History of Humanism

Humanism.
Before we can describe it, we need to understand its long and sophisticated history, spanning over 2000 years.
 
The earliest recorded beginnings of Humanism can be dated to around (500 BCE) in ancient Greece, proceeding to China, Middle East and then back to Europe. In each case, there is a clear point of cultural and conceptual contact as well as significant development in the overall description and philosophy of humanism. “What is humanism?”, you may ask. Vaguely but widely accepted among general consensus, humanism can be defined as "a progressive philosophy of life that, without theism or other supernatural beliefs, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good of humanity."
 
A relatively complete statement of the more modern version of humanism, Secular humanism, can be found in Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy: “A commitment to the perspective, interests and centrality of human persons; a belief in reason and autonomy as foundational aspects of human existence; a belief that reason, scepticism and the scientific method are the only appropriate instruments for discovering truth and structuring the human community; a belief that the foundations for ethics and society are to be found in autonomy and moral equality.” (Anon., 1999, p.365)
 
5th Century BCE
Around the 5th Century BCE, the earliest documented foundations of humanism and humanistic thought can be traced through Ancient Greek thinkers like Protagoras, Socrates and Plato, with human reason, ethics, education and the role of humans in society being among the teachings that would form the basis of humanism as we know it. These philosophical and pedagogical traditions laid the groundwork for later revival especially during the Italian Renaissance period, emphasizing on the education of humans rather than purely theological concerns and the human centered orientation began to emerge. This is of significant value as it shows that human centred values have had deep historic roots.
 
9th to 13th Centuries CE       
These ideas progressed into the medieval period, often referred to as Proto-Humanism by some scholars around the 9th to 13th century. The term “proto‑humanism” is used when discussing the gradual shift toward human‑centred scholastic and cultural concerns (e.g., scholars in the 12th‑century Chartres school). During this time, Christian theology dominated intellectual and social life in Europe, but human centered thought persisted: the education of the individual, moral virtue and the study of liberal arts. The revival of interest in classical texts, translations of Greek and Latin authors, and emerging scholastic debates helped set the stage for the Renaissance. Though the medieval world lacked the full self‑consciousness of “humanism” as later defined, the accumulation of classical learning, growing universities, and the humanist ideal of studia humanitatis (studies of humanity/humanity) were quietly forming thus making It a transitional era.
 
14th to 15th Centuries CE
Renaissance Humanism was born in roughly the 14th to the 16th century, peaking in the 15th and 16th century. The term humanism is most closely associated with this era: the revival of classical learning in Italy (Florence, Rome, etc.), and then throughout Europe. During the Renaissance period the phrase studia humanitatis (which emphasized grammar, rhetoric, poetry, history, moral philosophy) became central to humanist education.
 
Some important figures include Francesco Petrarch (often dubbed the “Father of humanism”), Desiderius Erasmus, and others who emphasized the value of classical texts, human virtue, the individual, and civic participation. The movement replaced a worldview dominated by religious authority and medieval scholasticism with a renewed focus on humans, human achievements, and the secular (or at least less strictly theological) realms of culture and education.
 
The Renaissance humanists believed that recovering the classics would reform society, culture, education, and governance. (i.e., the human world.) This period is highly significant as it is often considered the flowering of humanism as a self‑aware movement. It set many of the themes that later humanisms would carry, human agency, secular education, the dignity of the individual, and a belief in human culture and reason.
 
20th Century CE
The 20th century onwards gave birth to Secular Humanism. In the 19th and 20th centuries the term humanism took on additional meanings: a broadly secular worldview that emphasized human agency, ethics without religion, science, and democratic values.
 
The first major formal articulation: A Humanist Manifesto (1933) and subsequent manifestos (Humanist Manifesto II in 1973, and Humanism and Its Aspirations / Humanist Manifesto III in 2003) spelled out the principles of modern humanism (emphasizing rational inquiry, human rights, freedom of belief, etc.) Humanists International (formerly IHEU) adopted the Amsterdam Declaration (1952, updated 2002, 2022) which defines humanism as “an ethical, rational life stance supporting democracy and human rights”. Under this rubric, humanism became both a philosophical orientation and a social movement—secular in many cases—promoting ethics, science, human dignity and cooperative human welfare.
 
The significance of this period is that modern humanism has global presence and influence: it intersects with issues of secularism, human rights, education, science, ethics in the public sphere. It’s less about classical texts and more about values and a life stance.
 
Humanism Today
In the 21st century, humanism is not static, it keeps on evolving in response to globalization, digital technologies, artificial intelligence, environmental crises, and intercultural exchange. For example, the 2022 update of the Amsterdam Declaration reflects ongoing adaptation. It is being re‑examined, challenged, and re‑applied in contexts of global ethics, human rights under threat, digital transformations, and cross‑cultural dialogue. The movement is flexible and continues to generate new forms of thought about what it means to live a meaningful, ethical human life.