What does antihumanist mean?
An antihumanist is a person who rejects or opposes humanist ideas — the cluster of beliefs associated with Renaissance and Enlightenment thought that places human reason, dignity, and agency at the center of value and inquiry. The term has two main uses. In its older, broader sense, it describes anyone hostile to humanism as a cultural or ethical program. In its narrower, technical sense, it refers to proponents of antihumanism, a strand of twentieth-century philosophy — associated with figures such as Louis Althusser and Michel Foucault — which argues that there is no fixed, universal human essence and that the autonomous individual subject is largely a construction of language, culture, and power. The word is chiefly found in academic writing on philosophy, theory, and criticism. Although it can sound harsh, being an antihumanist does not mean being cruel or misanthropic; the position is an argument about ideas rather than an attitude toward people. Related forms include "antihumanism," the noun for the doctrine itself, and "antihumanistic," its adjectival form.
A person who rejects or opposes humanist beliefs, values, or the humanist movement.
"The essayist styled herself an antihumanist, dismissing the cult of human perfectibility as naive."
Often used in academic and critical writing; may carry either a neutral-descriptive or a pejorative tone depending on the writer's stance.
An adherent of antihumanism, the philosophical position holding that there is no universal human essence and that the autonomous human subject is a construct of discourse, culture, and power.
"Althusser described his theoretical project as explicitly antihumanist."
This sense is specific to twentieth-century continental philosophy and related fields such as literary theory and anthropology.
Standard English plural; used both for general opponents of humanism and for adherents of the philosophical school.
"Nineteenth-century romantics were not the only antihumanists; many twentieth-century structuralists joined their ranks."
An antihumanist isn't necessarily against people — some of history's most influential antihumanists were philosophers arguing that 'human nature' itself is a fiction.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of antihumanist
The word is formed from the prefix "anti-" (from Greek, meaning "against") combined with "humanist," which derives ultimately from Latin "humanus" ("of or belonging to humans, humane, cultured"). "Humanist" itself emerged during the European Renaissance to describe scholars devoted to the studia humanitatis — the study of classical literature, rhetoric, and moral philosophy. As humanism became an established intellectual tradition, opponents of its premises were labeled antihumanists, and by the twentieth century the term was adopted by philosophers such as Althusser and Foucault to name a deliberate theoretical stance. Cognates sharing the Latin root include "humanity," "humane," and "humanism."
Related word forms
How antihumanist is actually used
The word carries a primarily intellectual, academic register and appears most often in discussions of philosophy, literary theory, and intellectual history. Its connotation depends heavily on context: within post-structuralist circles it can be descriptive or even neutral, while in more mainstream discourse it may sound pejorative, suggesting hostility to human welfare. It should not be taken to imply cruelty or misanthropy; many self-described antihumanists are concerned with social conditions rather than opposed to humanity.
Easily confused with antihumanist
"Inhumane" describes cruel or uncompassionate behavior toward people or animals, while an "antihumanist" is someone who intellectually opposes humanist philosophy — one can be an antihumanist without being cruel.
A misanthrope dislikes or distrusts humanity in general, whereas an antihumanist specifically rejects humanist doctrine or ideology, which is a philosophical rather than emotional stance.