Lloyd Morain

A brief, clear and to-the-point account of the basics of humanism. I have seen many people, including myself, independently come up with very similar ideas for their personal philosophy. Humanist is a great label, provided one is sought, for someone who value human life, rationality, and reject supernaturalism and superstition.

There are a couple of criticism that I can make. For one, I would wish the language to be more precise at times. Careful attention to wording is one way to avoid show more reinforcing misconceptions that exist in the public at large. Also, I thought that the authors took unnecessary swipes at capitalism and consumerism, only a few, though. show less

This handy little pamphlet came as a gift following my renewal of membership in the American Humanist Association. It contains all anyone needs to know about Humanism, along with sections that answer the question, “Are you a Humanist?”

I especially liked one part of Chapter Two: “Seven Contributing Ideas” of Humanism.
These ideas include several things I had thought about and concluded for myself years ago. It is comforting to see I have a strong foundation for my philosophy of life. show more The seven ideas include: “1. life should be experienced deeply, lived fully, with environmentally sensitive awareness and appreciation of that which is around us; 2. nature is thoroughly worthy of attention and study; 3. confidence in humankind; 4. equality of rights among humans; 5. cooperation and mutual aid; 6. [belief in] evolution as worked out by 19th century scientists; and 7. [reliance on] scientific thinking” ( 25-26).

This short book is available from the American Humanist Association bookshop at http://www.americanhumanist.org/index.html

--Jim, 5/5/08 show less