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Humanism is an important subject that has been in existence, as a philosophy, since the Renaissance in the 1500's. Yet few know what humanism means, and what it refers to. This paper will provide definitions of humanism, as well as a brief history. With these in mind, thus, one is better prepared to then understand the philosophy and, if needed, apply it to daily life.
As a definition, humanism means, according to the Free Dictionary, any of four things:
as a philosophy, it signified "the denial of any power or moral value superior to that of humanity" as well as the rejection of religion in favor of a belief in the ability of humanity and its advancement through its own efforts;
it can also signify the philosophical position that "stresses the autonomy of human reason in contradistinction to the authority of the Church";
as a literary movement, as aforementioned, it can signify the movement in the Renaissance based on classical studies;
it can also mean a genuine "interest in the welfare of people." [footnoteRef:1] [1: "Humanism - Definition of Humanism by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia." Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary. Web. 30 Oct. 2011.