humanism

English

Etymology

From human +‎ -ism, borrowed from German Humanismus, coined by Friedrich Immanuel Niethammer in 1808.

Pronunciation

Noun

humanism (usually uncountable, plural humanisms)

  1. The study of the humanities or the liberal arts; literary (especially classical) scholarship. [from 19th c.]
  2. (historical, often capitalized) Specifically, a cultural and intellectual movement in 14th-16th century Europe characterised by attention to classical culture and a promotion of vernacular texts, notably during the Renaissance. [from 19th c.]
    • 2009, Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity, Penguin, published 2010, page 575:
      There were good reasons for humanism and the Renaissance to take their origins from fourteenth-century Italy.
  3. An ethical system that centers on humans and their values, needs, interests, abilities, dignity and freedom; especially used for a secular one which rejects theistic religion and superstition. [from 19th c.]
  4. Humanitarianism, philanthropy.

Derived terms

Translations
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Further reading
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