1400-1600 CE
Humanism is a philosophical stance emphasising human dignity, rational inquiry, ethical living, and human potential.
Renaissance humanism recovered classical texts. Enlightenment championed reason. Humanist Manifesto (1933) articulated modern secular humanism.
Petrarch, Erasmus, Voltaire, Auguste Comte, Bertrand Russell, Sartre (existential humanism).
Human dignity. Reason and science. Ethics grounded in human welfare. Individual freedom. Democratic values. Secular governance.
Shaped Enlightenment and modern values. Founded human rights discourse. Shaped modern ethics and bioethics.
