Humanly Possible: Seven Hundred Years of Humanist Freethinking, Inquiry, and Hope

by Sarah Bakewell

These pioneers, and others after them, advanced arguments based on four big humanistic ideas in particular. The first of these is the one just mentioned: that we are all united in our humanity, so that “nothing human is alien.” A second idea, conversely, stresses not universality but diversity. Yes, we are all human, but we also experience life differently depending on culture, political situation, and other factors—and such differences should be respected and celebrated. The third principle is the valuing of critical thinking and inquiry. For a humanist of any kind, nothing about human life should ever be taken as self-evident or accepted on grounds of authority and tradition. What IS may NOT be right, and should be questioned. Fourth is the general belief that our moral lives, which are central to our humanity, are best served by looking for ways of connecting and communicating between ourselves.