humanism means the study of the humanities or the liberal arts; literary (especially classical) scholarship. It carries an Arena rating of 1552, earned across 7 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, humanism ranks #1,716 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #2,624 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #4,411 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #8,706 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words.
humanism is pronounced /ˈhjuːmənɪz(ə)m/.
Why “humanism” is a great word
A philosophical and ethical stance that centers human values, agency, and dignity, often within a secular framework, or the historical Renaissance movement reviving classical arts and letters. From English human + -ism, borrowed from German Humanismus, coined in 1808 by Friedrich Immanuel Niethammer. Unlike "atheism," which specifically denotes an absence of theistic belief, or "scholasticism," which was bound by ecclesiastical authority and Aristotelian syllogism, humanism is a broader, affirmative project of constructing meaning. It is the quiet conviction in a library of recovered texts, the civic portrait that finds divinity in a human face, and the profound belief that a just society is built not by divine decree but by human hands and humane principles—a testament that meaning is not revealed but made.
Etymology
From human + -ism, borrowed from German Humanismus, coined by Friedrich Immanuel Niethammer in 1808.
noun
- The study of the humanities or the liberal arts; literary (especially classical) scholarship.
- 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.e.g.“There were good reasons for humanism and the Renaissance to take their origins from fourteenth-century Italy.” — 2009, Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity, Penguin, published 2010, page 575:
- 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.
- Humanitarianism.e.g.“Near-synonyms: solidarity, philanthropy, generosity”
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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