The Archeology of Humanism

In the present study humanism is archeologized. Initially the concept of humanism is examined, and then it is demonstrated that humanism has numerous and even contradictory meanings. The four major humanistic discourses discussed here are the classical humanism of ancient Greece, Renaissance historical humanism, enlightenment philosophical humanism, and twentieth century modern humanism. At the end of the paper the relationship between humanism and religion, and also humanism and postmodernism are discussed. In its broader meaning humanism can be considered as an emphasis on understanding and interpreting existence through human understanding without accepting the dominance of factors such as religion and religious texts.