What is it about?
It is about the meaning of humanism in our era. The article rethinks humanism with a study of the social philosophies of Zygmunt Bauman and Ernst Bloch. In addition, the article contains a critical engagement with the currently influential posthumanism (the thought of Donna Haraway and Rosi Braidotti) and transhumanism. Societal concerns - such as emancipation - and critique of capitalism are argued to be still important for contemporary humanism.
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Why is it important?
It rethinks how to understand the meaning of humanism. The issue has faced decades of critique and rejection due to hostile treatment it has received from postcolonial and poststructural thinkers. The article shows the liimits of post- and transhumanism. Both contain only a limited theory of contemporary society and do not adequately address the human condition in the 21st century globalized and individualized societies. The paper takes aim at a critical humanism capable of envisioning a different and better society.
Perspectives
I think the article is timely. Humanism should still be understood in terms of a society hospitable to human needs and aspirations. This is what the paper - drawing on the work of Bauman and Bloch - tries to theorize anew.
Martin Aidnik
Tallinna Ulikool
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The perpetual becoming of humanity, History of the Human Sciences, November 2017, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/0952695117726684.
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