Humanism, a word of many meanings

The word "humanism" has a number of meanings, and because there are so many

different meanings it can be quite confusing if you don't know what kind of humanism

someone is talking about.

Literary Humanism is a devotion to the humanities or literary culture.

Renaissance Humanism is the spirit of learning that developed at the end of the middle

ages with the revival of classical letters and a renewed confidence in the ability of human

beings to determine for themselves truth and falsehood.

Cultural Humanism is the rational and empirical tradition that originated largely in

ancient Greece and Rome, evolved through out European history, and now constitutes a

basic part of the Western approach to science, political theory, ethics, and law.

Philosophical Humanism is any outlook or way of life centered on human need and

interest. Sub categories of this type include the two following.

Christian Humanism is defined by Webster's Third New International Dictionary

as "a philosophy advocating the self fulfillment of man within the framework of

Christian principles."

Freedom From Religion Foundation

English: Happy human Humanist logo, white and gold...

English: Happy human, a secular humanist logo made...

This more human oriented faith is largely a product of the

Renaissance and is a part of what made up Renaissance humanism.

Modern Humanism, also called Naturalistic Humanism, Scien- tific Humanism,

Ethical Humanism and Democratic Humanism is defined by one of its leading

proponents, Corollas Lamont, as "a naturalistic philosophy that rejects all

supernaturalism and relies primarily upon reason and science, democracy and

human compassion." Modern Humanism has a dual origin, both secular and

religious, and these constitute its sub categories.

Secular Humanism is an outgrowth of 18th century enlightenment

rationalism and 19th century freethought. Many secular groups, such as

the Council for Democratic and Secular Humanism and the American

Rationalist Federation, and many otherwise unaffiliated academic

philosophers and scientists advocate this philosophy.

Religious Humanism emerged out of Ethical Culture,