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

by Sarah Bakewell

While humanists count out the elements of human happiness and excellence, anti-humanists sit beside them just as eagerly counting our miseries and failings. They point out the many ways in which we fall short, and the inadequacy of our talents and abilities for either dealing with problems or finding meaning in life. Anti-humanists often dislike the thought of taking delight in earthly pleasures. Instead, they argue for altering our existence in some radical way, either by turning away from the material world or by dramatically restructuring our politics—or ourselves. In ethics, they consider good nature or personal bonds less important than obeying the rules of a greater authority, whether sacred or secular. And, far from praising our best achievements as a basis for future improvements, they tend to feel that what humans mainly need is to be humbled.