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Rogerrp
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Joined: 03 Feb 2007
Posts: 99
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 Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 4:10 pm Post subject: Definitions of Humanism |
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Here are some from the Continuum Of Humanist Education (COHE):
"...seeking, without religion, the best in, and for, human beings." Chambers Pocket Dictionary
"...a doctrine, attitude, or way of life centered on human interests or values; especially: a philosophy that usually rejects supernaturalism and stresses an individual's dignity and worth and capacity for self-realization through reason." Merriam Webster Dictionary
"...a non-religious philosophy, based on liberal human values." cilantro Oxford Dictionary
"...an appeal to reason in contrast to revelation or religious authority as a means of finding out about the natural world and destiny of man, and also giving a grounding for morality... Humanist ethics is also distinguished by placing the end of moral action in the welfare of humanity rather than in fulfilling the will of God." Oxford Companion to Philosophy
"The rejection of religion in favor of the advancement of humanity by its own efforts." Collins Concise Dictionary
"That which is characteristically human, not supernatural, that which belongs to man and not to external nature, that which raises man to his greatest height or gives him, as man, his greatest satisfaction…" Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences
"...a morally concerned style of intellectual atheism openly avowed by only a small minority of individuals but tacitly accepted by a wide spectrum of educated people in all parts of the Western world." Oxford Companion to the Mind
"A system of thought that centers on humans and their values, capacities, and worth." American Heritage Dictionary |
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TimMills
Joined: 03 Feb 2007
Posts: 54
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| Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2007 9:10 pm Post subject: |
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Just saw AC Grayling's very short book Against All Gods in the book store and had to pick it up. (He's one of the contributors to the Darwin week Humanist Thought for the Day podcasts - listen to them here: .)
In this collection, two of the essays contain nice, succinct definitions of humanism. The first is "A Rectification of Names: Secularist, Humanist, Atheist". Here's the definition:
| Quote: | | Humanism in the modern sense of the term is the view that whatever your ethical system, it derives from your best understanding of human nature and the human condition in the real world. |
(He goes on to concede that religious people can be humanists under this definition, though it would at best be odd, and probably inconsistent.
The other definition is in the final essay, "The Alternative: Humanism".
| Quote: | | I use the term 'humanists' to denote those whose ethical outlook is non-religiously based - which is, in other words, premised on humanity's best efforts to understand its own nature and circumstances. |
Great book by the way - read it in two sittings.
- Tim - |
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TimMills
Joined: 03 Feb 2007
Posts: 54
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| Posted: Tue May 08, 2007 11:51 am Post subject: |
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Okay, here's a fairly good definition of humanism:
| Quote: | | [Humanism is] a concern with and a celebration of those things which are uniquely human, as a recognition of the value of human life and human experience, and as an attempt to develop and support the full potential of the human race. |
It came from this website:
What do you guys think?
- Tim - |
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