Humanism

Humanism, originally, Renaissance revival of the study of classical (Latin, Greek, and Hebrew) literature following the scholasticism of the Middle Ages, more broadly, philosophy centered on humankind and human values, exalting human free will and superiority to the rest of nature. Renaissance thinkers such as Petrarch began a trend toward humanism that embraced such diverse figures as Boccaccio, Machiavelli, Thomas More, and Erasmus and that led to much subsequent secular thought and literature, as well as to the Reformation. Modern humanism tends to be nontheistic, emphasizing the need for people to work out their own solutions to life's problems, but has a strong ethic similar to that of Christianity. Both Roman Catholic and Protestant theologians have sought to show that Christian beliefs embody true humanism.

See also: Renaissance.