Definitions of humanism as educational movement, philosophical concept or existential 'life stance' have evolved over the centuries as the term has been adopted for a variety of cultural and political purposes and contexts, and reactions against humanism have contributed to movements such as structuralism, postmodernism and postcolonialism. Tony Davies offers a clear introduction to the many uses of this influential yet complex concept, and this second edition extends his discussion to include: a wide-ranging history of the development of the term and its influences the implications of debates around humanism and post-humanism for political, religious and environmental activism discussion of the key figures in humanist debate from Erasmus and Milton to Heidegger, Foucault and Chomsky.