Humanism

Humanism

There seems to be some confusion over what I mean when I say I am a humanist. To be humanist, in my definition, is to be an active advocate for justice based on the principles of humanism. But what do I mean by humanism? Humanism is idea that all persons have the right to have their needs, interests, and value equally recognized and satisfied based upon the universally shared conditions of human existence but also the individual’s personal conditions, needs, and circumstances of existence. These personal conditions, needs, and circumstances are derived from an individual’s economic, political, social, cultural, racial, sexual, gendered, geographical, physical, and mental existences. Humanism then advocates for the rights, value, interests, and needs of all persons taking into account the universally shared conditions and circumstances of being human while also accounting for each person’s needs, circumstances, and conditions determined by their existence politically, socially, culturally, sexually, and so on.
In this way humanism seeks to recognize and protect the rights, interests, and needs off all persons equally taking into account the total conditions and circumstances of their existence. This is unlike feminism which focuses its advocacy simply on recognizing the rights, interests, needs, and equality of women in society rather than reaching beyond the gendered circumstances and conditions of a person to incorporate a total understanding of a person’s circumstances and conditions of existence. Not all women are the same nor does every woman have the same needs or interests. This is because not all women share the same conditions and circumstances of existence. Where does feminism leave men? The poor? The handicap? Answer: on their own. Feminism also fails to incorporate and recognize the difference in existences and conditions of women of other cultures or racial backgrounds. Are the needs and interests of a Guatemalan woman and an American woman exactly the same? No of course not. The interests and needs of an African American woman in Detroit and a Caucasian woman in up-state New York are not the same either because in both scenarios the circumstances and conditions of their existences are drastically different. Yes, there are similarities based upon these individual’s shared existences as human beings and as women but feminism fails to recognize and incorporate their needs and interests that arise from their racial, cultural, economical, physical, mental, political, and social existences. This is not to say that Feminism and those who advocate for the equality, needs, rights, and interests of women are wrong headed or even a negative thing. I am fully supportive of most every action declared feminist take in order to achieve their goals. I am simply stating that feminism alone fails to recognize and advocate for the interests, rights, equality, and needs of all persons and even all women. There needs to be a completely inclusive understanding of the conditions and circumstances of each person’s existence which defines the many and varying needs and interests of a person.
One of the biggest criticisms I received during class against humanism was that humanism was too broad and had no focus therefore would be incapable of making any efficient or worthwhile changes. The fault of this argument is that humanism is exactly the opposite; humanism focuses on the total person so that any actions taken to right injustices can be done in the most efficient and beneficial ways. This is not to say that every action to right injustice is made to improve the economic as well as social standing of an individual but rather that any actions taken to improve one area of his/her existence is done in understanding of the other aspects of the individual’s total existence. An example of this would be a program I know of in the United States which provides homeless and jobless young persons with a job, a place to live, a stipend for food and such, while incorporating all of that within an undergraduate education program. This program, for which I cannot remember the name of, is the perfect example of a humanist program because it takes homeless and jobless young people provides them with a place to live, an education to better their lives, a stipend earned on which to live on, as well as jobs through the school. Some of the jobs better the community in which the school exists thus giving the young persons a sense of community and pride. Others work around the school itself further improving the immediate conditions that the young persons live in and learn in. This program provides a well rounded opportunity for the improvement of each student’s life taking into account the entirety of each individual’s specific and shared conditions, needs, interests, circumstances, and existences. A humanistic program like this does not serve to satisfy the total needs of a person but does improve their standard of living keeping in mind the total needs, conditions, and circumstances that formulate their existence in the world.