The Oxford Handbook of Humanism (OXFORD HANDBOOKS SERIES)

While humanist sensibilities have played a formative role in the advancement of our species, critical attention to humanism as a field of study is a more recent development. As a system of thought that values human needs and experiences over supernatural concerns, humanism has gained greater attention amid the rapidly shifting demographics of religious communities, especially in Europe and North America. This outlook on the world has taken on global dimensions as well, with activists, artists, and thinkers forming a humanistic response not only to traditional religion, but to the pressing social and political issues of the 21st century. With in-depth, scholarly chapters, The Oxford Handbook of Humanism aims to cover the subject by analyzing its history, its philosophical development, its influence on culture, and its engagement with social and political issues. In order to expand the field beyond more Western-focused works, the Handook discusses humanism as a worldwide phenomenon, with regional surveys that explore how the concept has developed in particular contexts. The Handbook also approaches humanism as both an opponent to traditional religion as well as a philosophy that some religions have explicitly adopted. By both synthesizing the field, and discussing how it continues to grow and develop, the Handbook promises to be a landmark volume, relevant to both humanism and the rapidly changing religious landscape. Cover The Oxford Handbook of HUMANISM Copyright Dedication Contents Contributors Setting the Context: The Usual Suspects Humanism—Humanisms Organization and Content Purpose(s) Acknowledgments Part I: GEOGRAPHIES Chapter 1: Humanism in East Asia Types of Confucian Humanism Core Value of Confucian Humanism Manifestations of Confucian Humanism Functions of Confucian Humanism Chapter 2: Humanism in Africa Humanism as Appeal for Reinstatement of a Threatened Good Humanism as Responsibility over Nature Humanism as Appeal to a Shared Humanity and a Universal Good The Place of the Individual in African Social Thought and Political Practice It Is All about Persons From Socialism to a Naturalist Humanism What about Me? “The World” as Boldly Human Chapter 3: Humanism in the Middle East 1. Humanism as Worldliness 2. Humanism as an Age or Epoch 3. Humanism as Anthropocentrism Chapter 4: Humanism in the Americas General Humanistic Principles Humanism as Narratives of Human Exceptionalism Postmodern Humanistic Discourses: Twenty-First Century Perspectives Humanism, Theism, and Religion The God-Hypothesisand Cognitive Science Secular Humanism as a Comprehensive Worldview Free Religion, Ethical Societies, and Religious Humanism in Jewish Culture Humanism as Acts of Liberation and Revolutionary Activism Humanism in the Latin American Setting Black Humanism, Atheism, and Humanistic Thinking in the United States Early Intellectual Framers of Black Humanism: Anna Julia Cooper, W. E. B. Du Bois, and James Baldwin Recent Developments in Black Humanistic Thinking Chapter 5: Humanism in Europe The Pre-History of Secular Humanism in Europe The Pre-History of Secular Humanism in Britain The Pre-History of Secular Humanism in Germany Secular Humanism in Postwar Europe Secular Humanism in the Netherlands Secular Humanism in Belgium Secular Humanism in Norway Secular Humanism in Britain Secular Humanism in Sweden Secular Humanism in Germany Two Ideal Types of Secular Humanism in Europe Part II: INTELLECTUAL HISTORIES Chapter 6: Humanism in the Medieval World Christian Humanism and Humanitarianism Reason and Religion Understanding the World without Religion Morality without Religion Politics without Religion Chapter 7: Humanism and the Renaissance The Renaissance Humanism, Humanist, Humanities Origins The Thirteenth-CenturyIntellectual Revolution Ars Dictaminis Francis Petrarch The Establishment of Humanism in Fifteenth-Century Coluccio Salutati and His Circle Educators and Scholars Diffusion Decline Chapter 8: Humanism and Enlightenment Renaissance Birth Stories of Humanism: The Convergence of Hermeticism, Islamic Science, and Neoplatonism The Scientific Revolution: Occult Forces and Epistemologies of Consensus The Enlightenment: Race, Transatlantic Slavery, and the “Universal” Rights of Man The Fetish, Capitalism, and the Subject of Possession Pushing the Limits of Man and Modernity: The Long Nineteenth Century Abolition, Law, and the Moral-Racial Limits of Man From Man to Human? Anthropology, World Religion, and European Exceptionalism Inclusion and Difference: Shifting Struggles for Human Rights during the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries Beyond Humanism? The Post-Human Turnin the Humanities and Contemporary Critiques of (Post)Humanism Enlightenment and Humanism: An Ongoing Project Chapter 9: Humanism and the Modern Age Part III: ORGANIZATION Chapter 10: Humanism Against Religion Against Religion Humanism Against Religion as a Discursive Reality Humanism Against Religion as an Individual Belief System or Philosophy Chapter 11: Humanism as a Religious Orientation? Circumscribing the Topic The Humanist Manifesto John Dewey’s Religious Naturalism Excursus: Atheism, Humanism, and Naturalism as Nested Relations Santayana: Natural Piety and Spirituality An Epigrammatic Introduction Coda Chapter 12: Humanism and Its Critics Critiques of Humanism in Humanitarianism Talal Asad: The Critique of Western Humanism’s Violence Didier Fassin: The Critique of Humanitarianism Between Understanding and Change The Ethical and Political Potential of Ubuntu for Critiquing and Reframing Humanitarianism Samuel Moyn: Demythologizing the History of Human Rights, Critiquing Humanist Aspirations Polish Religious and Secular Humanisms Part IV: CULTURAL PRODUCTION Chapter 13: Humanism and Literature Literature and Humanism: Intrinsic Links The Humanist Program and Literary Form Humanist Poetics and Institutionalizing Literature in Europe Liberal Education and the American College Readings 1: Humanism and theDemocratic Ethos in Nineteenth-Century United States Readings 2: Black Humanist Literature Readings 3: Ecohumanism Chapter 14: Humanism and Film A History of Humanism and Film via Dehumanization Who Speaks Filmic Humanism—to Whom—and in What Voice? Is Humanism Post-? Is Film Post-? Chapter 15: Humanism and Music Communicating through Humanism A Theory of Music’s Human and Humanist Origin Making Humanist Music Popular Humanist Music Music as Critique of Religion Quiet (Humanist) Company Religion Is How to Kill God Artificial Intelligence Music as Critique of Humanism Chapter 16: Humanism and Humor Who Are These People Called “Humanists?” Humor Building Solidarity, Managing Stigma, and Creating an Appealing Social Identity: Why Be Atheist? Anti-ReligiousJokes: Establishing Movement Boundaries through Negative Definition Humanist Conclusions: Some Hints from Hanna Gadsby, Richard Pryor, and Bill Hicks Chapter 17: Humanism and the Visual Arts The Renaissance, Humanism, and the Visual Arts Studia Humanitatis Artist-Scientists Perspective Portraiture Genre Painting The Persistence of Faith Humanism and the Visual Arts after the Renaissance Humanism as Doctrine Art and Humanism During the Reformation and Counter-Reformation Art and Human Progress Art and Human Progress in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries Twentieth-CenturyArt and the End of Human Progress Summary Critiques of Humanism and the Arts Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Posthumanism Chapter 18: Humanism and Sport Play and Sport Humanism and Pragmatism Sport and Humanism: Present and Future Contingency Irony Solidarity Part V: THE PUBLIC ARENA Chapter 19: The Politics of Humanism The Many Faces of Humanism and Politics Political Roots of Western Secular Humanism Political Aspects of Contemporary Secular Humanism Returning to Broad-BasedHumanism The Future of Politics and Humanism Chapter 20: Humanism and Political Identity Public Opinion and Humanism Political Profile of Humanists in the United States Social and Cultural Views of Humanists Immigration Women in the Workforce Children Born out of Wedlock Homosexuality and Same-SexMarriage Abortion Economic Views of Humanists Aid to the Poor Protecting the Environment Size of Government Chapter 21: Humanism and Higher Education A Very Brief History of Higher Education in the West Modern Knowledge and Its Epistemological Splitting Contemporary Debates in the Humanities The Natural Event Remained More On the Future of the Human(ities) Part VI: SOCIAL ISSUES Chapter 22: Humanism and the Human Marx, Foucault, and the Conflicted Human Black Interventions and the Antagonisms that Remain By Way of Conclusion Chapter 23: Humanism and Environmentalism The Humanist Manifesto of 1933 The Humanist Case Against Overpopulation Humanists and Climate Change The Greening of Humanist Statements Light and Dark Green Humanism Humanism and Religious Naturalism Humanist Critiques of Environmentalism Environmentalist Critiques of Humanism A Concluding Hypothesis Chapter 24: Humanism and Gender Construction(s) Beyond Essences Origin(s) Epistemologies of Difference Beyond Epistemological Norms Chapter 25: Humanism and Race Humanism Race and Religion Humanism and Race The Future of Race and Humanism Chapter 26: Humanism, Sex, and Sexuality Humanism and Sex The Evolution of Sexual Reproduction The Origin of Sex Why Eggs Are Large and Sperm Are Small and Why This Matters Sexual Roles and Gender Roles Variations on Biological Sex in Humans Why Does This Matter to Humanists? Sexual Preference, Gender Identity, and Family Structure Humanists and Natural Law “Intelligent Design” and Human Sexuality Evolution Is Not a Moral Code The Unintelligent Design of Human Reproduction Systems The Problem of Being Male The Problem of Being a Human Female How Humanists Approach These Problems Rights, Sexual Preference, and Gender Identity Pregnancy, Abortion, and Responsible Child Rearing Formal Organizational Positions Reproductive Freedom Women’s Rights LGBT Rights Concluding Principles Chapter 27: Humanism and Class Class and the Humanist Manifestoes Radical Black Humanism and Class Humanists and Liberal-Progressive Class Politics Humanism, Class and New Atheist Conservatism Class, Humanism, and Communities of Color Part VII: PRIVATE LIFE Chapter 28: The Practice of Humanism What Does It Mean to “Practice Humanism?” Humanism as a Life Stance The Six Commitments of the Humanist Life Stance Practicing the Epistemic Commitment Practicing the Naturalist Commitment Practicing the Social Commitment Practicing the Ethical Commitment Practicing the Self-Actualization Commitment Practicing the Justice Commitment Conclusion and Directions for Future Research Chapter 29: Humanism and the Conceptualization of Value and Well-Being Derkx’s Assessment of Well-Being Pinn, Complex Subjectivity, and Absence Derkx and Pinn in Conversation: Meaning Making as Value Recognition as Value Volitional Movement as Establishing Self-Worth (Valuing One’s Self) Chapter 30: Humanism and Aging A Humanist Meaning Frame Aging Human Product Human Dignity Self-Realization Love Part VIII: FUTURE PROSPECTS Chapter 31: The Changing Demographics of Humanism Secular Humanism: Definitions and General Trends Data on Secular Humanists Secular Identification Religious Attendance Childhood Religion Spouse or Partner Religion Sociodemographic Variables: Sex, Age, Education, Marital Status, and Race and Ethnicity Conclusions References Chapter 32: Humanism and Technology Heidegger and the Antihumanist Perspective on Technology Human Enhancement? Humanism and the Anthropocene Conclusion Introduction Chapter 33: Can Humanism be the Social Norm? Motivated Reasoning and the Assault on Truth Generative Interdependence Notes Bibliography Index While humanist sensibilities have played a formative role in the advancement of our species, critical attention to humanism as a field of study is a more recent development. As a system of thought that values human needs and experiences over supernatural concerns, humanism has gained greater attention amid the rapidly shifting demographics of religious communities, especially in Europe and North America. This outlook on the world has taken on global dimensions as well, with activists, artists, and thinkers forming a humanistic response not only to traditional religion, but to the pressing social and political issues of the 21st century.With in-depth, scholarly chapters, The Oxford Handbook of Humanism aims to cover the subject by analyzing its history, its philosophical development, its influence on culture, and its engagement with social and political issues. In order to expand the field beyond more Western-focused works, the Handook discusses humanism as a worldwide phenomenon, with regional surveys that explore how the concept has developed in particular contexts. The Handbook also approaches humanism as both an opponent to traditional religion as well as a philosophy that some religions have explicitly adopted. By both synthesizing the field, and discussing how it continues to grow and develop, the Handbook promises to be a landmark volume, relevant to both humanism and the rapidly changing religious landscape. "The Oxford Handbook of Humanism aims to cover the history, the philosophical development, and the influence humanist thought and culture. As a system of thought that values human needs and experiences over supernatural concerns, humanism has gained greater attention amid the rapidly shifting demographics of religious communities, especially in Europe and North America. This outlook on the world has taken on global dimensions as well, with activists, artists, and thinkers forming a humanistic response not only to traditional religion, but to the pressing social and political issues of the 21st century. To address these areas, the chapters in this volume discuss humanism as a global phenomenon-an approach that has often been neglected in more Western-focused works. The Handbook will also approach humanism as both an opponent to traditional religion as well as a philosophy that some religions have explicitly adopted. Sections are divided into regional studies, intellectual histories, humanist organizations and movements, the impact on culture, humanism in the public arena, and influence of humanism on social issues. Keywords: Humanism, atheism, unbelief, free-thought, secularism, philosophy, religious studies, sociology, history"-- Provided by publisher