The Limits of Humanism

Without deeper thought, it’s nothing more than sentimentality.

Like Chidi in The Good Place, I enjoy engaging on topics of ethics, moral behavior, and philosophical truth (and I mostly don’t suffer from stomach aches).

Too often, I hear good folks dismiss or degrade religion in discussions of ethical behavior, most often with the self-proclaimed label of being instead a ‘humanist.’

I admit, this sounds nice, but what does it mean?

What is humanism?

Dictionary Definition: an outlook or system of thought attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters. Humanist beliefs stress the potential value and goodness of human beings, emphasize common human needs, and seek solely rational ways of solving human problems.

Well, that seems to be a very supportable position to follow.

Humanism properly argues for the perspective that we are a single human team seeking the best for all.

The movement leading to humanism drew significantly from post-medieval scholasticism alongside a revival of Greek philosophy and Roman civil structures.

Many of the philosophical underpinnings to humanism can be found in Greek, Roman…