Buddhist Humanism: Exploring the Ethical and Philosophical Foundations of Compassion and Social Engagement

Abstract

The term “humanism” is thrown around a lot these days. As a matter of fact, the term has become so trendy in recent years that everyone and their mother claims to subscribe to a humanistic worldview. Despite many people’s claims that they use a “humanistic approach,” it seems that nobody has actually taken the time to define what that means. Humanity’s current state of bewilderment and turmoil just makes the situation worse. Mankind is at a crossroads, with the successes of the past staring him in the face and the hopes and dreams of the twenty-first century stretching out before him. Humanism is defined as a “contemporary cult or belief calling itself religious but substituting faith in man for faith in God” by Webster’s New International Dictionary. Humanism, as explained by C. F. Potter, is “the belief in the supreme value of self-perfectibility of the human personality,” which expands upon the original concept. Despite the hype, humanism cannot be reduced to a single hypothesis or theory, and it does not focus on the discovery of new information. Humanism, in its broadest sense, is a turn away from a preoccupation with the supernatural and toward an appreciation of nature. Humanism describes the goals, actions, and accomplishments that enable “super-nature” to be worn by “natural” man.