Death of Humanism

As it is with a person, so it is with a group, a nation, or even a species. What organization can be effective if its members oppose its vision? What nation can prosper in the midst of a civil war? And how can humanity survive if it at odds with what it means to be human?

For an entity as complex and contradictory as the human species, self-alignment is far from a given. As history has shown, humanity is often and violently at odds with itself. Furthermore, given the temperamentality of human nature, self-alignment can only ever be a process, and never a destination. In that process, there is only one real tool available for our use, and that is humanism.

Humanism can be loosely defined as a concern with the affairs of humanity. It is the study of human identity and human potential, a catalog of human virtues and a battle against human vices.

The term was coined to refer to the philosophy of the Italian Renaissance, but its sphere of reference is much wider. Humanist movements have emerged in many different places and times, from the traditional humanism of many Native American tribal groups, to the classical humanism of ancient China and the humanist revival of the Islamic Renaissance.

The distinguishing characteristics of a humanist movement include a focus on human virtues and values, such as honor, courage and honesty, and a widespread support for the arts and sciences.

Prosperity comes to a nation at peace with itself, and so it is with a species. Everywhere that humanism has emerged, it has brought substantial benefits to the human race. The Italian Renaissance was an explosion of great art, literature and scientific advance. Classical Greece was a celebration of human excellence and created the most enduring works of philosophy. As for the era of traditional humanism, it was a time of harmony with the environment and efficient use of resources.

Each of the above humanist benefits is something we are in dire need of now. We are impoverished in art, in excellence, and particularly in harmony with the natural world. Furthermore, appealing to the commonality created by shared humanism may be our only hope of ending our disastrous conflicts with each other. If we can come to terms with what it means to be human, then there is a hope that we can end our brutal self-destructiveness.

On the other hand, if we lose humanism, we will have no defense against the disharmonies that pour fourth from the human race and rebound upon ourselves. The likely result is the destruction of ourselves, our nations, and perhaps even our planet.