Sixth century BCE pantheists and prepared the way for later Greek humanist thought. Thales is credited with creating the maxim "Know thyself", and Xenophanes refused to recognize the gods of his time and reserved the divine for the principle of unity in the universe. Later , often described as the "first ", contributed to the development of science as a method of understanding the universe. These Ionian Greeks were the first thinkers to recognize that nature is available to be studied separately from any alleged supernatural realm. , a pupil of Anaxagoras, influenced the development of democracy, freedom of thought, and the exposure of superstitions. Although little of their work survives, and both espoused agnosticism and a spiritual morality not based on the supernatural. The historian is noted for his scientific and rational approach to history.

గ్రీకు మానవతావాదం
విద్యాపరమైన మానవతావాదం
గురజాడ మానవతావాద పద్ధతి
మానవతావాదం (life stance)