Humanism
Description
Valuing the human being as an individual in his right to liberty, happiness, and the opportunity to develop his capabilities and to express himself. Humanism considers human welfare as the criterion in evaluating social institutions and regards the principles of equality, justice, and humaneness as the desired norm in relations between people.
Claim
Humanism recognizes an immanent spiritual force within man, rather than a remote deity, that expresses itself in the unfolding of the human intellect and in the creations of culture. Humanism, therefore, champions real social evolution, with the greatest good for the greatest number, guided by the search for wisdom uninfluenced by religious or atheistic dogmatics.
Counter-claim
Humanism tends to be interested only in the psychological level and does not relate this level to the societal one. This isolates an individual's values from the real social and historical conditions in which they must operate.
Humanism overlooks the transcendent nature of humanness, which has to see beyond itself to be itself. Consequently it leads to shallow, vague sorts of thinking and action.