Humanitarian in French

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MrCoffee
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Humanitarian in French

Postby MrCoffee » Mon Apr 05, 2021 4:01 pm

How would you say the following sentence in French:

"She is a humanitarian."

Would it be, "Elle est humaniste," "Elle est humanitaire," "Elle est philanthrope," or something different?

Merci!
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Le Baron
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Re: Humanitarian in French

Postby Le Baron » Mon Apr 05, 2021 8:47 pm

Just to be clear humanism and humanitarianism aren't identical terms. The first is a philosophical position: the rejection of notions of extra or supernatural forces shaping human lives. The second is about improvement of human conditions on a moral or practical basis. Philanthropy is humanitarian action assumed by someone for whatever motivation.

Personally I'd say the second of your choices unless you're aiming for the philosophical position, but I'm not a native, so I'll also take correction and advice on French as well. Philanthropy seems to me to describe a sort of charity rather than the philosophical notion of 'humanism'

The first choice ought be C'est une humaniste if you're identifying her (using an article).
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