Philosophy

The International Institute of Human Understanding (founded in 1995) exists to foster the welfare of humankind through the lens of tolerance, concern, and a recognized urgency for human understanding.

The institute has evolved as a response to alienation, misconstruction and separateness, which often lead to human suffering, loneliness, and the knowing that one or a group is not understood. The quest for understanding involves all systems of nature, both human and environmental, and prompts members to promote an ongoing agenda, which embraces education, inquiry, and service. This quest for human understanding inspires search for meaning within cultures, contexts, and contingencies, so that we may provide an impetus for ethical responses within our ever-growing circle of diversity. Engagement in this mission for human understanding questions underlying philosophical assumptions, encourages civil discourse, and creates humanitarian models reflecting affinity, caring concern, equality, and justice.

A Short Story

Caring Through the Lens of Human Understanding

 

One day about twelve years ago, a few of my colleagues and I were discussing the preponderance of scholarship on "caring" written by our most distinguished colleagues.  We knew that many conversations were occurring internationally as to what encompasses and enhances caring.  Those discussions gave birth to an institute: The International Institute for Human Understanding (iihu). 

 

Our premise was unwavering, that human understanding of others whether groups or individuals, was unequivocally essential to the actualization of a "caring" philosophy and or a "caring" action.  Inherent in this belief was the individual  as knowledge holder, the knower and the professional  as the unknower. The ownership of what was needed "to care" was given to the recipient of care.  The professional held in abeyance, theoretical knowledge, beliefs, prescriptions, protocols until the caregiver had come to understand the individual?s or group?s particular meaning and perceptions about the experience at hand.

 

We need first to understand the meaning individuals make of their own experiences.  As we discussed what the aims of the iihu would be, we knew we wanted to promote the envisioning of an individual or group as part of a larger context, where this influence is ever present in an existential rhythmic exchange. Persons in their everyday worlds hold secrets, nuances and are emerged in the particular contingencies of their lives.  We understood that descriptive and prescriptive theory needed caveats and one very important one was the particular understanding of this person.  In essence we wanted to have an institute that would move from the general to the specific, one that would critically questioned generalities.  Caring then would be based on the particular understanding of the experienced world of the recipient of care.

 

On a pragmatic level we would be the first to acknowledge that this is a time consuming approach to care.  Yet, without this basic understanding we also knew that caring could take place in a vacuum, perhaps off base to this particular person and therefore ineffective or comforting.  This is how we set about the beginnings of an institute devoted to promoting human understanding.

 

The iihu was then founded in 1995 to foster human understanding, civil discourse, and humanitarian models of concern, caring, and justice, especially as those goals may be encouraged through interdisciplinary work in the health and human sciences and has expanded to include all fields where interaction between and among people occur.

 

Our mission has evolved as a response to alienation, human suffering, and intolerance, and a recognized urgency for human understanding across cultures, systems, and communities.  Our ongoing agenda embraces education, inquiry, and service.

 

We realize that the quest for human understanding must recognize the cultural contexts and social contingencies of meaning.  Even as we recognize contingencies of meaning, we hope to encourage ethical responses to diversity and alienation. In our work, we question underlying philosophical assumptions, encourage civil and cross-cultural discourse, and work to encourage and create new humanitarian models of affinity, caring, concern, and justice.

 

As we enter our 18^th year we are pleased to announce the opening of the Open U, an open university for life long learners, to assist others in achieving the understanding necessary for models of compassion, equality and empathy.

History of IIHU

The International Institute of Human Understanding (founded in 1995 by Patricia Munhall) exists to foster the welfare of humankind through the lens of-tolerance, concern, and a recognized urgency for human understanding. The institute has evolved as a response to alienation, misconstruction and separateness, which often lead to human suffering loneliness, and the knowing that one or a group is not understood. The quest for understanding involves all systems of nature, both human and environmental, and prompts members to promote an ongoing agenda, which embraces education, inquiry, and service. This quest for human understanding inspires search for meaning within cultures, contexts, and contingencies, so that we may provide an impetus for ethical responses within our ever-growing circle of diversity. Engagement in this mission for human understanding questions underlying philosophical assumptions, encourages civil discourse, and creates humanitarian mo reflecting affinity, caring concern, equality, and justice.

The institute is now entering its eighth year and has achieved many accomplishments towards reaching the goals and aims of the organization and is still actively pursuing ways and means to continue its mission. The annual international conference this year will be the eighth one with the theme: The Primacy of Meaning in Human Understanding. (See details in Coming Events and Call for Abstracts)
Membership is open to all individuals concerned with the advancement of human understanding as the primary way to a humanistic, caring, accepting society characterized by equality, justice, tolerance and a commitment to improving the quality of life of those we serve.