Reach to Recovery 16. Humanistic Approaches to Death and Dying Update 17- Humanistic Approach of Death and Dying Index 1. A Few Facts Surveys indicate that most cancer patients wish to remain at home in the care of their relatives. Humanism is a term invented in the 17th century by a German educator meaning the study of Greek and Latin art and literature. Later it was used to describe theories about human beings' thinking and behaviour.
Human beings have a potential value based on their ability to create and communicate.
This means that they have freedom of choice and of action, and thus have the capacity to define their lives and their relationship with other human beings of the same intrinsic worth. If we follow the assumption stated above, we should reject all schools of thought which deny and disdain the value of human life. A Humanistic Approach to Death and Dying A patient cannot have the freedom to choose a course of action without being informed about their prognosis, or if they have received erroneous information and cannot examine the impact of the prognosis on all aspects of their life. The relatives who care for the patient have the same rights and responsibilities as the patient. Nothing dictates that the patient's interests should come first, since every human being has the same value.