Humanism - Latin humanitas, which means "education that befits a civilized man.

"

■ belief system or cultural movement bubbled up during the Renaissance, promoting classical
Greek and Roman values like reason, justice and ethics instead of supernatural religious ideas.
(vocabulary.com)

Francesco Petrarca
■ was born on July 20, 1304, in Arezzo, Tuscany (now Italy)
■ family moved to Avignon, France, as a child
■ studied law, as his father had wished. However, his passion was for literature, particularly that
of ancient Greece and Rome
■ believed that humanity could once more reach the heights of past accomplishments
o this doctrine became known as humanism
-- biography.com

Modern HUMANISM

“Humanism is a philosophy, world view, or lifestance based on naturalism-the conviction that the universe
or nature is all that exists or is real.” - Steven Schafersman
- “a rational philosophy informed by science, inspired by art, and motivated by compassion.
Affirming the dignity of each human being, it supports the maximization of individual liberty and
opportunity consonant with social and planetary responsibility.” – Humanist Magazine
 - “a naturalistic philosophy that rejects all supernaturalism and relies primarily upon reason and
science, democracy and human compassion.” - Corliss Lamont, leading proponent of Modern Humanism

METAPHYSICS
supernatural - all myth
Metaphysical Humanism -- about exploring, understanding, and enhancing the human condition in a
variety of ways;
■ empowering the human spirit;
■ discovering the true nature of our existence in relation to all that is
-- focused on understanding and enhancing the human condition and all that it encompasses
-- takes a meaningful, practical, and rational approach to metaphysics devoid of rigid, superstitious,
mythical, and ungrounded beliefs that rely on aberrational (abnormal) faith to accept

EPISTEMOLOGY and AXIOLOGY

- pursuit of truth for human survival and advancement
o quality of our life is determined by the quality of our awareness (knowledge) on the state of
affairs.
o humans – creatures with consciousness and knowledge of what he does
▪ -- Ibrahim, et.al (Sapienta Journal)

- all modes of knowledge are immanent (innate) in the mind as knowledge itself is a process.

- human experience and rational thinking provide the only source of both knowledge and a moral
code to live by, they reject the idea of knowledge ‘revealed’ to human beings by gods, or in special
books. (Curtis)

- - “a rational philosophy informed by science, inspired by art, and motivated by compassion.

Affirming the dignity of each human being, it supports the maximization of individual liberty and
opportunity consonant with social and planetary responsibility.” – Humanist Magazine

TELEOLOGY

- We must create meaning for ourselves.

o focused mostly on knowledge and phenomenology, thoughts and experience.
▪ ***a humanistic development that includes purpose and transcendence without
reverting to reduction of the individual.
● sees our full self-actualization as arising in the present, where the
present includes a connection to the potential inherent in becoming.
- Human kind is not a static condition, and our evolving nature adheres to our present self-
definition. How we represent ourselves to ourselves must include this entelechy.
 “Man is the Measure of All Thing”

o Parmenides 5th Century BCE

HUMANISM and EDUCATION

*based on humanistic psychology
Core beliefs - human beings are inherently good
-- basic needs are vital to human behaviors

*** “children are good at the core and that education should focus on rational ways to
teach
the “whole” child”
-- engages social skills, feelings, intellect, artistic skills, practical skills, and more as
part of their education.
-- Self-esteem, goals, and full autonomy are key learning elements in the
humanistic learning theory.
- Cognitive and Affective are both important

Teachers – guide, helper, motivator

Students – authority on how they learn (student-centered)

-- all their needs should be met in order for them to learn well (must be motivated)
-- (Western Governors University)

References:

https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/humanism#:~:text=Humanism%20comes%20from%20the%20L
atin,instead%20of%20supernatural%20religious%20ideas.

https://americanhumanist.org/what-is-humanism/definition-of-
humanism/#:~:text=Humanism%20is%20a%20rational%20philosophy,with%20social%20and%20planeta
ry%20responsibility.
https://www.biography.com/scholars-educators/petrarch
https://www.metaphysicalhumanism.org/#:~:text=Metaphysical%20Humanism%20is%20about%20expl
oring,relation%20to%20all%20that%20is.
https://sapientiajournaluniuyo.com/index.php/sapientia/article/view/119#:~:text=It%20is%20the%20t
hesis%20of,on%20the%20state%20of%20affairs.
https://www.roscurtis.co.uk/humanism/#:~:text=Humanists%20believe%20that%20human%20experien
ce,gods%2C%20or%20in%20special%20books.
http://phronimos.com/teleological-humanism/
https://www.wgu.edu/blog/what-humanistic-learning-theory-education2007.html#close