ABSTRACT
This chapter develops a first sketch of what could be called a general theory of humanisation. It starts by making a distinction between humanisation understood as a mere activity of individuals or groups and humanisation understood as a historical process taking place at different levels of society. The chapter then considers the philosophical presuppositions and foundations of such a theory in order to show that humanisation presupposes the possibility of a universal ethics that is already a subject of philosophical research. It enables to understand that humanisation is about both open and closed societies, and that the specific case of a humanisation of organisations must be understood in the light of a historical dynamics that involves profound institutional changes.
