A critical genealogy of humanism /

"'Humanism' is among the most powerful terms in historical and contemporary political, religious, and philosophical debates. The term serves to position itself in ideological conflicts and to cement a claim to interpretation, but is highly contradictory. This Element addresses 'h...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Stengel, Friedemann, 1966- (Author)
Corporate Author: Cambridge University Press
Format: eBook
Language:English
Published: Cambridge, United Kingdom ; New York, NY : Cambridge University Press, 2026.
Series:Cambridge elements. Elements in the history of philosophy and theology in the West.
Subjects:
Online Access:Connect to the full text of this electronic book
Description
Summary:"'Humanism' is among the most powerful terms in historical and contemporary political, religious, and philosophical debates. The term serves to position itself in ideological conflicts and to cement a claim to interpretation, but is highly contradictory. This Element addresses 'humanism' in its striking contradictions. Contemporary definitions are confronted with the historical contexts the term 'humanism' is applied to. Based on Niethammer's invention of 'humanism' as an anti-enlightenment pedagogical concept (1808), the book does not present a mere conceptual history, but rather a theoretically oriented discourse, an examination of the front positions, between which humanism has been constructed. In this way, its 'impossibility' is shown, which is rooted in its strict contextuality. Secondly, historiographical alternatives to this dilemma are pointed out, in order to finally give suggestions not only for an ethical-normative work of the historian of humanism, but for dealing with 'humanism' in general, in connection with discourse-theoretical suggestions. This title is also available as open access on Cambridge Core."--
Item Description:Open access version available.
Physical Description:1 online resource.
Bibliography:Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN:9781009634236
1009634232
ISSN:3033-3954
DOI:10.1017/9781009634236