Humanism Timeline

(14th century - Present)

Humanism is an intellectual and philosophical movement that emerged during the Renaissance in 14th-century Italy, emphasizing the value of human beings, the study of classical Greek and Roman texts, individual potential, critical thinking, and reason. It transformed education, art, literature, and science, laying the groundwork for the Enlightenment and modern secular ethics. More Less

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Ancient and Medieval Roots

Epicurus develops human-centered philosophy

300 BCE

In the third century BCE, Epicurus developed an influential, human-centered philosophy that focused on achieving eudaimonia, laying early foundations for humanist thought in ancient Greece.

Image source: Epicurus

Arabic translations of Greek literature influence Islamic philosophers

750 - 900

Arabic translations of Ancient Greek literature during the Abbasid Caliphate in the eighth and ninth centuries influenced Islamic philosophers, preserving and transmitting classical ideas that would later shape European humanism.

Image source: Transmission of the Greek Classics

Renaissance Humanism

Renaissance humanism emerges in 13th-century Italy

1200

Renaissance humanism emerged in Italy with a renewed interest in literature and the arts occurring in 13th-century Italy, with Florence as a key center of activity.

Image source: Renaissance humanism

Renaissance humanism tradition takes shape

1300 - 1450

The term 'Renaissance humanism' was given to a tradition of cultural and educational reform engaged in by civic and ecclesiastical chancellors, book collectors, educators, and writers that developed during the 14th and early 15th centuries.

Humanists adopt the phrase studia humanitatis

1390

At the end of the 14th century, humanists started using the phrase studia humanitatis to refer to a set of disciplines in which they specialized: rhetoric, grammar, poetry, history, and moral philosophy.

Humanist values spread from Italy

1400 - 1500

In the 15th century, humanist values spread from Italy across Europe, carrying renewed interest in classical literature, education, and the arts beyond the Italian peninsula.

Vittorino da Feltre and Guarino Veronese found humanist schools

1423

Vittorino da Feltre and Guarino Veronese created schools based on humanistic principles; their curriculum was widely adopted and by the 16th century, humanistic paideia was the dominant outlook of pre-university education.

Image source: Vittorino da Feltre

Center of humanism shifts to northern Europe under Erasmus

1490

By the end of the 15th century, the center of humanism had shifted from Italy to northern Europe, with Erasmus of Rotterdam being the leading humanist scholar of the era.

Image source: Erasmus

Center of humanism shifts to northern Europe under Erasmus

Etymology of Humanism

Word umanista reappears during Italian Renaissance

1400

The word 'humanism' reappeared during the Italian Renaissance as umanista, later entering the English language in the 16th century, specifically in 1589.

Academics referred to as umanisti by late 15th century

1480

By the late 15th century, these academics began to be referred to as umanisti (humanists), cementing the identity of scholars devoted to classical learning.

Word humanist enters English language

1589

The word 'humanism' entered the English language in the 16th century, specifically in 1589, derived from the Renaissance Latin term umanista.

Image source: Humanism

Johnson defines humanist as philologer or grammarian

1755

In 1755, in Samuel Johnson's influential A Dictionary of the English Language, the word humanist was defined as a philologer or grammarian, derived from the French word humaniste.

Image source: A Dictionary of the English Language

Johnson defines humanist as philologer or grammarian

Term humanismus used in Germany

1808

In the early 19th century, the term humanismus was used in Germany with several meanings and from there re-entered the English language with two distinct denotations: an academic term linked to the study of classic literature and a more common use signifying a non-religious approach to life contrary to theism.

Ethics and Philosophy

Humanists adopt objective universalist stance on ethics

1700

Starting in the 18th century, humanists were oriented toward an objective and universalist stance on ethics, moving away from purely religious frameworks for morality.

Rousseau's The Social Contract shifts appeals toward man

1762

Previous appeals to 'men' now shifted toward 'man'; scholar Tony Davies points to political documents like Rousseau's The Social Contract (1762), in which he says 'Man is born free, but is everywhere in chains'.

Image source: Social contract

Paine's The Age of Reason contributes to new forms of humanism

1794

Paine's The Age of Reason, along with the 19th-century Biblical criticism of the German Hegelians David Strauss and Ludwig Feuerbach, contributed to new forms of humanism grounded in rational critique of religion.

Image source: The Age of Reason

Paine's The Age of Reason contributes to new forms of humanism

Comte introduces idea of a religion of humanity

1798 - 1857

French philosopher Auguste Comte introduced the idea—which is sometimes attributed to Thomas Paine—of a 'religion of humanity', influential during the 19th century and echoed in later authors such as Oscar Wilde, George Holyoake, George Eliot, Émile Zola, and E. S. Beesly.

Image source: Auguste Comte

Early socialism connected to humanism

1820

Early 19th-century socialism was connected to humanism, linking ideals of social reform and human welfare with emerging political movements.

Image source: Marxist humanism

Marx moves toward scientific socialism

1845

According to Althusser, Marx's early writings resonate with the humanistic idealism of Hegel, Kant, and Feuerbach, but Marx radically moved toward scientific socialism in 1845, rejecting concepts such as the essence of man.

Meaning of life question becomes prominent

1850

In the 19th century, along with the decline of religion and its accompanied teleology, the question of the meaning of life became more prominent in philosophical discourse.

Image source: Meaning of life

Sidney Hook describes core humanist commitments

1974

For philosopher Sidney Hook, writing in 1974, humanists are opposed to the imposition of one culture on some civilizations, do not belong to a church or established religion, do not support dictatorships, and do not justify the use of violence for social reforms.

Image source: Sidney Hook

Humanist ethics evolve to support civil rights and autonomy

1980 - 2000

As part of social changes in the late 20th century, humanist ethics evolved to support secularism, civil rights, personal autonomy, religious toleration, multiculturalism, and cosmopolitanism.

Jeaneane D. Fowler examines humanism

1999

In 1999, Jeaneane D. Fowler's scholarship contributed to the academic study of humanism, examining its development and meaning as a non-religious life stance.

Yazmín Trejo examines Pew Religious Landscape Study

2014

Scholar Yazmín Trejo examined the results of Pew Research Center's 2014 Religious Landscape Study, contributing to understanding of non-religious populations in contemporary America.

Modern Organizations

National Secular Society and ethical associations founded in Britain

1866

The rise of rationalism and the scientific method was followed in the late 19th century in Britain by the start of many rationalist and ethical associations, such as the National Secular Society, the Ethical Union, and the Rationalist Press Association.

Image source: National Secular Society

Union of Ethical Societies founded in Britain

1896

The Union of Ethical Societies was founded in 1896; it was renamed the Ethical Union in 1928, the British Humanist Association in 1967, and has carried the name Humanists UK since 2017, making it one of the oldest humanist organizations.

Humanist Manifesto I published in The New Humanist

1933

Humanist magazines began to appear, including The New Humanist, which published the Humanist Manifesto I in 1933, articulating a naturalistic and non-theistic worldview for the modern era.

American Humanist Association established

1941

The American Humanist Association (AHA) was formed in 1941 from previous humanist associations, including roots to the 1927 Humanist Fellowship, and became as popular as some of its European counterparts.

Dutch Humanistisch Verbond founded

1946

The Dutch Humanistisch Verbond was founded in 1946, becoming one of the three oldest humanist organizations alongside Humanists UK and the American Humanist Association.

Image source: Humanistisch Verbond

AHA establishes Humanist of the Year award

1953

In 1953, the American Humanist Association established the 'Humanist of the Year' award to honor individuals who promote science and humanist values.

British Humanist Association evolves out of Ethical Union

1963

In 1963, the British Humanist Association evolved out of the Ethical Union, merging with many smaller ethical and rationalist groups to strengthen organized humanism in Britain.

Secular Humanist Declaration issued

1980

The 1980 Secular Humanist Declaration is highly rationalist and was framed to defend against religious fundamentalists who were calling secular humanism a dangerous, 'morally corrupting' philosophy.

Harold Blackham urges unity among humanist organizations

1988

In 1988, the humanist philosopher and organiser Harold Blackham wrote an influential essay urging humanist organisations to eschew 'qualifying adjectives' whose 'academic sectarianism' gave the false impression of an internally divided movement, when in reality the movement shared the same beliefs and values worldwide.

Image source: H. J. Blackham

Humanists UK reaches around 28,000 members

2015

In 2015, London-based Humanists UK had around 28,000 members, reflecting the continued growth of organized humanism in Britain.

Key Facts

Humanism began in 14th-century Italy with scholars like Petrarch, often called the 'Father of Humanism,' who advocated for the study of classical antiquity.
Renaissance humanists promoted 'studia humanitatis'—grammar, rhetoric, history, poetry, and moral philosophy—as the core of a well-rounded education.
Desiderius Erasmus, a leading Northern Renaissance humanist, used new printing technology to spread humanist ideas across Europe.
Humanism shifted focus from purely religious worldviews to human potential, dignity, and achievement, influencing art through realism and perspective (e.g., Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo).
Modern humanism evolved into a secular ethical philosophy promoting reason, compassion, and human rights, formalized in documents like the Humanist Manifesto of 1933.

Source

This Humanism timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

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