Adam Bongers on the recurrence of Humanism

"The concept of humanism has a particularly rich and chequered history. Foucault himself explains that humanism is not a single theme that has remained constant throughout history. Rather, he explains that humanism is a “set of themes that have reappeared on several occasions over time in European societies.” The first humanism, according to Martin Heidegger, can be found in the Roman Republic. The Romans associated ‘humanity’ with a Greek education that prized scholarship and training in good conduct. This emphasis on classical education has undergone a series of renewals. These include the Renaissance and Neoclassical movements in Italy, Germany, France and England from the fifteenth to the eighteenth century. The humanist theme of renewal is recognised by both Paul Ricoeur and Vittorio Hösle. The acquisition of classical languages and a humanities education was directed towards the cultivation of ‘renaissance men,’ who could write and speak well. But with the modern specialisation of labour and the rapid development of modern science, the ideal of the renaissance man became less and less attainable. In this climate, humanism becomes a struggle against the modern encroachment of technology and its objectifying effects. However, this does not mean that humanism is reduced to the negative function of resisting the decline of the humanities or the advancement of technology. Rather, Ricoeur argues that humanism is the “heart of the civilising movement,” and represents the “élan of humanity.” He explains that, 

Humanism is [a] preliminary conviction that through the material determinations of a civilisation … man determines and chooses himself, and that this choice can be clarified and reflected on and thus improved by the activity of men of culture. Humanism is therefore [a] preliminary conviction that the activity of men of culture is efficacious with an efficaciousness exactly proportioned to its disinterestedness…