What Is the Difference Between Self-Knowledge and Humanology?
If we put the word human into search engines, we will get more than 360 million results in less than a second. These results can include detailed explanations of human characteristics like behavior, customs, interests, lifestyle, and more.
But the question is, “Are these the only traits that actually distinguish humans from other creatures, or is there something else that sets human beings apart?”
What we are told about human beings is different from the truth. Rather than giving a thorough definition of humans, we are used to counting their individual and social characteristics, and presenting them as theories of self-knowledge and humanology.
Nowadays, humanology is classified and examined in the field of sociological and anthropological studies. In other words, scientific societies look at human beings from a social perspective.
On the other hand, self-knowledge is often discussed from the point of view of psychology or success strategies. Our inability to fully examine all the dimensions of our existence may be the reason for the high number of hypotheses about humans, which are mostly ambiguous.
The definition of human beings as the center of creation is a precise one. In the article, “What Is a Human Being?” we will discuss this topic thoroughly. Here, we are going to discuss the difference between self-knowledge and humanology.
Humanology, the Basis of All Sciences
Let us give an example to show the importance of knowing human beings. Imagine a child in the third grade who has not passed the first and second grades. The teacher expects him to read, write, and know the times table, while the student has no clue about any of them. The teacher insists on her demand and increases the student’s anxiety. The student tries to answer the teacher’s unreasonable demand, and each incorrect answer makes him more anxious.
In fact, we are that child and the teacher at the same time. We expect ourselves to do some impossible things without having learned their basics. All our relationships, thoughts, beliefs, and decisions are the results of a kind of knowledge whose ABCs we do not know.
In this case, humanology is not the capability to read and write; but rather it is knowing the letters and sounds, or the alphabet itself. In other words, humanology is our first need before we develop any other ability. Everyone needs to learn humanology. It is not a particular major that we decide to study or not. It is actually a necessity, without which the next steps would be wrong or even impossible to take.
The Difference between Self-knowledge and Humanology
The terms ‘human,’ ‘true self,’ and ‘self’ all refer to a being whose existence is made up of various dimensions. At the same time, we also have a higher dimension that sets us apart from other creatures. Therefore, there is no difference between self-knowledge and humanology from this perspective.
In Islamic philosophy, humanology and self-knowledge both refer to the same concept, which is the science of studying and knowing the true self. This science strives to have a comprehensive and full knowledge about human beings; it aims to align their relationship with life, the universe, and the ultimate goal of their existence based on this knowledge.
In this ideology, humans are the center of creation; however, they cannot reach the ultimate goal of their creation without knowing themselves. This is the situation that we are facing in today’s world. The story of human beings is similar to that of an incompetent king who allows everyone to interfere in the affairs of his country, and in the end, both he and his kingdom will fall.
Without knowing themselves, human beings do not rule the world; instead, they let their whims, desires, and needs rule them. They do not decide what they want from the world; instead, it is the laws of the universe that have control over them and pull them everywhere.
What Impact Does Humanology Have on My Life?
Every person has a unique mindset through which she interprets everything. Each person has her own particular viewpoint on topics such as the essence of human beings, the purpose of creation, the meaning of life, etc. Although a person’s point of view about these topics may be inaccurate or shallow, it is impossible for her to be completely neutral about or indifferent to these matters.
All our life plans, no matter simple or complex, are made based on this mindset or perspective. The person who considers herself to be an evolved animal chooses a particular type of lifestyle, while the person who views herself as a true human chooses a different way of life. Choosing any type of lifestyle has a different result.
The first worldview leads the person to define her whole life within the limited period between birth and death. So she becomes greedy and always feels lost and anxious. She fears death and damages herself and others because she is constantly worried about loss: the loss of pleasures, power, wealth and, eventually, the loss of her own existence.
However, as the latter one identifies herself as a human being and believes that a human being is infinite, she is not fearful, does not fight anyone for benefits, and does not lose her self-control in tough times. What causes these two groups of people to express different feelings and strong emotions is their different viewpoints on the human being. Their viewpoints are different because they have different views on self-knowledge or humanology. The wrong definition of humans results in wrong lifestyle choices and ultimately the painful experiences of unhappiness and distress.
In this article, we redefined humanology and self-knowledge. We stated although some may think there is a difference between self-knowledge and humanology, from our point of view, both concepts are the same and deal with knowing our true self as a human being. This knowledge influences our understanding of our lives, desires, ambitions, priorities, and the ultimate goal we set for ourselves.