What Humanism Isn’t: Humanism Isn’t a Utopian Fantasy
The Myth: Humanists Believe the World Can Be Perfect
When people hear about Humanism, they sometimes assume it’s unrealistic or overly idealistic.
📌 “So, you think we can just fix the world?”
📌 “That’s nice in theory, but people are selfish.”
📌 “You can’t change human nature.”
There’s this idea that Humanists are naive dreamers—believing we can just “be kind” and magically create a world without suffering.
But that’s not what Humanism is about.
📌 Humanism isn’t about perfection. It’s about progress.
And if we’re going to call Humanists idealistic, then we need to talk about how almost every religion also believes in a Utopian future.
My Story: The Double Standard of Utopian Thinking
📌 Many religions believe in a Utopian ending—whether it’s heaven, paradise, or enlightenment.
And some even believe in the idea of peace on earth—but usually under one condition: that everyone believes the same thing.
I’ve had conversations where people say:
👉 “The world will only know peace when people follow God’s word.”
👉 “If everyone believed in the same truth, there would be no conflict.”
But here’s the problem—that has never happened in human history.
Even among people who share a religion, there are endless divisions.
Disagreements over interpretation, doctrine, and what “truth” actually means.
📌 Humanism approaches things differently. It doesn’t require shared faith, a single doctrine, or conformity to one worldview. Instead, it focuses on what unites us—compassion, dignity, and the responsibility to reduce suffering.
📌 A perfect world may never exist. But if we wait for everyone to agree on one truth before we work toward peace, we’ll never even get close.
What Humanism Actually Is
📌 Humanism doesn’t believe the world will ever be perfect. It believes we should try to make it better anyway.
📌 Humanism doesn’t expect everyone to agree. It believes we can still coexist, collaborate, and care for each other despite our differences.
📌 Humanism doesn’t ignore suffering. It simply chooses action over hopelessness.
Humanists don’t believe we’ll solve every problem, cure every disease, or eliminate every injustice.
But we do believe that a world with less suffering is worth working for.
And that’s not naive. That’s practical.
What the Experts Say (Without Getting Preachy)
Philosopher Karl Popper put it best:
"The belief that we should not try to improve the world because it cannot be made perfect is a dangerous one. Progress is real—not because we reach utopia, but because we work toward it."
Humanism isn’t about achieving a perfect world—it’s about making a better one.
The Takeaway: Progress Over Perfection
Some people dismiss Humanism because it doesn’t promise a perfect ending.
But what’s the alternative?
📌 Doing nothing because the world is hard?
📌 Giving up because injustice will always exist?
📌 Waiting for people to agree before we try to help each other?
That’s not just unrealistic. That’s giving up before we even start.
👉 Humanism isn’t a utopian fantasy. It’s a commitment to doing what we can, where we can, to make things better.
👉 Because a world where we at least try to reduce suffering is better than a world where we don’t.
If believing we can do better makes me an idealist, then so be it.
Stay curious. Stay human. And always, be kind.
Where This Series Goes Next
🔹 This post is the fourth in my “What Humanism Isn’t” series—debunking the biggest myths about Humanism and what it truly stands for.
📝 Upcoming Posts in the Series:
🔹 “Humanism Isn’t a Cult or a Religion” (Debunking the myth that Humanism is just another belief system with rules.)
Stay tuned for the final post in this series, and if this resonates with you, join the conversation—follow me on Socials or check out more posts.
