Every human life form encapsulates an idea of humankind and humanity. Today, this very idea is challenged by the various and diverging needs for cultural orientation in the age of globalization. One of the recent attempts to meet these challenges is provided by a new humanism with an intercultural intent. Such humanism can be conceptualized only by the collaborative efforts of different academic disciplines at exploring the human being as the gist of what is meant by humanity. Thus, this volume explores the pertinent fields of knowledge from the perspectives of philosophy, theology, anthropology, sociology, economy, psychology, neurobiology, history, and gender studies. Focusing on the guiding question of what is meant by being a human, the contributions of this volume encompass a fascinating spectrum of insights, which will orientate future discussions on humanity and humanism.

Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. mult. Jörn Rüsen ist Senior Fellow am Kulturwissenschaftlichen Institut in Essen und Professor emeritus der Universität Witten/Herdecke. Lehr- und Forschungstätigkeit an den Universitäten Braunschweig, Berlin (FU), Bochum, Bielefeld, Witten/Herdecke. 1994 bis 1997 geschäftsführender Direktor des Zentrums für interdisziplinäre Forschung der Universität Bielefeld, 1997 bis 2007 Präsident/Direktor des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts Essen. Ehrenpromotionen der Universitäten Lund, Brasilia und Curitiba.