How humanism changed the world
Sarah Bakewell’s fun and well-considered history of humanist thought is a fantastic addition to humanist literature.
After Enlightenment Now I began a brief little foray into humanism, which led me pretty quickly to Sarah Bakewell’s Humanly Possible.
I wish I’d read a physical copy of this book rather than listening to the audiobook, because it flew by me all too quickly, but I enjoyed Blakewell’s easy prose and compelling personal portraits of humanist thinkers and their beliefs.
It’s hard to think of humanism as radical in 2024, when humanist beliefs are all but baked into our modern brains, but the early humanist pioneers were truly courageous thinkers. Bakewell’s relatively lighthearted book makes it easy to appreciate the breadth of humanist ideas alongside the uniqueness of their creators. Fans of Dawkins, Harris, Hitchens and Pinker will enjoy this entertaining read.
Author: Sarah Bakewell
About: The history and evolution of humanist thought, profiling key figures
Rating: 4/5
Favourite quote: “In all ages man has prayed for help, and then helped himself.” — Robert Ingersoll
Did you read Humanly Possible? Let me know what you thought.
Related reads:
Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress (Steven Pinker, 2018)
The God Delusion (Richard Dawkins, 2006)
Good Without God: What a Billion Nonreligious People Do Believe (Greg M. Epstein, 2009)
The Moral Landscape: How Science Can Determine Human Values (Sam Harris, 2010)