Negotiating Humanism and Posthumanism in Matt Haig’s The Humans
RumeliDE Dil ve Edebiyat Araştırmaları Dergisi, sa.44, 2025 (Hakemli Dergi)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Basım Tarihi: 2025
- Dergi Adı: RumeliDE Dil ve Edebiyat Araştırmaları Dergisi
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: MLA - Modern Language Association Database, ERIHPlus
- Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
This study examines Matt Haig’s The Humans as a fictional response to the posthumanist critique of
human exceptionalism and an attempt to reconcile it with improved humanism. The story in the novel
is narrated by an unnamed alien-narrator whose mission is to stop the advancement of human species,
whom he initially views as flawed, destructive, and in need of containment. However, through firsthand
experiences of empathy, individual expression, and relational connection, the alien-narrator undergoes
a transformation that prompts his willing conversion into a human being. The paper argues that while
The Humans explores, through the alien-narrator’s experiences, human follies and acknowledges key
posthumanist critiques, such as anthropocentrism and speciesism, it ultimately reaffirms the unique
virtues of humanism—individuality, affective depth, and love. Therefore, rather than endorsing a
posthuman worldview, the narrative frames its critiques of humanism as tools to refine rather than
replace humanism, which ultimately presents a neo-Romantic, liberal humanism centred on virtues of
art, love, and personal growth. By contrasting the utopian posthuman society of the alien’s home planet
Vonnadoria with the imperfections of Earth, the novel suggests that although humanity has to improve
in certain aspects, what they need to pursue is virtue-centred human flourishing, not the total self-
effacement that radical posthumanism may advocate. Through this lens, Haig’s work envisions a
balanced approach in which humanism, tempered by posthumanist awareness, continues to provide a
foundation for ethical improvement and personal fulfilment.
Keywords: Matt Haig, The Humans, humanism, anthropocentrism, posthumanism