Humanism is not anti-natural science

Abstract

This article is on the in-depth analysis and exposition of the core tenets of humanism and natural science as major players in the production, dissemination, and utilization of knowledge and its by-products (beliefs and technologies) in human societies. Humanism is an attitude of thought that gives primacy to human beings. It is a democratic and ethical belief that affirms that human beings have the right and responsibility to give meaning and shape to their lives. Natural science on the other hand is a problemsolving and information-providing enterprise. It is a means of understanding nature. And since every human age in history has certain problems and challenges, it follows that there has always been a scientific tradition in every age of human history and that man has the natural inclination to seek for understanding and explanation of the world around him. Using the analytic method, the paper argued that humanism is not anti-natural science. Rather, it tries through its different ‘manifestos’ to raise societal consciousness about the inevitability of a world where natural science reign supreme in all ‘matters of fact or ideas’ but playing down on unverifiable metaphysical and religious assumptions. The paper opines that Humanism champions untrammelled use of the mind and wants it applied not only in natural science, but also in social and political reforms; encourage individual creativity and exalt the ‘active’ over the ‘contemplative’ life.