Michel de Montaigne
Philosopher and Essayist
1533 – 1592
The following words are carved into a ceiling beam in Montaigne’s home:
I am human and consider nothing human alien to me.
Montaigne coined the word “essay,” meaning “attempt” or “tryout.” The Life Stages Film Forum program is about life as interpreted by movies. Its purpose is to uncover what it means to be human by watching and discussing the great classics of world cinema. Thus, it is an “attempt” or “tryout” of sorts. We will watch the great movies in search of clues for how to live our lives. We will try our best to connect the great classics of world cinema to our lived experiences.
Humanists share an interest in what humans can do and a hope that we can do more. They often put a great value on study and knowledge. They lean towards an ethics based on relationships with others and on worldly and mortal existence. They seek to “connect”: that is to live well within our cultural and moral networks and in contact with the natural world.
The earliest recorded definition of humanism, “understanding human life non-supernaturally,” arose in India sometime before the sixth century BC as part of the Carvaka school of thought.
The Greek philosopher Democritus taught that all entities in nature, including us, are made up of atoms. When we die, the atoms drift apart and go to form other things and that is the end of our thoughts and experiences. Thus, there was no point in worrying about what the gods may do to me. The atomic theory made Democritus so lighthearted that he was known as the “laughing philosopher.”
The Jewish theologian Hillel the Elder speaks of the Golden Rule, “That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. That is the whole Torah; the rest is explanation; go and learn.”
A statement of core humanistic beliefs by the American freethinker Robert G. Ingersoll:
Happiness is the only good.
The time to be happy is now.
The place to be happy is here.
The way to be happy is to make others so.
Modern humanism highlights questions that European humanists had been inclined to think too little about, especially racism, social exclusion, inequality, and cultural difference. These questions receive special attention in the revised Humanist International Declaration of Modern Humanism:
Humanists International Declaration of Modern Humanism Agreed at the General Assembly, Glasgow, United Kingdom, 2022
Humanist beliefs and values are as old as civilization and have a history in most societies around the world. Modern humanism is the culmination of these long traditions of reasoning about meaning and ethics, the source of inspiration for many of the world’s great thinkers, artists, and humanitarians, and is interwoven with the rise of modern science. As a global humanist movement, we seek to make all people aware of these essentials of the humanist worldview:
1. Humanists strive to be ethical. We accept that morality is inherent to the human condition, grounded in the ability of living things to suffer and flourish, motivated by the benefits of helping and not harming, enabled by reason and compassion, and needing no source outside of humanity. We affirm the worth and dignity of the individual and the right of every human to the greatest possible freedom and fullest possible development compatible with the rights of others. To these ends we support peace, democracy, the rule of law, and universal legal human rights. We reject all forms of racism and prejudice and the injustices that arise from them. We seek instead to promote the flourishing and fellowship of humanity in all its diversity and individuality. We hold that personal liberty must be combined with a responsibility to society. A free person has duties to others, and we feel a duty of care to all of humanity, including future generations, and beyond this to all sentient beings. We recognise that we are part of nature and accept our responsibility for the impact we have on the rest of the natural world.
2. Humanists strive to be rational. We are convinced that the solutions to the world’s problems lie in human reason, and action. We advocate the application of science and free inquiry to these problems, remembering that while science provides the means, human values must define the ends. We seek to use science and technology to enhance human well-being, and never callously or destructively.
3. Humanists strive for fulfillment in their lives. We value all sources of individual joy and fulfillment that harm no other, and we believe that personal development through the cultivation of creative and ethical living is a lifelong undertaking. We therefore treasure artistic creativity and imagination and recognise the transforming power of literature, music, and the visual and performing arts. We cherish the beauty of the natural world and its potential to bring wonder, awe, and tranquility. We appreciate individual and communal exertion in physical activity, and the scope it offers for comradeship and achievement. We esteem the quest for knowledge, and the humility, wisdom, and insight it bestows.
4. Humanism meets the widespread demand for a source of meaning and purpose to stand as an alternative to dogmatic religion, authoritarian nationalism, tribal sectarianism, and selfish nihilism. Though we believe that a commitment to human well-being is ageless, our particular opinions are not based on revelations fixed for all time. Humanists recognise that no one is infallible or omniscient, and that knowledge of the world and of humankind can be won only through a continuing process of observation, learning, and rethinking. For these reasons, we seek neither to avoid scrutiny nor to impose our view on all humanity. On the contrary, we are committed to the unfettered expression and exchange of ideas, and seek to cooperate with people of different beliefs who share our values, all in the cause of building a better world. We are confident that humanity has the potential to solve the problems that confront us, through free inquiry, science, sympathy, and imagination in the furtherance of peace and human flourishing. We call upon all who share these convictions to join us in this inspiring endeavor.
Conclusion
I conclude this post with a statement by Agnes Callard about the importance of expressing our love for the humanities in our everyday lives:
The task of humanists is to invite, to welcome, to entice, to excite, to engage. And when we let ourselves be ourselves, when we allow the humanistic spirit that animates us to flow out not only into our classrooms but also in our public-self presentation, we find we don’t need to defend or prove anything: We are irresistible.
From I Teach the Humanities, and I Still Don’t Know What Their Value Is by Agnes Callard
Thank you for reading!
Thomas J. Lowry III
Author, Movies That Will Change Your Life