Friday, January 13, 2012

Contextualizing An overview


Contextualizing An overview:
Humanism is a philosophical system centered to human being. It concerns about the
 human being, their place and position in relation to the world. It studies about the
 present and future of human being. It raises voices for the common interest and
 betterment of human being. It seeks respects for human dignity. Its aim is to free
human being from all types of injustice and atrocities. It strives to create  beautiful and
 harmonies world based on justice, love and fraternity. It does not believe on any
supernatural and omnipotent power like God and Goddess. It believes in the capability
 and dignity of human being. Man is the center if its study. So , it gives a supreme value
and responsibility to man. Humanism assumes that if there is something that can make
 human life worth and livable that is nothing other than human being. It keeps a firm
 belief that the present word can be changed with the effort if human being. It attempts
to fraternity right relation between man and man based on love, co- operation and
fraternity. For this it appeals for the unity and good understanding among human
 being. ‘ The American Heritage dictionary defines humanism as, “a system of thought
that centers on human being and their values, capacities and worth”. Similarly
,’Webster’s New world dictionary’ defines it as “any system of thought or action based
on atheistic, rationalistic movement that holds man is capable of self fulfillment, ethical
 conduct etc without recourse to any supernaturalism.” The above dictionary meanings
 too show the same idea about the concept of humanism. Humanism is a system of
thought based on secularism. It is atheistic in its spirit. It is free from dogmatic views like
castiesm, supernatural belief, and orthodox etc. Dr. D. R. Jatava in his book, Social and
Humanist Thinker writes, “humanism means the type of thought that is centered on
man  himself that raises question concerning his ultimate nature, and tries to answer
them without transcending the limits of what is human”(vi). M. Patrosyan in his book
 Humanism writes, “the concept of humanism is traditionally linked with the question of
man’s place in the universe, his today and tomorrow”(8). The aforementioned
definitions also reveal that humanism is a philosophy that makes man the center of its
 study. It attempts to change the world into a more beautiful and harmonious one. In
 fact, human life is praiseworthy and beautiful, but due to the lack of our understanding,
 excessive pride, ignorance, and blind beliefs have fettered our life. However, humanism
 still tries to bring and maintain order, peace, unity and harmony in the world. About
 humanism, similar idea does Radhakamal Mukergee give in book, The Way of
Humanism, “ humanism may be defined as an integrated system of human meaning,
 goal and values and harmonious programme of human fulfillment individual and
collective”(1). Humanism, in brief, can be taken as a philosophical system based on
 scientific and rational ground. It fights for the common interest of all human being. Its
 main objective is to create the better and beautiful world. Many times , we are
confused with the words-humanism and humanitarianism, but they are quite different.
 Humanism is a philosophical system based on reason, thought and certain principle. But
 humanitarianism is a personal feeling, emotion and sentiment of doing something good
for other fellow-human being who are in trouble. It is a feeling of amelioration. So,
 humanitarianism is a personal but humanism is social and universal system Humanism:

Greek Humanism


Greek  Humanism:
The study of history shows that a systematic study of humanism as a movement started
 from ancient Greek  for about 6th century B.C. The first notable humanists in ancient
Greek civilization were Sophsists. They raised the voices against the religious authority
of Athenian. Sophists began to think from a rational ground. In the book Western
Civilization Marrin Perry et al. observes about the humanistic role played by sophists in
ancient Greek in these words, “the western humanistic traditions owes much to the
 sophists, who examined political and ethical problems. Cultivated the minds of their
students and invented formal secular education”(71). Perry further writes,  “Sophist
 asserted that slavery was based on force or chance, the people were neither slaves nor
master by nature, and they also held that all people were fundamentally alike “(71). So,
 sophists had played a signification role in starting the humanism tradition in ancient
Greek. Protagoras (481-411 B.C.) was another person , who is known as a notable
 humanist of ancient Greek. He challenged the traditional belief of Athenians. He boldly
declared that man is the measure of all things(Perry,71). Protagoras wanted to assert
 that good and evils, truth and falsehood, were the mater of individual judgment. He
 again proclaimed that there was no universal standards that apply to all people at all
time. Protagoras attacked the traditional religions and moral values of Athenian society.
Unfortunately he was banished and his works were burnt down. Another great
 humanist of Greek time was  Socrates (469-399 B.C.). He emphasized on self
knowledge. He believed that reason was the only proper guide to the most crucial
problem of human existence. He taught that rational inquiry was a priceless tool, which
allowed  to test opinion, weigh the merits of ideas and alter belief on the base of
knowledge. Perry mention, “Socrates wanted to subject all human belief and behavior
 to the clear light of reason, and , in this way to remove ethics from the realm of
 authority, tradition, dogma superstition and myth”(73). These are just a few examples
 of the western humanists of ancient period. Individual freedom and personal dignity
 were the fundamental question raised by the ancient Greek humanists. Not only in the
 western countries but also in the eastern, there were many humanists in ancient period
 . Gautam Buddha in Nepal (563-483 B.C.). Mahavir in India (500 B.C) and  Confucius in
 China were great championists of ancient humanism. Love  and compassion for Buddha,
 external world or matter for Mahavir and morals , man and state Confucius was the
main things in their humanism.

Renaissance Humanism


Renaissance  Humanism:
When we come to the medieval period, humanism developed quite differently than that
of  ancient period. In medieval time, the concept of humanism was broadly used during
 the Renaissance period. In Renaissance period, humanism was used for those who
 learned and taught the subjects related to the faculty of Humanity, for e.g. poetry,
rhetoric, criticism, grammar, history, language, art etc. In other words those persons
were thought to be humanist who taught the imaginative subjects different from less
imaginative like mathematics, science, natural philosophy and theology. H.M. Abrahams
mentions about a Renaissance humanism:
Renaissance humanism assumed the dignity and central position of
 human  beings in the universe, emphasized the importance of the study
of the study of classical imaginative and philosophical literature, although
 with emphasis on its moral and practical rather than its aesthetic values:
and insisted on the primacy, in ordering human life, of reason(considered
the distinctively human faculty) as opposed to the instinctual appetite
 and the animal passions.(83)

Renaissance humanism was a break from the medieval tradition of thought. The
  Christianitydominated medieval thinking. Medieval men believed in the presence of God,
 Jesus Christ, devil and demos. They thought that their life and the world were supported by
 some diving power. But Renaissance humanist played very important role to break the
 traditional concept. They began to think on the rational ground.  De Lamor Jensen in the book
Renaissance Europe’ observes, “There was an implied acceptance of the worth of earthly
existence for its own sake and a deep-rooted revolt against the ‘other-worldliness’ associated
 with medieval Christanity”(103). Renaissance humanist glorified the man and his power.
Anther important aspect of Renaissance humanism was that it gave high regards and
importance to the study of ancient writes and enriched the store of knowledge. Greek classical
 works and writes were models for  the  Renaissance humanists. Erasmar (1466-1536) and
 Petarch (1304-1374) of Italy were great humanism of this period. What Renaissance humanists,
in short, did-they broke the medieval concept of people, focused on classical literature, and
gave high importance to the present life. Radhkamal Mukerjhee writes, “Man endeavored in
 this age (Renaissance) to free himself from the thralldom of the classical despotism and shalter
all mental barriers imposed by medieval orthodoxy”(97).

Modern Humanism


Modern  Humanism:
In modern period, humanism shifts from the earlier interpretation. Humanism has taken
 divers forms in modern period. In  this regard, H. M. Abrahams writes, “ in our time,
 ‘humanist’ often connotes a person who bases truth on human experience and bases
 values on human nature and culture, as distinct from people who regards religious
revelation as the guarantor of all truth and values”(83). The humanist outlook of
modern period differs from the ancient and medieval period. Science and its impact has
widely effected in the outlook of modern humanistic tradition. In modern period, the
idea of humanism is exercised in different field, like politics, literature, religion etc. In
modern period, Francis Bacon is recognized as a notable humanist. He declared that
 ‘knowledge is power’. He attacked against the scholasticism. He started to think from
 inductive method. Another recognized humanist in the beginning of modern period was
 Thomas Hobbes(1588-1679). He was a materialist, rationalist and empiricist. In David
Daiches’s words, “Hobbes broke completely with tradition and endeavored to work out
a new science of man by the application of natural reason to the understanding of
bodies”(496). He pointed out the necessity of civil state to maintain peace and order
among human being. In his views all men are equal both in term of body and mind. John
Locke was another distinguished humanist of the 18th century. He influenced the whole
thinking of the 18th century. He sought to free man from every form of absolute
arbitrary power. In the 19th century, great humanists appeared  in the field of politics as
well as literature. Marx ,Engels and Lenin are the great humanists of the modern period
 especially who belong to the west. They influenced to spread humanistic outlook in
both politics and literature. They have emphasized on  class struggle for the ultimate
 peace and harmony of the society. Apart from them, we find several great humanist
thinkers who have exercised the idea of humanism. The name of Martin Luther
 King(1929-1968) in America and Nelson Mandela(1918-) in South Africa are notable
 humanist who have fought against the racial discrimination. In the East , Mahatma
 Gandhi, Jawharlal Nehru and Mao-tse Tung are regarded as the great fighters of
 humanism. Mao-tse Tung belongs to the Marxist humanistic tradition. Gandhi and
 Nehru belong to the liberal democratic tradition of humanism. Gandhi and Nehru see
the  emancipation of human being in individual freedom, democracy and socialism
 through the way of peace and nonviolence. In the field of literature, the names of Leo
Tolstoy, Dickens,
Gorky in the west, and Rabindra Nath Tagor, Prem  Chand, Sarad Chandra and Mulk Raj
Anand in the East come to the humanists tradition of literature. In this way, humanism
in the 20th century has a widespread impact in different fields.