By Barnes Mawrie
Humanism was a philosophy that emerged in the continent of Europe during the Renaissance (14th to 16th Centuries). Great humanists like Dante, Petrarch, Da Vinci, Montaigne, Francis Bacon, Shakespeare, Milton and others have had a great impact on society in terms of changing its socio-cultural and religious attitude. Humanism’s emphasis on man and on human qualities and values led to the rise of humanitarian services and activities in later centuries. In education it led to the formulation of human-oriented methods like the child-centred method or the anthropological method. With the progress in science and technology, humanism has grown by leaps and bounds. The discoveries of humanist scientists like Charles Darwin or Isaac Newton, have strengthened this homo-centric philosophy.
The 21st Century is a century of unprecedented progress in science and technology. The incredible progress in the area of IT, robotics, transport, space technology, medical science etc, is the unique characteristic of this era. Today there seems to be no limit to human intelligence and creativity. Man is gradually usurping the privileged place of God in the order of creation. The title of the latest book of Prof. Yuval Noah Harrari Homo Deus, is a clear manifestation of this emerging philosophy. This phenomenon is not new at all, for centuries ago, the great German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche wrote of the death of God and the rise of supermen.
I was rather shocked to watch a recent TV interview with an eminent person on the issue of Corona Pandemic. The person was very bold in stating that “people should listen and trust only the scientists because they tell the truth and stop listening to religious leaders because they lie.” This is a radical humanist philosophy which is a very dangerous ideology. Perhaps he has forgotten that human intelligence has not been able to find a solution to this pandemic caused by a tiny virus. We have already seen humanity reeling under this pandemic; millions of people are already affected and already more than one and a quarter million have lost their lives. There seems to be no halt to this pandemic. In such a situation we can ask: where is science and where is human intelligence?
There is a saying “faith begins where science ends.” This is a situation where man cannot depend on science alone, but he must look beyond it and try to find solution in prayer. Who says that science and faith do not go together? In fact, great scientists were great men of faith, like Louis Pasteur, Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison to name a few. At the height of the pandemic, the people of Italy and Spain prayed to God to rescue them and what we see today is a decline in cases of infection and death and the curves in both countries are flattening rapidly. The people of Meghalaya prayed to God on April 12 evening which happened to be Easter Sunday. Agnostics and critics of religion might say that the prayer had a counter effect because the next day a case of Covid 19 emerged in the state. Actually this was the timely answer to prayer. Had this case not surfaced the contagion would have carried on unnoticed. Imagine how many more people would have been unknowingly affected since the infection probably had started as early as the 22nd March. So in reality, Meghalaya already had cases of Covid 19 for the past two weeks, but thanks be to God who revealed it on time before it could become too late.
From all these facts, one conclusion is undeniable that man still needs God. The Neo-Humanism that we are witnessing today is a dangerous development. There are many manifestations of this paranoid philosophy like: over emphasis given to dependence on technology in our day to day life leading to materialism and consumerism, exalting human intelligence and science to the detriment of religion, uncontrollable exploitation of natural resources leading to irreparable damage to our planet Earth and so on. Have you ever thought that Marvel’s comic heroes like Superman, Batman, Spiderman or the Avengers would become popular movies today? These movies are projecting human beings as demi-gods who have control over the elements of the universe. This is a subtle and a very effective method of promoting Neo-Humanism which is done through the power of media. Young minds are especially susceptible to such ideologies and this poses a great threat to religious upbringing in families and in society at large. Religion is an indispensable part of human life and culture and without it man can never find an answer to his ultimate questions which science cannot provide.
Humanism is beneficial to a great extent when it does not contradict religious beliefs and when it does not promote an exaggerated view of man. Neo-Humanism which we breathe today is to be imbibed with a great sense of balance and prudence. Man is not a machine as some science fictions depict, but he is also a spiritual being who does not content himself with physical reality but seeks the metaphysical dimension of reality. Neo-Humanism can never be a solution to human quest for meaning and happiness but it is religion that does this part best.