Reaction Paper On Humanism

Humanism is a philosophical and ethical stance on the value of human beings. The idea of humanism started around the early to mid-14th century starting with Petrarch, who is considered to most, as the “father of humanism.” Petrarch’s expertise in the promotion of this study earned him the name as the first great humanist. Humanism first started to become popular in the mid-15th century though during the Italian Renaissance due to many factors but at the same humanism was spreading all throughout Europe and became increasingly popular in Northern Europe, but didn’t spread as fast. With humanism spreading around in different areas of the world it was safe to assume that the teachings and practice of humanism from these areas would also be

Humanism has played a very large role in history. The Middle Ages was a period in time where religion flourish and everything was based on what the church declared. This “religious fervor” was challenged by logical and secular thoughts and the new philosophical movement called “Humanism” was born. Humanism focused on the secular way of life, they focused on the truth and pursue intellectual inquiry. HUmanism rediscovered the Greek and Roman classical culture and was readopted in society. Humanist scholars focused on humans and glorified them and all of their natural “beauty”. They also ruled out supernatural powers, like gods. They used their own abilities and values to pursue what they wanted and used their wisdom to solve problems and find solutions. This literary and artistic movement crushed religious thought and paved a new way of creativity. This new era was called the Renaissance.

Although humanism has several different meanings, especially for those who consider themselves humanists, this definition in my opinion best explains humanism as it is applied in our class. In a journal entry written by Robert L Sinsheimer, titled “Humanism and Science”, he explains that humanists are concerned with

Humanism is derived from the movement that happened from the fourteenth to the sixteenth centuries. The start point of Humanism is in Italy. It is an important development during the Renaissance. Because of the terrible Black Death in 14th century. The population of Europeans decreased extremely. A lot of people died of the Black Death. At the beginning of that time, people thought the Black Death is God’s punishment for living life in sin. People went to Church and hope the forgiveness of God. However, the wide spread of the Black Death didn’t stop. The dead body forced the people started finding the other new way. Instead of believing in God, people started to think about science. The scientists did the research and treated the Black Death by more scientific way. People started thinking about the man himself and explored natural environment by more scientific method. The new ways of thinking influenced the development of Humanism in art during the Renaissance. The Renaissance artworks are about the re-discovery of ancient Greek and Roman artworks and their way of life. Humanists rejected the religion concept and not believe in the supernaturalism. They tried to discover the natural creatures and destiny of man. Artists learned the human beauty from the ancient Greek and Roman artworks and architectures. They began to find out more ideas about the human experience, personal independence and social community. They brought the Humanism ideas into their artworks.

Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary gives several definitions for humanism, a word which made its appearance in 1832. The first is "a devotion to the humanities or the revival of class, individualistic and critical spirit, and emphasis on secular concerns characteristic of the Renaissance." Renaissance is capitalized. Another definition reads as follows: "a doctrine, attitude, or

Humanism is a way of life that revolves around the interests of people. It stresses human worth and building up self-realization. Humanism was developed in Greece and Rome, and is generally due to philosophy and current literary works during 1400-1650. It is termed "Classical Humanism" because it was born during that time period. Classical Humanism had an impact during the Renaissance Era.

Humanism is surrounded by humans, that humans are the most high and most developed on the universe. Basically Humanism is based off political, ethical, and economical matter and values but disregards the basic questions (Sheldon 1). Humanism has been associated with the Renaissance, which was an artistic movement that started around the 1400’s and lasting for two years. “The idea of the ‘modern’ period in human history as distinct from the ‘ ancient’ and ‘middle’ or ‘ dark age’ originated with humanist during the Renaissance” (“Renaissance Humanism”1). There was an effect on renaissance ideas, “an effect of Renaissance ideas on perception of history was the replacing of a providential view of time with an ancient cyclical and Arabic astrological perspective” (Sheldon 1). Finally the Renaissance spread across the map to Alps, Germany. The Renaissance turned into a strong moral and a forceful education. The Germans cared more about what’s within than the outlooks of life or things (Biesinger 3). Renaissance came along way. “The founder of Renaissance humanism was Petrarch (1304-1374)” (“Humanism” 1). Petrarch’s birth name is Francesco Petrarca and he was

The term humanism refers to any mode or system of thought in which human dignity, welfare, values and interests predominate (Katie, 2013). It is a philosophy, belief or method whose main emphasis is on the realm of human beings and their daily lives. Humanism has both religious and secular connotations. Religious humanism uses religious dogma and supernatural phenomena as the basis of decision-making.

Humanity is defined as the quality or state of being kind to other people or to animals. Every day, individuals are making decisions from the influences that are around us. Today, the technology is rapidly increasing, making the everyday tasks much simpler to complete. Science and medicine has been a major development that has helped the lives of many people. “As more and more people around the world acquire education, understanding of science has become much more widespread. Thanks to the relatively new sciences of sociology, anthropology, and psychology, our understanding of human nature and society has developed rapidly” (humanism). In today’s society, the belief is that only human problems can be solved by

Humanism is a philosophy created by the ancient Athenians of Ancient Greece. This philosophy was based upon the idea that humans are the center of everything, are able to rely on their own abilities to meet challenges, and understand and make sense of the universe and forces. The Athenian humanist philosophy demonstrated a somewhat new belief system and cultural tradition. The Athenians also presented new ideas in art, science, philosophy, and politics. However, the humanist philosophies is not entirely new to the world and has already been displayed in other ancient civilizations.

At first, humanism was actually thought by some to be a way of validating and supporting the Church. With man being viewed as the measure of all things, and man being created in the image of God, it would be shown how God is perfect in every way. Pico della Mirandola's literary work Oration on the Dignity of Man is a clear example of how the early goal of humanism was to create a better understanding of God, stating how humanity is the apex of creation, creating a link with the world of God and of the creation (Cunningham 24).

4, pp. 69 ff.), "Humanism recognizes the value and dignity of man and makes him the measure of all things or somehow takes human nature, its limits, or its interests as its theme."

The individual’s role in society dramatically changed following the introduction of humanism. The idea that was depicted is still heavily important today and still holds strong within society. Humanism brought forward the thought that everyone is important and the concept of individuality. Humanism created the notion that instead of being part of a whole, everyone is unique. Before this introduction, most just thought about their actions and what consequences it had in the afterlife; Whether that be going to heaven or hell. Following the emergence of humanism, people started to think more about the present, encouraging education in humanity, the study of literature and enhancement of art – all this expanded an individual’s outlook on life and in turn allowed for the development of personal success.

In conclusion, to practice humanism is to spread kindness and peace each day and to not let the minor, snippy remarks and crabbiness of others bother us. We must try to realize that this person might be having a bad day or be experiencing a loss or hardship. This may be

Historically, humanism finds its roots in the mid-20th century. Abraham Maslow developed his hierarchical theory of motivation in 1943. Carl Rogers published person centered therapy in 1946. In the 1950’s, Maslow and Clark Moustakas invited others to meetings among other psychologists interested in forming an association dedicated to a more humanistic perspective.