Author: Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 170
Book Description
Humanist Outlook
Author: The Humanist Outlook
Author: Alfred Jules AyerPublisher: Pemberton Barrie & Rockliff
ISBN:
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 326
Book Description
El editor reúne a distintos miembros de la Advisory Council of the British Humanist Association para escribir sobre conceptos, tales como la moralidad, la educación moral, la ética, los medios de comunicación, la muerte o el futuro. Algunos de estos autores son: Cyril Bibby, Raymond Firth, Margaret Knight, Lord Francis Williams, Antony Flew, Peter Henderson, James Hemming, Morris Ginsberg, Lord Ritchie-Calder, Lord Boyd Orr, Kathleen Nott, Brigid Brophy, Cristopher Longuet-Higgins, Kingsley Martin, P. Sargant Florence, Theodore Besterman, F.A.E. Crew, H.J. Eysenck o Sir Karl Popper.
The Great Humanists
Author: Jonathan ArnoldPublisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 0857720805
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 337
Book Description
Born out of a love of language, text, classical learning, art, philosophy and philology, the Christian Humanist project lasted beyond the turmoil of sixteenth-century Europe to survive in a new form in post-Reformation thought. Jonathan Arnold here explores the finest intellects of late-Renaissance Europe, providing an essential guide to the most important scholars, priests, theologians and philosophers of the period, now collectively known as the Christian Humanists. "The Great Humanists" provides an invaluable context to the philosophical, political and spiritual state of Europe on the eve of the Reformation through inter-related biographical sketches of Erasmus, Thomas More, Marsilio Ficino, Petrarch, Johann Reuchlin, Jacques Lefevre d'Etaples and many others. The legacy of these thinkers is still relevant and widely-studied today, and this book will make invaluable reading for scholars and students of philosophy and early-modern European history.
The Scientific Spirit of American Humanism
Author: Stephen P. WeldonPublisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 1421438593
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 318
Book Description
The story of how prominent liberal intellectuals reshaped American religious and secular institutions to promote a more democratic, science-centered society. Winner of the Morris D. Forkosch Award for Best Book by the Center for Inquiry Recent polls show that a quarter of Americans claim to have no religious affiliation, identifying instead as atheists, agnostics, or "nothing in particular." A century ago, a small group of American intellectuals who dubbed themselves humanists tread this same path, turning to science as a major source of spiritual sustenance. In The Scientific Spirit of American Humanism, Stephen P. Weldon tells the fascinating story of this group as it developed over the twentieth century, following the fortunes of a few generations of radical ministers, academic philosophers, and prominent scientists who sought to replace traditional religion with a modern, liberal, scientific outlook. Weldon explores humanism through the networks of friendships and institutional relationships that underlay it, from philosophers preaching in synagogues and ministers editing articles of Nobel laureates to magicians invoking the scientific method. Examining the development of an increasingly antagonistic engagement between religious conservatives and the secular culture of the academy, Weldon explains how this conflict has shaped the discussion of science and religion in American culture. He also uncovers a less known—but equally influential—story about the conflict within humanism itself between two very different visions of science: an aspirational, democratic outlook held by the followers of John Dewey on the one hand, and a skeptical, combative view influenced by logical positivism on the other. Putting America's distinctive science talk into historical perspective, Weldon shows how events such as the Pugwash movement for nuclear disarmament, the ongoing evolution controversies, the debunking of pseudo-science, and the selection of scientists and popularizers like Carl Sagan and Isaac Asimov as humanist figureheads all fit a distinctly American ethos. Weldon maintains that this secular ethos gained much of its influence by tapping into the idealism found in the American radical religious tradition that includes the deism of Thomas Paine, nineteenth-century rationalism and free thought, Protestant modernism, and most important, Unitarianism. Drawing on archival research, interviews, and a thorough study of the main humanist publications, The Scientific Spirit of American Humanism reveals a new level of detail about the personal and institutional forces that have shaped major trends in American secular culture. Significantly, the book shows why special attention to American liberal religiosity remains critical to a clear understanding of the scientific spirit in American culture.
Humanism: A Very Short Introduction
Author: Stephen LawPublisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191614009
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 169
Book Description
Religion is currently gaining a much higher profile. The number of faith schools is increasingly, and religious points of view are being aired more frequently in the media. As religion's profile rises, those who reject religion, including humanists, often find themselves misunderstood, and occasionally misrepresented. Stephen Law explores how humanism uses science and reason to make sense of the world, looking at how it encourages individual moral responsibility and shows that life can have meaning without religion. Challenging some of the common misconceptions, he seeks to dispute the claims that atheism and humanism are 'faith positions' and that without God there can be no morality and our lives are left without purpose. Looking at the history of humanism and its development as a philosophical alternative, he examines the arguments for and against the existence of God, and explores the role humanism plays in moral and secular societies, as well as in moral and religious education. Using humanism to determine the meaning of life, he shows that there is a positive alternative to traditional religious belief. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
Skepticism and Humanism
Author: Paul KurtzPublisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000944123
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 308
Book Description
As we begin the third millennium there is cause for cautious optimism regarding the human prospect. Democratic revolutions and the doctrine of universal human rights have captured the imagination of large sectors of humanity, while major advances in science and technology continue to conquer disease and extend life, contributing to rising standards of living, affluence, and cultural freedom on a worldwide basis. Paradoxically, at the same time ancient authoritarian fundamentalist religions have grown in vitriolic intensity along with bizarre New Age, media-driven paranormal belief systems. Also surprising is the resurgence of primitive tribal and ethnic loyalties, unleashing wars of intolerance and bitterness. In Skepticism and Humanism, Paul Kurtz locates these threatening developments within a long-standing and largely unchallenged theological worldview. He proposes, as an alternative to religion, a new cultural paradigm rooted in scientific naturalism, rationalism, and a humanistic outlook. An estimated 60 percent of scientists are atheists or agnostics. However, the skeptical world view has been given little currency even in advanced societies, because of a cultural prohibition against the criticism of religion. At the same time, science has become increasingly narrow and specialized so that few people can draw on its broader intellectual and cultural implications. Skepticism and Humanism attempts to meet this need. It defends skepticism as a method for developing reliable knowledge by using scientific inquiry and reason to test all claims to truth. It also defends scientific naturalism-an evolutionary view of nature, life, and the human species. Kurtz sees the dominant religious doctrines as drawn from an agricultural/nomadic past, and emphasizes the need for a new outlook applicable to the postindustrial information age. At the same time, he rejects postmodernism for abandoning science and embracing a form of nihilism. There can be no doubt that as a new global civilization emerges, scientific naturalism, rationalism, and secular humanism have something significant to say about the meaning of life. Skepticism and Humanism shows how they can to foster democratic values and social prosperity. The book will be important for philosophers, scientists, and all those concerned with contemporary issues.
History, Religion, and American Democracy
Author: Maurice WohlgelernterPublisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000677435
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 211
Book Description
History, Religion, and American Democracy provides a fundamental review of four major themes: naturalism and supernaturalism in an American context; issues in the history of Judaism; American social philosophy; and the teaching and learning of democratic ideals in a pluralistic postmodern environment. This book provides a naturalistic context for the deep analysis of religious, theological, as well as social and political themes.
Reconstituting the Curriculum
Author: M. R. IslamPublisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1118867904
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 415
Book Description
Based on groundbreaking new ideas, this treatise signals a return to a rebuilding and reshaping of the curriculum as the primary tool for education This book presents a new definition of "curriculum" and what it should consist of, with a view toward creating a more ethical, educated, and thinking person. Rather than treating students as "products" for society, this approach returns to a view of the curriculum as a tool for educating students to reason through problems, be bold in creating new solutions, and contribute to a more vibrant, just world. The university curriculum introduced in the post-Renaissance era, dominated by doctrinal philosophy, is based on "learning" or "skill development," suitable for creating a "learned" society that would eventually serve the establishment. This curriculum has been promoted as the only form suitable for the modern education system. It has introduced a tremendous amount of tangible advancement in all fields of the structured education system. These tangible gains are often promoted as "knowledge." This has created confusion between education (acquiring knowledge) and learning, training or skill development. This book seeks to clarify the difference between these two divergent views of education. It has been shown that the current curriculum is not conducive to increasing a student's knowledge because it is based on consolidating preconceived ideas that have been either passed on from previous generations or gained through personal experience. In most cases, this mode of cognition will not create a pathway for gaining knowledge that brings one closer to discovery. The term "education," on the other hand, is always meant to be a process of "bringing forth" one's inherent qualities and unique traits, necessary and sufficient for increasing one's knowledge.
Humanism
Author: Jim HerrickPublisher: Prometheus Books
ISBN: 1615920943
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 123
Book Description
Humanism is a philosophy that emphasizes the value of human life in all its creative potential within a secular context. Humanism is skeptical of religious beliefs and relies on science as the basis for understanding the universe. Although humanism has become most fully developed in the West, its origins lie throughout the world, and this perspective is shared by people from many different cultural, ethnic and racial backgrounds.In this succinct, informative, and enlightening introduction to humanism, Jim Herrick, a leading humanist advocate in Great Britain, provides a very readable account of the guiding principles, history, and practice of humanism in today''s world. Herrick surveys the tradition of humanism as it developed over many centuries, its skepticism toward belief in God and an afterlife, humanist values and arguments for morality outside of a religious framework, its attitude of tolerance toward different lifestyles and belief systems, its endorsement of democratic political principles, its strong ties to science, its evaluation of the arts as an exploration of human potential, and its concern for environmental preservation and the long-term sustainability of the earth.In conclusion, Herrick briefly describes the various humanist organizations throughout the world; particular causes championed by humanists (women''s rights, racial and sexual equality, freedom of speech and information, and education, among others); and the future of humanism.
The Renaissance
Author: Tom StreissguthPublisher: Greenhaven Publishing LLC
ISBN: 0737746238
Category : Young Adult Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 356
Book Description
This A-to-Z reference of the European Renaissance features entries on important people, places, and events, and chronicles developments in such areas as the arts, science, religion, and politics. Entries cover key historical figures, significant events, and influential ideas.