History of Humanism
Western Europe has a tradition of non-religious ethical thinking that can be traced back some 2,500 years to the philosophy of the Ancient Greeks. This way of understanding the world, of finding meaning in life, and of grounding moral thinking can also be found in China and India and many other cultures. You can trace the movement of humanist ideas through time in the following sections. You can also find out more about a selection of historical figures who have influenced humanist thinking or demonstrated humanist ideals in their lives or writings.
Many people have thought and expressed humanist ideas over many centuries all over the world, contributing to a humanist tradition. Though some of them may have believed in a god or gods, they were thoughtful, humane, open-minded people, and many of them fought against the ignorance and religious bigotry of their day, sometimes taking considerable personal risks to do so. Many of the great philosophers, scientists and moral thinkers were essentially humanist, because they did not accept traditional beliefs but thought for themselves and pushed human knowledge forwards.
Below is a timeline with links to BHA pages dedicated to the different time periods and famous thinkers in the humanist tradition.
Ancient world
The roots of humanism in China, India, Greece and Rome. Key figures from this period include Aesop, Democritus, Epictetus, Epicurus, and Protagoras.
Renaissance
How the Dark Ages ended, and science and the arts began to flourish. Key figures include Aphra Behn and Shakespeare.
The Enlightenment
The rise of reason and scientific thinking. Key figures include Immanuel Kant, David Hume, Thomas Paine, Voltaire, Mary Wollstonecraft, Baron D’Holbach, and Denis Diderot.
19th Century Freethinkers
A time of political and religious turmoil and the development of modern social science. Key figures include Jeremy Bentham, Charles Bradlaugh, the Curies, Charles Darwin, George Eliot, Thomas Hardy,George Holyoake, T H Huxley, Robert G Ingersoll, John Stuart Mill, and Percy Bysshe Shelley.
20th century Humanism
Modern humanist thinkers and writers had an enormous impact on the last century. Key figures include A J Ayer, Harold Blackham, Fenner Brockway, Joseph Conrad, E M Forster, Sigmund Freud, Thomas Hardy, Julian Huxley, Margaret Knight, G E Moore, Nehru, M N Roy, Gene Roddenberry, Bertrand Russell, John Maynard Smith, and ‘Gora’.
Many of the founders of the mid-20th century international co-operative institutions – Brock Chisholm, Peter Ritchie Calder and John Boyd Orr were humanists. You can read more about them and other philanthropists and social activists from the humanist tradition in Humanists working for a better world. And go to the Humanist Philosophers’ pages, obituaries, and Distinguished Supporters of Humanism to find out about more 20th and 21st century humanists.
Note: The modern secular humanism we know today (often referred to as Humanism with a capital 'H') evolved from religious humanism, as well as Unitarianism and the Ethical Culture movement but in the 20th Century the inevitable end of its rational trajectory was achieved and it became the non-theistic modern Humanism we know today. However, founded in Amsterdam in 1952, the International Humanist and Ethical Union is a democratic union of more than 100 member organizations in 40 countries including humanist, atheist, rationalist, secular, skeptic, freethought and Ethical Culture organisations, it also includes some religious humanist organisations. If there are inner tensions between organisations on some philosophical issues, it is not evident as in 2002, the IHEU General Assembly unanimously adopted the Amsterdam Declaration 2002 which represents the official defining statement of World Humanism. The official symbol of the IHEU is the Happy Human. The close relationship between Humanism and Human Rights is evident the fact that Julian Huxley (the first director of UNESCO) presided over the founding Congress of the IHEU. The IHEU's next international congress will be held in Oxford, UK, in 2014. We can't wait!
Many people have thought and expressed humanist ideas over many centuries all over the world, contributing to a humanist tradition. Though some of them may have believed in a god or gods, they were thoughtful, humane, open-minded people, and many of them fought against the ignorance and religious bigotry of their day, sometimes taking considerable personal risks to do so. Many of the great philosophers, scientists and moral thinkers were essentially humanist, because they did not accept traditional beliefs but thought for themselves and pushed human knowledge forwards.
Below is a timeline with links to BHA pages dedicated to the different time periods and famous thinkers in the humanist tradition.
Ancient world
The roots of humanism in China, India, Greece and Rome. Key figures from this period include Aesop, Democritus, Epictetus, Epicurus, and Protagoras.
Renaissance
How the Dark Ages ended, and science and the arts began to flourish. Key figures include Aphra Behn and Shakespeare.
The Enlightenment
The rise of reason and scientific thinking. Key figures include Immanuel Kant, David Hume, Thomas Paine, Voltaire, Mary Wollstonecraft, Baron D’Holbach, and Denis Diderot.
19th Century Freethinkers
A time of political and religious turmoil and the development of modern social science. Key figures include Jeremy Bentham, Charles Bradlaugh, the Curies, Charles Darwin, George Eliot, Thomas Hardy,George Holyoake, T H Huxley, Robert G Ingersoll, John Stuart Mill, and Percy Bysshe Shelley.
20th century Humanism
Modern humanist thinkers and writers had an enormous impact on the last century. Key figures include A J Ayer, Harold Blackham, Fenner Brockway, Joseph Conrad, E M Forster, Sigmund Freud, Thomas Hardy, Julian Huxley, Margaret Knight, G E Moore, Nehru, M N Roy, Gene Roddenberry, Bertrand Russell, John Maynard Smith, and ‘Gora’.
Many of the founders of the mid-20th century international co-operative institutions – Brock Chisholm, Peter Ritchie Calder and John Boyd Orr were humanists. You can read more about them and other philanthropists and social activists from the humanist tradition in Humanists working for a better world. And go to the Humanist Philosophers’ pages, obituaries, and Distinguished Supporters of Humanism to find out about more 20th and 21st century humanists.
Note: The modern secular humanism we know today (often referred to as Humanism with a capital 'H') evolved from religious humanism, as well as Unitarianism and the Ethical Culture movement but in the 20th Century the inevitable end of its rational trajectory was achieved and it became the non-theistic modern Humanism we know today. However, founded in Amsterdam in 1952, the International Humanist and Ethical Union is a democratic union of more than 100 member organizations in 40 countries including humanist, atheist, rationalist, secular, skeptic, freethought and Ethical Culture organisations, it also includes some religious humanist organisations. If there are inner tensions between organisations on some philosophical issues, it is not evident as in 2002, the IHEU General Assembly unanimously adopted the Amsterdam Declaration 2002 which represents the official defining statement of World Humanism. The official symbol of the IHEU is the Happy Human. The close relationship between Humanism and Human Rights is evident the fact that Julian Huxley (the first director of UNESCO) presided over the founding Congress of the IHEU. The IHEU's next international congress will be held in Oxford, UK, in 2014. We can't wait!
