- Copyright Page
- Dedication
- Contributors
- Introduction
- Humanism in East Asia
- Humanism in Africa
- Humanism in the Middle East
- Humanism in the Americas
- Humanism in Europe
- Humanism in the Medieval World
- Humanism and the Renaissance
- Humanism and Enlightenment
- Humanism and the Modern Age
- Humanism Against Religion
- Humanism as a Religious Orientation?
- Humanism and Its Critics
- Humanism and Literature
- Humanism and Film
- Humanism and Music
- Humanism and Humor
- Humanism and the Visual Arts
- Humanism and Sport
- The Politics of Humanism
- Humanism and Political Identity
- Humanism and Higher Education
- Humanism and the Human
- Humanism and Environmentalism
- Humanism and Gender
- Humanism and Race
- Humanism, Sex, and Sexuality
- Humanism and Class
- The Practice of Humanism
- Humanism and the Conceptualization of Value and Well-Being
- Humanism and Aging
- The Changing Demographics of Humanism
- Humanism and Technology
- Can Humanism be the Social Norm?
- Index
Abstract and Keywords
Focusing on the broad epistemological and political effects of humanism in the modern West beginning in the European humanist movements of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, this chapter will trance the emergence of a rudimentary discourse of “humanism against religion” that is rooted in the historical emergence of the modern state as a deconstructive movement against the theo-political order of Medieval Christian Europe. The chapter argues that the emergence of both a human-centric discourse of knowledge and the modern “secular” state out of medieval Christian Europe provide the most significant cultural and political conditions for the rise of western humanism and its wide-ranging critical perspectives of religion. Following this account of the discourse of humanism in the west, the chapter surveys a small sample of modern perspectives and authors that have offered direct humanist critiques of religion toward the service of explicit humanist philosophies or worldviews.
Keywords: humanism, religion, against religion, scholasticism, reason of state, secularism, modernity, race
Department of Religious Studies, University of Tennessee
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- Copyright Page
- Dedication
- Contributors
- Introduction
- Humanism in East Asia
- Humanism in Africa
- Humanism in the Middle East
- Humanism in the Americas
- Humanism in Europe
- Humanism in the Medieval World
- Humanism and the Renaissance
- Humanism and Enlightenment
- Humanism and the Modern Age
- Humanism Against Religion
- Humanism as a Religious Orientation?
- Humanism and Its Critics
- Humanism and Literature
- Humanism and Film
- Humanism and Music
- Humanism and Humor
- Humanism and the Visual Arts
- Humanism and Sport
- The Politics of Humanism
- Humanism and Political Identity
- Humanism and Higher Education
- Humanism and the Human
- Humanism and Environmentalism
- Humanism and Gender
- Humanism and Race
- Humanism, Sex, and Sexuality
- Humanism and Class
- The Practice of Humanism
- Humanism and the Conceptualization of Value and Well-Being
- Humanism and Aging
- The Changing Demographics of Humanism
- Humanism and Technology
- Can Humanism be the Social Norm?
- Index