Humanists

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Those who advocate for the worth and potential of humanity emphasize the centrality of cultural studies and ethical considerations in human development
2. Individuals prioritizing human values argue for the essential role of the humanities and moral philosophy in cultivating societal growth
3. People who focus on human interests, values, and cultural achievements as central to knowledge and ethics

Etymology: The Italian "umanista" originally named a teacher of grammar, rhetoric, poetry and history, the subjects collectively called "studia humanitatis." Those teachers focused on classical Latin and Greek texts, and their subjects were believed to shape a person into a fully cultivated human being. The sense of a person who champions human worth and ethical development grew out of that educational program, so the moral meaning came from a curriculum. The English form comes from the Italian-derived Latin root "humanus," meaning "human," which also gives us "humane." Over time the word broadened from scholars of classical texts to thinkers who put people, their reason and their capacities at the centre of inquiry, and eventually to those who held such views without reference to religion.

Synonyms: philosophers, intellectuals, thinkers, scholars, theorists