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 18^th century. He influenced the whole

thinking of the 18^th century. He sought to free man from every form of absolute

arbitrary power. In the 19^th 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 20^th century has a widespread impact in different fields.