What is humanism?

Humanism is an intellectual movement that originated during the Renaissance in the 14th to 17th centuries. It is centered around the values, capacities, and worth of human beings. Humanism emphasizes the importance of human virtues, the potential for self-fulfillment, and the significance of human reasoning and efforts. Rather than focusing on divine or supernatural matters, humanism seeks to understand the human experience and condition through a secular and rational perspective.

Humanists prioritize education, individual rights, and moral values grounded in human experience, and they stress the need for individuals to live ethical and fulfilling lives on the basis of reason and humanity's collective heritage of knowledge and culture. While historically associated with the Renaissance, modern humanism can refer to any viewpoint that affirms human dignity and the potential for individual and collective improvement, typically regarding all human beings as inherently valuable and deserving of respect.