Humanism: what it is, types and philosophical characteristics.

A summary of the characteristics of humanism as a cultural, artistic and philosophical phenomenon.

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

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

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 humanism means valuing the human being and the human condition..

Thus, this term is related to generosity, compassion and concern for the valuation of human traits and attributes, relationships between people and their welfare.

The Renaissance humanist

The historical context that has been most associated with humanism is undoubtedly the Renaissance. It is in this period that humanism arose as a philosophical, intellectual and cultural movement, whose place of origin was Italy in the 14th century and which, throughout that century and the next, would spread throughout Europe, breaking with the theocentrism that had characterized the Catholic mentality of the Middle Ages..

It must be said that Renaissance humanism would not have been so powerful had it not been for an event that would mark a turning point in the history of the West: the creation of the printing press. In 1450 Johannes Gutenberg created his machine which, although it was not the first printing press invented in history (there are older cases in Asia), it was the one that gave strength to the powerful cultural phenomenon that was the Renaissance.

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

It was from that time on that European society began to stop placing God at the center of everything to give way to anthropocentrism, that is, giving greater importance to the human being and setting him up 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 offered new perspectives when reflecting and thinking about art, science and politics, something that brought about a true revolution in the cultural and also in the social sphere.. This is why the Renaissance is considered to be the intermediate step between the Middle Ages and Modernity, more into the latter period as far as the conception of man is concerned.

Renaissance humanism recovered the classical 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 into more modern times and learn about them. The names and surnames of many humanists of this era have gone down to posterity, such as Erasmus of Rotterdam, William of Ockham, Francesco Petrarch, 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 while satisfying curiosity. Physics, mathematics, engineering and medicine increased their body of knowledge and things that were unthinkable before, such as dissecting corpses, became a more common action, focused on knowing in depth both the human body and soul and enhancing the value of the human being.

Renaissance humanists, in addition to expanding their level of knowledge, investigated and experimented in order to improve people's lives, with the clear objective of bringing happiness and freedom to mankind. It is for this reason that they also had so much interest in classical works, such as those of Aristotle and Plato, with the intention of endowing the population with knowledge and making it more educated and independent, and therefore less gullible. and, therefore, less gullible and abusable by those in power.

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

• Anthropocentric vision of the world. The human being is a natural and historical being.
• Abandonment of the theocentric vision.
• Use of human reason as the driving force in the search for answers.
• Less importance of beliefs and dogmas of faith as sources of knowledge.
• Importance of Greek and Latin classics.
• Promotion of the study of vernacular languages.
• Promotion of the diffusion 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. Although it has a certain relationship with Renaissance humanism, secular or lay humanism is an expression that can be related to a system of thought developed at the end of the 20th century, in which social justice, ethics and human reason take on a very important role. social justice, ethics and human reason play a very important role in the development of humanism..

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

Humanism in psychology

Closely related to secular humanism, a current also emerged in the field of psychology that has called itself humanistic. It is humanistic psychology; this has its origins in the 1950s, gaining much importance in the 1960s and 1970s. This current became a new approach to psychotherapy, emerging as a reaction to the tendency to analyze only visible behavior, with a radical behaviorist base.behavior, with a radical behaviorist base.

Based on secular humanism, phenomenology, existentialism and functional autonomy, this psychological current intends to provide people with the necessary tools to be able to find within themselves their potential for self-realization, and use it in the way that best suits them.

Bibliographical references:

• Kristeller, Paul Oskar (1982). Renaissance thought and its sources. México: Fondo de Cultura Económica. 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.