faculties. Humanism is less a philosophical system, a set of doctrines, or even a specific system of beliefs, than it is an attitude or perspective on life and humanity. This perspective in turn influences various philosophies and belief systems. What is Humanism?
IMPORTANT BOOKS ON HUMANISM
Enquiries Concerning Human Understanding (1772) , by David Hume
Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (1779), by David Hume
Essays on Religion (1874), by John Stuart Mill
Age of Reason (1794), by Thomas Paine
IMPORTANT PHILOSOPHERS OF HUMANISM:
Epicurus
Desiderus Erasmus
Baruch Spinoza
David Hume
Jeremy Bentham
John Stuart Mill
Thomas Paine
Paul Kurtz
Keith Parsons
Humanism as we understand it dates to the Italian the Renaissance. It did not, however, spring fully formed from the writings of a few Italian scholars. These early humanists created a philosophical movement based upon what they discovered in ancient Roman and Greek manuscripts. Humanist thought can also be found in ancient China, India, and other cultures. Humanism as a spirit of inquiry and thinking has an ancient pedigree and a widespread influence on human culture.
Humanism involves any concern with humans (including human needs, human desires, and human experiences) first and foremost. This often means giving human beings a special place in the universe on account of their abilities and faculties. Humanism is less a philosophical system, a set of doctrines, or even a specific system of beliefs, than it is an attitude or perspective on life and humanity. This perspective in turn influences various philosophies and belief systems. What is Humanism?
IMPORTANT BOOKS ON HUMANISM
Enquiries Concerning Human Understanding (1772) , by David Hume
Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (1779), by David Hume
Essays on Religion (1874), by John Stuart Mill
Age of Reason (1794), by Thomas Paine
IMPORTANT PHILOSOPHERS OF HUMANISM:
Epicurus
Desiderus Erasmus
Baruch Spinoza
David Hume
Jeremy Bentham
John Stuart Mill
Thomas Paine
Paul Kurtz
Keith Parsons