Humanism: Definition, Theory, & Examples

By Kelsey Schultz, Ph.D. Candidate
​Reviewed by Tchiki Davis, M.A., Ph.D.
If you’re into the rational pursuit of love and truth, you just might be a humanist. Learn more about humanism and its practical applications to daily life.
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Being human comes with a whole host of bewildering questions concerning our identity, the meaning of life, and how to reconcile our desire for a rich human experience with our desire to avoid suffering. Much of organized religion seeks to provide answers to these questions through static, dogmatic ideals and axioms regarding the nature of the universe. Religious doctrine is designed to assuage the transcendent discomfort that arises when pondering existential questions like ‘what is my purpose?’ and render further exploration of the question mercifully unnecessary.​
The offer of relief from some of the more vexing aspects of the human condition is admittedly an attractive one. The humanist perspective, however, is that to avoid the discomfort of uncertainty and refuse to seek your own answers to the great existential questions through self-reflection, scientific inquiry, and connection with others is to deny yourself the experience of being maximally human.  Humanism is the belief in the capacity of our species to be rational and kind, and in our ability to see ourselves and each other as the infinitely complex and miraculously improbable organisms we all are without anticipation of eternal punishment or reward.

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What Is Humanism? (A Definition)

The term ‘humanism’, in the way it’s used today, is relatively new, and definitions still vary in some ways across individuals and contexts, but humanists generally agree on the following definition:

“Humanism is a democratic and ethical life stance, which affirms that human beings have the right and responsibility to give meaning and shape to their own lives. It stands for the building of a more humane society through an ethic based on human and other natural values in the spirit of reason and free inquiry through human capabilities. It is not theistic, and it does not accept supernatural views of reality” (Byelaw 5.1 of the International Humanist and Ethical Union).

Let’s dig into some of the primary components of humanism a little more.

​Responsibility.
Personal autonomy and responsibility are vital components of humanism. Rather than deferring to the dictum of a religious organization or the opinion of some other authority, the onus is on you to decide for yourself what it means to be a good person and how to live a life worth living. We also have the responsibility to use our intellect and reason to seek truth and dismiss what we identify as delusion.

Meaning-making.
Humans are remarkable in our ability to create meaning. And we can leverage this ability to cope with the pain that existence inevitably brings all of us. It allows us to say, “my suffering is real and there will undoubtedly be more of it in the future, but here is where I find beauty.” Or in our grief say, “I have incurred a great and permanent loss, but this pain is worth it because they meant so much to me.”
​
Bart Campolo, author and former humanist chaplain at the University of Southern California, summarized a humanist outlook well when describing his role as an educator. He articulated that the lesson he hopes to teach his students is that “the way to make the most of their lives is not to believe in mythology, but rather to rationally pursue love, meaningful work, and wonder.”

Ethics.
Humanist ethics are born from a recognition of the importance of our bonds with other people and our interdependence on each other and the world around us. They are based on a reverence for the human spirit and faith in the human capacity for reason and honest inquiry. 

What Is Humanistic Psychology? (A Definition)

Humanistic psychology is an approach that prioritizes a holistic understanding of an individual and seeks to aid them in living an authentic, meaningful life. It emerged out of the convergence of two philosophical disciplines: phenomenology and existentialism (Buhler, 1971).
 
Humanistic Psychology: Phenomenology​
The primary tenet of phenomenology, particularly when applied to psychology, is that the whole of subjective human experience is more important than its parts. In other words, to try to understand ourselves solely in terms of mechanisms or according to various theoretical frameworks is a little like trying to describe the colors of the Grand Canyon at sunset by talking about wavelengths of light and what happens when photons hit your retina. The mechanisms of color vision are really fascinating and knowing how it works can certainly be useful, but it doesn’t actually help you to understand the most important part, which is what it’s like to experience the colors of the Grand Canyon at sunset.
 
Philosopher, Rollo May, summarizes this perspective well:
“For no matter how interesting and theoretically true is the fact that I am composed of such and such chemicals or act by such and such mechanisms or patterns, the crucial question always is that I happen to exist at this given moment in time and space, and my problem is how am I to be aware of that fact and what shall I do about it” (May, 1958).
 
Humanistic Psychology: Existentialism
The question of “what shall I do about it” is one of the primary concerns of existentialism. Existentialism is a little like phenomenology in that for both disciplines the reality and primacy of the human experience is a central theme, but existentialism places a particular emphasis on action, on how you should respond to existence. Existentialism also stresses the importance of the context in which a person exists. Martin Heidegger, a 20th-century existential-phenomenological philosopher, termed this notion being-in-the-world, by which he meant that an individual and the world in which they live are inextricably linked. We’ll get back to the idea of being-in-the-world a little later on.
 
The convergence of these two schools of thought produced the basic questions from which humanistic psychology proceeds (Schneider & Längle, 2015):
  1. What does it mean to be fully human? And
  2. How can you use your understanding of what it means to be human to live a good life?

Humanistic Therapy

In a therapeutic setting, humanism manifests as a focus on attaining a holistic understanding of the individual and helping them live a fulfilling life by identifying what is meaningful to them (Angus et al., 2015). The overarching goal is to help the client cultivate meaningful relationships with themselves, others, and the world around them by empowering them to determine for themselves what it means to be a human and live a good life.
​
One of the main objectives of humanistic therapy is to help the client experience their existence as real (Buhler, 1971). Without the ability to recognize and believe their lived experience (often a consequence of gaslighting), it isn’t possible to live with awareness and authenticity. Therapy is often focused on the development and education of the individual and prioritizes creativity and creative expression.

Humanistic Theory of Personality

Personality, from a humanist perspective, is the way in which someone attempts to resolve the conflict between their fear of death and nothingness and their drive toward growth, connection, and meaning in a world that is both uncontrollable and incomprehensible. With this approach, the best way to assess an individual’s personality is by listening to how they tell their life story (Wong, 2006). When someone tries to organize their life into a story, they reveal significant aspects of their personality including their core values, how they relate to the world, what motivates them, and where they find meaning.

Another important aspect of the humanistic perspective of personality is its holistic view of the individual (Wong, 2006). The theory posits that a person can only be truly understood when considered in the greater context in which they exist. This brings us back to Heidegger’s being-in-the-world concept mentioned earlier. The idea is that you are fundamentally a consciousness that is situated in an environment. You influence your environment and it influences you in such a way that you can’t fully be understood as separate phenomena. There is a beautiful quote from one of my favorite Salman Rushdie novels, Midnight’s Children, that I think offers an excellent summary description of the holistic perspective in humanistic personality theory:
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  • “Who what am I? My answer: I am the sum total of everything that went before me, of all I have been seen done, of everything done-to-me. I am everyone everything whose being-in-the-world affected was affected by mine. I am anything that happens after I've gone which would not have happened if I had not come. Nor am I particularly exceptional in this matter; each "I", everyone of the now-six-hundred-million-plus of us, contains a similar multitude. I repeat for the last time: to understand me, you'll have to swallow a world.”

Humanistic Learning Theory

Humanistic Learning Theory posits that systems of education should aim to help students develop as responsible, rational, self-aware human beings who care for themselves and the world around them in addition to providing the designated body of knowledge. The basic idea is that people, especially children, are naturally driven to learn and grow. By providing them the freedom and opportunity to explore what they find most exciting, you both improve their comprehension of the subject matter being taught and help them discover who they are, what they’re good at, and how they learn best. These discoveries serve as the foundation for developing a connection to yourself and your environment which are necessary preconditions for the ability to move through the world thoughtfully and carefully.

Professor of Literacy, Andrew Johnson (2014), outlined 5 principles that can help humanistic educators arrive at their goals:

Self-directed learning​
Students learning should be as self-directed as possible. Self-directed learning, in the context of educational systems, is essentially providing students a choice where available. For example, allowing students to choose from a selection of 3 different books for their book report, rather than assigning one book to the entire class.

Relevant subject-matter
Teachers, of course, are not always in control over the content of what they’re teaching, but there are still creative ways to help students feel connected to it. For example, in an algebra class, you could use changes in popularity over time of a meme or hashtag as an example of a function.

Include the full spectrum of human experience
It is important to create an educational environment in which students can learn how to use their knowledge, intellect, and intuition in problem-solving and decision-making. This might look like asking students for their opinions or giving them the opportunity to express themselves creatively. Incorporating honest discussion of emotional experiences and emotional management techniques, cooperative learning activities, and situating the subject matter in the broader societal context are also ways to help create a safe educational environment that holistically and compassionately acknowledges the depth of the human condition.

Learning to love learning
It is important for students to learn how to learn and to develop a love for learning. Humanistic educators can help support students’ natural love of learning by giving them the flexibility to find out how they learn best and by offering plenty of opportunities for critical analysis and practical application of the subject matter.

Create a non-threatening environment
People learn best in an environment in which they feel accepted, safe, and competent. Applying this to an educational setting might include cultivating a culture of respect and celebration of differences, helping students identify their strengths to give context to their weaknesses, or giving students specific roles within the classroom to foster a sense of purpose and belonging.

Humanistic Theorists

You can find a humanist anywhere at any point in the entirety of recorded human history (Copson, 2015). Confucius promoted humanist ideals around 500 BCE, as did Cicero in the first century BCE, Petrarch in the 14th century CE, and Albert Einstein in the 20th century. Though humanist attitudes date back thousands of years and the list of influential thinkers is long, here are just a few of the contemporary philosophers and popularizers of humanism that are worth looking into if you are interested in going deeper into the subject:

A.C. Grayling - Philosopher and author
Dr. Grayling is also a captivating public speaker. Here is a video of his talk given at the National Federation of Atheist, Humanist, and Secularist Student Societies 2014 Convention that I found particularly enjoyable:

Video: A.C. Grayling: Humanism

Joan Bakewell - Baroness, journalist, member of the House of Lords, and Joint Chair of the Humanist All-Party Parliament Group)

Andrew Copson- Author, Chief Executive of Humanists UK, and President of Humanists International

Examples of Humanism

Examples of humanistic behavior are everywhere. Everything from being kind to a stranger to scuba diving could be humanistic behavior if the motivation is a desire to live a good, authentic, and meaningful life. If you are interested in learning more about what humanism in action looks like, consider checking out Bart Campolo’s podcast Humanize Me. The podcast On Being with Krista Tippett, though not explicitly about humanism, also captures the essence of humanist ideals in an uplifting and inspiring way. 

Articles Related to Humanism

​Want to learn more? Check out these articles:​​​

Books Related to Humanism​

If you’d like to keep learning more, here are a few books that you might be interested in.

Final Thoughts on Humanism

Humanism is an approach to life—a framework to guide our behavior—that prioritizes understanding yourself, your reality, and those around you through inquiry, reason, and experience, with the aim of living a meaningful life and being fully human. A humanist perspective grants an individual the autonomy to purposefully move through the world in search of beauty and connection, and the responsibility to honestly and compassionately accept reality as it really is. In essence, a humanist is anyone who is curious, open-minded and has a compelling belief in the goodness and potential of humanity.

I’ll wrap up with one last quote from my favorite humanist and scientist, Carl Sagan, that I think beautifully conveys the basic sentiment of humanism:
​​
  • “The world is so exquisite with so much love and moral depth, that there is no reason to deceive ourselves with pretty stories for which there is little good evidence. Far better it seems to me, in our vulnerability, is to look death in the eye and to be grateful every day for the brief but magnificent opportunity that life provides”.

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