Reinterpreting Humanism Beyond Heidegger and Derrida

Abstract

Traditional humanism assumes that human nature is captured by defining the human being as a “rational animal.” Heidegger, in his Letter on Humanism, dismisses this by arguing that it reduces existence within metaphysics. Derrida demonstrates how even post-metaphysical attempts at humanism, such as Heidegger’s, remain haunted by the logic of presence, exclusion, and différance. The paper argues that humanism lies not in metaphysical certainty but in its openness to critique, reinterpretation, and reinvention, which implies that the question of the human is unfinished, fragile, and ethically urgent. With this reinterpreted humanism, philosophy can then appropriately respond to the ethical, political, and ecological challenges of contemporary life.