For as long as there have been human beings thinking about the big questions of where we come from, where we’re going, and what life is all about, there have been people giving humanist answers to these questions. So humanist ideas have probably been around as long as our species has existed. The thread of humanist thinking runs throughout human history.
Pre-1500 BCE: Humanism in early cultures
Humanist thought is found in so many ancient texts around the world that we can reasonably conclude that it was present in the early oral traditions of many cultures too.
1500-900 BCE: Ancient Indian philosophy described atheism and materialism
Writings from India’s Vedic era outlined theories that nothing exists besides physical matter and questioned the need for religion. But texts like this weren’t just limited to India. Many of the oldest philosophies of the world – from Scandinavia, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and Africa – described humanist principles.
goðlauss: ancient Scandinavian humanism
charvaka: ancient indian humanism
confucianism: ancient chinese humanism
ubuntu: traditioal african humanism
551–479 BCE: Confucius encouraged morality
The Chinese philosopher and politician sought to use moral values over religion as the basis for social and political order.
460–270 BCE: In Greece, Democritus taught that what we can sense is all there is
Meanwhile Epicurus, another Greek philosopher, told people not to fear death. ‘There is nothing to fear from Gods, nothing awaiting us in death,’ he said. He famously coined an epitaph still popular at humanist funerals today: ‘I was not; I have been; I am not; I do not mind.’ Humanist culture was widespread throughout the Mediterranean world, and was a huge influence on people’s lives for almost a thousand years, until the coming of Christianity.
121–180 CE: Marcus Aurelius wrote that we are all moral beings
The Roman Emperor said that happiness, rationality, love, altruism, and strength come from within.
400s-1400s CE: The thread of humanism was almost lost
Europe turned in a different direction during the Middle Ages and a lot of Greek and Roman humanist thinking was lost during the period.
1400s-1600s CE: The Renaissance was built on humanism
As Europe emerged from the Middle Ages, green shoots of humanist thought sprang up across the continent. There was an influx of scientific and mathematical ideas from the Middle East and people bravely began to stand up to religious institutions. Together, this led to renewed interest in the ideas of the ancient world. Knowledge itself was regarded as a virtue, as epitomised by the great, Italian Renaissance masters Leonardo da Vinci and Leon Battista Alberti.
1700s CE: The age of reason
The 18th century was a period of great intellectual discovery. Radical campaigner Thomas Paine influenced the French and American revolution whilst Mary Wollstonecraft pioneered feminist ideas in her writings.
1859: Charles Darwin published Origin of Species
His theory of evolution by natural selection is still generally accepted as the best explanation for how humans and other life on Earth developed. In disproving creation stories, Darwin inspired many to adopt a more humanist view.
1900s CE: Humanists transformed the world
Scientists like Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, Linus Pauling, Richard Feynman, Paul Dirac, Frances Crick, Marie Curie, Murray Gell–Mann, Erwin Schrödinger and Roger Penrose – all humanists – gave us astonishing developments that affect all of our lives to this day. Through music and activism, John Lennon and his contemporaries promoted tolerance and compassion. Meanwhile, the words of James Baldwin, whether written on the page or delivered from the lectern, were a powerful force in the American civil rights movement.
2000s CE: Humanists continue to lead the way
And today 25% of the UK hold humanist ideas – and for many of them it’s just obvious, and not something that even needs a label. Humanists lead political parties and nations. Figures such as Margaret Atwood, David Attenborough, Stephen Fry and Sandi Toksvig are beloved celebrities who embody and espouse humanism in their work.
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A core humanist idea is the ‘golden rule’: treat others as you would wish to be treated.
This idea is found in almost every tradition: it cuts across time, space, culture, religion and ethnicity. There is no better example of the success of humanist thought.