Summary
Title: Humanist Anthology: From Confucius to Attenborough
Author: edited by Margaret Knight and revised by James Herrick
Publisher: Prometheus Books
ISBN: 0879759577
Pro:
• Many quotes from many cultures
• A variety of humanistic perspectives examined
Con:
• Could be longer
Description:
• Quotes from people throughout history
• Many cultures all over the world included
• Many perspectives on what humanism involves
Book Review
What is an anthology of humanism all about? A lot of ideas are covered, but they all share in common the perspective humans must face their problems on their own, using their own intellectual and moral resources. Neither supernatural aid nor supernatural authority are required or even wanted, because the responsibility for success or failure belongs with us.
Because of this, it becomes clear that one of the chief virtues must be the promotion of human happiness and education, as opposed to the promotion of the commands of an alleged divine creator. This is certainly something seen among the many people quoted, for example Paul Henri Thiry D’Holbach:
- “Religion, occupied with its gloomy reveries, considers man merely as a pilgrim upon earth; and supposes that, in order to travel more safely, he must forsake company and renounce the pleasures and amusements that might console him for the tediousness and fatigue of the road. ...But a more rational philosophy invites us to spread flowers on the road of life, to dispel melancholy and panic terrors, to connect our interest with that of our fellow travellers, and by gaity and lawful pleasures to divert our attention from the difficulties and hazards to which we are often exposed; it teaches us that, to travel agreeably, we should abstain from what might be injurious to ourselves, and carefully shun what might render us odious to our associates.”
Another thing made clear from this quote is the focus on life, rather than on death. For humanists, there is no point in living for the purpose of gaining something after death, when in fact there is so much which needs to be done here. Life is what requires our attention and time — and not simply life, but the people we have to share this life with.
Humanist Anthology: From Confucius to Attenborough
Through this book, another theme is the attempt to dispel common misconceptions like the idea that love and human brotherhood were unknown until the development of Christianity, and to replace them with a better understanding of human thought. It is also fortunate that the volume, especially in its expanded edition, goes beyond the Western tradition and includes writings from the Middle East, India and China.
Some of those profiled include Confucius, Averroes, Epicurus, Lucius Annaeus Seneca, Pliny the Elder, Epictetus, Benedict Spinoza, Voltaire, David Hume, Adam Smith, Thomas Paine, John Stuart Mill, Charles Darwin, Herbert Spencer, Thomas Henry Huxley, Robert Green Ingersoll, Friedrich Nietzsche, W. K. Clifford, Sigmund Freud, John Dewey, Chapman Cohen, Bertrand Russell, Richard Dawkins, and Albert Einstein.
Although it appears to be just a collection of quotes, this volume really is more than that. It serves to introduce people to the history of humanistic thought, even when that label has not actually been applied. Too few people are fully aware of this tradition, but those who are interested can gain a lot by starting here.
