HUMANISM LAYS GROUND FOR IDEAL HEALTH IN COMMUNITIES AND

SOCIETIES
Directional Information Brief on Life seen from a Humanistic perspective
Thomas Aquinas Rogers M. M. (0773077129)

INTRODUCTION:

Humanism attaches importance to human dignity, concerns, and capabilities,

particularly rationality. Although the word has many senses, its meaning comes into
focus when contrasted to the supernatural or to appeals to authority. Since the
nineteenth century, humanism has been associated with an anti-clericalism inherited
from the eighteenth-century Enlightenment philosophies. Twenty-first century
Humanism tends to strongly endorse human rights, including reproductive
rights, gender equality, social justice, and the separation of church and
state. True and felt humanism begets economic development of a state which
in turn ensures security of its territory, its persons and of the investments
made on its territory. Without the respect of a democratic state in which
fundamental rights are respected, protected and where their violation is
sanctioned, the population cannot realize their economic and social
development. In realising development the most important of the
fundamental rights that needs to be upheld is the principle of non-
discrimination, through which every individual enjoys the fundamental
rights and freedoms set out in the various international instruments
without regard to race, gender, professions, religion, ethnicity and belief.
Among these, those that provide an environment for exercising human
dignity especially for the woman include: Convention on the Elimination of
All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), Cairo declaration,
Beijing Declaration and UNGASS-AIDS. They all spell out paths to follow by
putting Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights of women in the limelight.

THE FIVE FORCES BEHIND HUMANISM:

HEALTH:

Health being not only the absence of disease but also the full mental,
social, cultural wellbeing of people is a calling that every one is asked to
uphold in various forms. Seeking to fulfil this calling is a step towards the
right direction of full humanism.

RELIGION:

After the French Revolution the idea that human virtue could be created by human
reason alone independently from traditional religious institutions, attributed by
opponents of the Revolution to Enlightenment philosophies such as Rousseau, was
violently attacked by influential religious and political conservatives, such as Edmund
Burke and Joseph de Maistre, as a deification or idolatry of man. Humanism began to
acquire a negative sense. The Oxford English Dictionary records the use of the word
"humanism" by an English clergyman in 1812 to indicate those who believe in the
"mere humanity" (as opposed to the divine nature) of Christ, i.e., Unitarians and
Deists. In a polarized atmosphere, in which established ecclesiastical bodies drew
battle lines and reflexively opposed political and social reforms like extending the
franchise, universal schooling, ordination of women and the like, liberal reformers
and radicals embraced the idea of Humanism as an alternative religion of humanity.
Religion and cultural beliefs more than anything have influenced Humanists’ outlook
to humanism as to whether it is a religion or not, categorizing themselves in one of
three ways: religious humanists, fulfilling the traditional social role of religion. Secular
Humanists consider all forms of religion, including religious Humanism, to be
superseded. In order to balance between these two factions recent Humanist
proclamations define Humanism as a life stance. Regardless of implementation, the
philosophy of all three groups rejects deference to supernatural beliefs and
addresses ethics without reference to them recognizing ethics as a human
enterprise.

KNOWLEDGE:

Corliss Lamont or Carl Sagan, hold that humanity must seek for truth through reason
and the best observable evidence and endorse scientific skepticism and the scientific
method with decisions about right and wrong based on the individual and common
good. As an ethical process, Humanism does not consider metaphysical issues such
as the existence or nonexistence of immortal beings. Humanism is engaged with
what is human. Humanism encourages knowledge seeking efforts and reference to
knowledge sources.

OPTIMISM:

Contemporary Humanism entails a qualified optimism about the capacity of people,

but it does not involve believing that human nature is purely good or that all people
can live up to the Humanist ideals without help. If anything, there is the recognition
that living up to one's potential is hard work and requires the assistance of others.
The ultimate goal is human flourishing; making life better for all humans, and as the
most conscious species, also promoting concern for the welfare of other sentient
beings and the planet as a whole. The focus is on doing good and living well in the
here and now, and leaving the world a better place for those who come after, but
Humanists hold humanity as the primary concern of humanity.

HISTORICAL/SOCIAL-ECONOMICAL ASPECTS:

Historical and literary use of the word "humanist" derives from the 15th century
Italian term umanista, meaning a teacher or scholar of Classical Greek and Latin
literature and the ethical philosophy behind it. The term "humanism" is ambiguous.
Around 1806 humanismus was used to describe the classical curriculum offered by
German schools, and by 1836 "humanism" was borrowed into English in this sense.

Earlier in the mid-eighteenth century, there was a different use of the term
"humanism." In 1765, an anonymous author of an article in a French Enlightenment
periodical spoke of "The general love of humanity . . . a virtue hitherto quite
nameless among us, and which we will venture to call ‘humanism’, for the time has
come to create a word for such a beautiful and necessary thing.” The latter part of
the eighteenth and the early nineteenth centuries saw the creation of numerous
grass-roots "philanthropic" and benevolent societies dedicated to human betterment
and the spreading of knowledge.

In 1856, the great German historian and philologist Georg Voigt used humanism to
describe Renaissance Humanism, the movement that flourished in the Italian
Renaissance to revive classical learning, a use which won wide acceptance among
historians in many nations, especially Italy. Ernest Renan between 1848-49, stated:
"It is my deep conviction that pure humanism will be the religion of the future, that is,
the cult of all that pertains to man — all of life, sanctified and raised to the level of a
moral value.“ At about the same time the word humanism as a philosophy centered
around man (as opposed to institutionalized religion) was also being used in Germany
by the so-called Left Hegelians, Arnold Ruge, and Karl Marx, who were critical of the
close involvement of the church in the repressive German government.

CONCLUSION:

A relevant person today is that one who understands how to involve as

many others in causing change at individual, community and societal levels.
A lack of guarantee that individuals can participate in causing change
results in human rights abuses. Women and girls suffer most. This has not
been helped by an explosive combination of poverty, migration, eviction,
squalid livelihood and violence, lack of information, unsafe sexual
practices, fundamentalism, conservative moral expansion and patriarchy.
Today more than ever, humanity is called upon to empower itself to
address its issues through decreasing vulnerability and risks. This is
possible by improving on opportunities, possibilities and visibility for
marginalised communities, especially women and girls, to participate in
efforts to improve on their economical and social status. Such a step has
been taken by humanists.