Some Historical Antecedents of Humanistic Education

Abstract

The author's thesis is that, in times of widening economic affluence, especially when accompanied by important technological advances in transportation and communication, there is a burgeoning of the human spirit. New possibilities are glimpsed. People tend to see themselves as potent, feel more self-confident, and become more concerned with freedom, equality, and human relationships. People seek to develop all their talents, whether socially rewarded or not. Vocational preparation becomes subordinate to personality and character development. There is a renewed respect for amateurism and the insights of generalists. Traditional boundaries are questioned. Interdisciplinary studies flourish. People are ready to encounter more risk and danger. More daring ideas and practices emerge. This is the climate, indeed these are the constituents, of humanistic education. The primary focus is on the formation of the whole person, including one's emotional and sensuous life, and on the assumption of responsibility for one's own destiny. These periods of human awakening and liberation have constitued a series of revolutions of rising self-expectations. As examples of these periods, the author looks at classical Greece; the Renaissance; the agricultural and industrial revolutions in England; the Romantic period; the revolutions in consciousness created by Marx, Freud, and the existentialists; and the post World War II period. Finally, he examines the present period and makes some projections about the future of humanistic education.