Feminism or Humanism? What's the difference?

Question

I am a humanist. Feminism does not mean humanism at all. Feminism is just a sexist movement that is meant to confuse the audience on what they want. What they really want is more power to women in general.

Me, as a humanist tends to see people as humans instead of distinctly classing each person I see into racial and gender catagories. What I want is for all to be equal. You see the difference now? Feminism is just another word for sexism because look at what the root words mean, then look at what the root wards of humanism means. There is two different meanings and to say that men's basic traits is aggression and power hunger is totally mythically false for we all are humans and sinners and we all have the same traits just because we are human. So feminist or male extremists, don't give me the bullshit that a particular gender should out weight the hands of the opposing gender. We are all humans and isnt its time to realize that discriminating is what makes us less human?

Answer 1

Jing...though you claim that you tend to see people as humans instead of classing each person, did you not do that when you said that feminists want more power to women in general?

I am a Christian Humanist, yes I know what that represents and it's history and know I am in excellent company.  I am also a feminist, though certainly not radical as I hold many views which would be considered more traditional.  

Yet you did not see me as a person, but as a "class" that only wants power.

Answer 2

Wow! Aren't you clever.

So how did feminism come from Humanism?

These statements from Humanist Manifesto II document the beliefs of feminism.

“In various societies, the demands of women and minority groups for equal rights effectively challenge our generation” (Preface, Humanist Manifesto II). “The right to birth control, abortion and divorce should be recognized. While we do not approve of exploitative, denigrating forms of sexual expression, neither do we wish to prohibit, by law or social sanction, sexual behavior between consenting adults . . . individuals should be permitted to express their sexual proclivities and pursue their life-styles as they desire” (Humanist Manifesto II, Sixth). “We are critical of sexual chauvinism - male or female. We believe in equal rights for both women and men to fulfill their unique careers and potentialities as they see fit, free of invidious discrimination” (Humanist Manifesto II, Eleventh).

THAT IS HOW HUMANISM BACKED FEMINISM. BUT FEMINISM HAD A DIFFERENT SCREWED UP IDEA.

Objectives of Feminism

The basic unit of all societies has been the nuclear family wherein husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, have had different gender roles. The continuation of a society demands that children understand those gender roles from their parents and follow the role of their particular gender. However, feminism (and humanism) declares that the basic unit of society should not be the nuclear family, but the autonomous individual. Humanism specifically declares that “the principle of moral equality must be furthered through the elimination of all discrimination based upon . . . s*x, age. . . . We believe in equal rights for both women and men to fulfill their unique careers and potentialities as they see fit, free of invidious discrimination.

This means that, by its very nature, feminism is an attack against the family. Feminist are very explicit about this. Their objective is to destroy the patriarchal marriage institution. “The end of the institution of marriage is a necessary condition for the liberation of women. Therefore, it is important for us to encourage women to leave their husbands and not to live individually with men. “The nuclear family must be replaced with a new form of family . . . Feminism is intent upon restructuring not only the family, but also other basic institutions of society, namely, the church and civil governments. Feminism now “rests on the belief that it is up to women . . . to build a Feminist-Socialist Revolution.”

Because Feminists believe that women, as a class, are oppressed by men, then to break such tyranny “it is necessary to establish a socialist order based on two premises:

1. The economic independence of women from men.

2. The elevation of ‘women’s work’ to the highest status, making the primary function of the society that of meeting the basic human needs of all the people.

SO, IN ORDER FOR ALL WOMEN TO BE FREE,  ALL WOMEN MUST BECOME LESBIANS. according to radical feminists.

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And the hatred of men comes through from this disconnection. Feminism is not humanism because it is not respecting men as humans. It has no intention of doing so.

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For real Humanism it would be good to look up the open society. Business and humanism look at this.

Feminism does not. They are way off track.  

Answer 3

While I ideologically disagree with feminism, I think that it's wrong to downplay its importance as a movement in history. While, I also believe that it is far more important to support equality for all and to consider each individual person based upon their situation (I'd suggest reading up on Simone de Beauvoir), feminism is neither sexism nor is it a synonym for discrimination. Rather, I think that feminists are often discriminated against for certain extreme participants. Check out the pro-choice shirts "This is what a feminist looks like". All discrimination aside, I think that it's important for a woman to be proud of who she is, socially, economically, racially, religiously, and sexually, and I think it's wrong to assume that it's all negative. I think that it would be much more positive to support the changing of the movement, as their is, objectively, less need for such strong female tour de force at the moment. And I think that negating the important of the feminist movement is, in and of itself, discriminatory.  

Answer 4

It's nice to say that you care about all humanity as a whole, but feminism exists to shine a light on issues specific to women that have not been cared about in the past. Humans are not all the same so there is a need to categorize sometimes. A black man will have a different life experience than a white man. A disabled person will have different challenges from an able-bodied one, and a women will have separate rights issues from men. It isn't sexist, racist or able-ist to deal with specific problems. After all, we're all human and deserve to have our interests heard. I'm sorry you choose to see the downside of feminism, and I'm not denying it exists, but it is ignorant to think you can support human rights in any meaningful way without acknowledging the differences in every human walk of life.

Answer 5

I disagree with your statement about man's basic traits being aggression and power. While these traits both do appear in men and women. The evidence overwhelming supports that these traits occur more often in men than women. Men are aggressive by nature and enjoy competition in a way few women understand or desire. Young men are substantial more violent than women and find a certain type of pleasure in inflicting pain on their opponent during competition. Just look at boxing or UFC.

Answer 6

Maybe you should get over your interpretation of the roots of the words and look at the actual practices. Feminism has been instrumental in achieving greater equality for women.

Personally, I am somewhat of an anti-humanist. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-humani...

I think humanism does a good deal to blur over the complexities of real life. Very real differences among humans are obscured sometimes, such as in the case of women, with the effect of continuing forms of oppression. Humanism also tends to rely on a view of humans as autonomously rational, a view which is becoming increasingly implausible. Humanism is just Christianity without the God. It carries on the same mistakes about human psychology, ethics, and sociology that Christianity committed. Plus, of course, humanism is a very discriminatory philosophy. It tends to see only humans as having moral worth, implying that some things, like animal abuse, are acceptable.

Answer 7

Feminism and Humanism are two entirely different things

Feminism is a 1970s Women's Rights movement

Humanism is an atheistic set of values and beliefs.

Answer 8

The only difference is that feminism focuses (primarily, not only) on the problems of women. Humanism is all-inclusive.