Final answer:
Humanism is a movement celebrating human potential and achievements, focusing on the value of humanity over divine authority. It originated during the Renaissance and had a profound impact on education, philosophy, and psychology, advocating exploration into classical antiquity and emphasizing the human capacity for self-actualization.
Step-by-step explanation:
The keyword in Humanism is the affirmation of the value and agency of human beings, individually and collectively. This philosophical and cultural movement emerged primarily during the Renaissance, emphasizing the potential for human achievement and the revived interest in classical antiquity's cultural achievements. Humanism shifted focus from divine or scriptural authority to human experience, reason, and innate capacities.
Humanists like Petrarch, often called the father of Humanism, promoted the study of history, poetry, and moral philosophy, elevating the dignity of humanity over the notion of inherent sinfulness. Humanistic psychology later arose as a response to deterministic and behavioral views in psychology, highlighting the human capacity for self-actualization and fulfillment. Existentialist thinkers such as Nietzsche built upon the idea of human agency, stressing the power of individuals to define their own existence.
In education, the humanist movement advocated for the studia humanitatis, which comprises the humanities: grammar, rhetoric, history, poetry, and moral philosophy. The study of these disciplines was aimed at preparing citizens to engage actively in civic life, fostering a sense of empowerment and responsibility amongst learners.