English

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 2010, p. 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

• humanist
• humanistic
• religious humanism

Translations