Humanism

A family of ethical or philosophical views that emphasizes human dignity, reason, welfare, and agency.

Reach for it when discussing a human-centered worldview while identifying its particular tradition

Her humanism joined confidence in reason with a commitment to equal dignity.

• everyday

  human-centered ethics

  plain language should emphasize human welfare and agency

  not when The phrase lacks humanism's philosophical history and can ignore nonhuman life.

• professional

  humanitarianism

  relieving suffering through organized action is the subject

  not when Humanitarianism is a relief ethic and practice, not a general philosophy of human nature or knowledge.

• professional

  secular humanism

  a nonreligious ethical worldview grounded in reason and human responsibility is meant

  not when Not all humanism is secular, and the term should not be applied to religious humanists.

• formal

  personalism

  the irreducible dignity of persons is the central philosophical claim

  not when Many forms of personalism are religious and differ from humanism about reason and transcendence.

• formal

  rationalism

  reason rather than revelation is the main source of knowledge

  not when Rationalism is an epistemic position and does not by itself commit to human dignity or welfare.

The Renaissance study of classical texts, languages, and human culture.

Reach for it when describing the historical intellectual movement rather than modern secular ethics

The course traces how Renaissance humanism changed education and civic writing.

• professional

  classical scholarship

  study of ancient languages and texts is the factual activity

  not when Classical scholarship can occur without the educational and civic ideals of Renaissance humanism.

• professional

  Renaissance humanism

  classical learning in the European Renaissance is specifically intended

  not when The label is historically bounded and should not replace every modern use of humanism.

• formal

  liberal arts tradition

  broad education in language, history, and culture is the focus

  not when The liberal arts extend beyond humanism and have changed across institutions and periods.

• anti-humanism
• misanthropy
• dehumanization
• scholasticism

• secular humanism

  Secular humanism is one branch within a wider history of humanist thought.

• Renaissance humanism

  Renaissance humanism renewed intensive study of classical rhetoric.

• humanist tradition

  The humanist tradition includes internal disagreement about religion and nature.

• principles of humanism

  The statement links its principles of humanism to universal dignity and free inquiry.

Humanism names several religious, secular, ethical, and historical traditions; specify which one, and do not assume that human-centered means indifferent to nonhuman life.

• Wiktionary, English noun sense 1: a philosophy centered on human value and agency ↗opens in a new tab for meaning 1 · retrieved 2026-07-26
• Wiktionary, English noun sense 2: Renaissance classical scholarship ↗opens in a new tab for meaning 2 · retrieved 2026-07-26

The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.