A Humanistic Approach

One of the great things you can say about people is that they do not stand still. They always seem to be either on the go or involved in some sort of adventure or drama. I mention that as, according to author Steven Pinker in his 2018 book, Enlightenment Now, there is a growing movement called "Humanism." Inspired by the philosopher Baruch Spinoza, its focus is to promote meaning and ethics: good without God. As part of the movement, a Humanist Manifesto has been created in which its followers have attempted to articulate their overriding goals. One in-particular speaks to a primary goal of public relations: "Humans are social by nature and find meaning in relationships."

As explained by Pinker, this goal speaks to establishing a world where "differences are resolved cooperatively without resorting to violence." Ideally, he notes, it speaks to a desire to create interactions that build on mutual care and concern. Public relations, of course, is based on the premise of identifying mutual interests between publics and then formulating strategies designed to, in a sense, build on them. The strategies, ideally, are based on researching the interests of people and then coming up with strategies as to how best folks can communicate with each other. Depending upon specific circumstances, the interactions can be short or long-term.

Humanists see themselves as not belonging to any specific sect or religion. Instead, they see their beliefs transcending all barriers that people traditionally use to better label themselves. Perhaps not-so-coincidentally, public relations practitioners generally see their skills and practices as being equally transcending. Given that, one could easily conclude that public relations as a social science and its practitioners as professionals are humanistic in approach as well. Both work from the premise of cooperation. Humanism attempts to appeal to the better nature of people. Ideally, so, too, does public relations.