Library: Humanist Resources: Humanist Thought

Contemporary Humanism

Humanism: A Very Short Introduction by Stephen Law
Call Number: B821 .L39 2011
Publication Date: 2011
Philosopher Stephen Law explains why humanism--though a rejection of religion--nevertheless provides both a moral basis and a meaning for our lives. (Description from publisher)
What Is Humanism, and Why Does It Matter? by Anthony B. Pinn (Editor)
Call Number: MFC1 B821 .W44 2013
We live in a world of social, political, economic, and religious rupture. Ideologies polarize to fuel confrontation within communities, nations and regions of the world. At this point in the twenty-first century, humanism's focus on reason, ethics and justice offers the potential to rethink and re-engage in new ways. "What Is Humanism, and Why Does It Matter?" brings together leading humanist thinkers and activists to examine humanism and how it can work in the world. (Description from publisher)
On Humanism by Richard Norman
Call Number: BL2747.6 .N67 2012
Publication Date: 2012
What is humanism and why does it matter? Is there any doctrine every humanist must hold? If it rejects religion, what does it offer in its place? Have the twentieth century’s crimes against humanity spelled the end for humanism? On Humanism is a philosophical defense of humanism. It is also a plea that we turn to ourselves, not religion, if we want to answer Socrates’ age-old question: what is the best kind of life to lead? (Description from publisher)
Humansim: An Introduction by Jim Herrick
Publication Date: 2005
Jim Herrick, a leading humanist advocate in Great Britain, provides an 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.

What Is Secular Humanism? by Paul Kurtz
ISBN: 9781591024996
Publication Date: 2007-03-06
Are there any ethical values and principles that nonreligious individuals can live by? In a time when many have forsaken otherworldly religions, what does human life mean? What is its significance? Secular humanism attempts to answer these questions in a way that resonates with human aspirations and the findings of science. In this overview of the secular humanist perspective, philosopher Paul Kurtz describes the many ways in which secular humanism's scientific, philosophical, and ethical outlook has exerted a profound influence on civilization from the ancient world to the present. (Description from publisher)
Life after Faith by Philip Kitcher
ISBN: 9780300216851
Publication Date: 2015-10-27
Philip Kitcher constructs an original and persuasive secular perspective, one that answers human needs, recognizes the objectivity of values, and provides for the universal desire for meaningfulness. Kitcher thoughtfully and sensitively considers how secularism can respond to the worries and challenges that all people confront, including the issue of mortality. He investigates how secular lives compare with those of people who adopt religious doctrines as literal truth, as well as those who embrace less literalistic versions of religion. Whereas religious belief has been important in past times, Kitcher concludes that evolution away from religion is now essential. He envisions the successors to religious life, when the senses of identity and community traditionally fostered by religion will instead draw on a broader range of cultural items--those provided by poets, filmmakers, musicians, artists, scientists, and others. (Description from publisher)
Godless Americana by Sikivu Hutchinson
ISBN: 0615586104
Publication Date: 2013-05-04
In Godless Americana, author Sikivu Hutchinson challenges the myths behind Americana images of Mom, Apple pie, white picket fences, and racially segregated god-fearing Main Street USA. In this timely essay collection, Hutchinson argues that the Christian evangelical backlash against Women’s rights, social justice, LGBT equality, and science threatens to turn back the clock on civil rights. As a result of this climate, more people of color are exploring atheism, agnosticism, and freethought. Godless Americana examines these trends, providing a groundbreaking analysis of faith and radical humanist politics in an era of racial, sexual, and religious warfare. (Description from publisher)

Reason and Reverence: Religious Humanism for the 21st Century by William R. Murry
Call Number: MFC1 BX9841.3 .M87 2006
Answering the critics who find humanism lacking the power to inspire, Murry brings a new vision of religious humanism?one that evokes compassion, spirituality and a language of reverence while grounded in reason, community, social responsibility, science and ethics. Along with an accessible account of humanism's historical development, theological challenges and future directions, on these pages readers will discover a more open and inclusive humanism, one that speaks to the heart as well as the mind. (Description from publisher)
Humanist Voices in Unitarian Universalism by Kendyl L. R. Gibbons
ISBN: 1558967834
Publication Date: 2016-11-01
Unitarian Universalist Humanists present their faith perspectives in 23 engaging and thought-provoking essays. The contributors, both lay and ordained, demonstrate why Humanism has been one of the bedrock theologies of Unitarian Universalism for the last hundred years. They reflect on what it means to be a religious Humanist today and how they see the movement evolving in the twenty-first century. They explore Humanist history, beliefs, approach to life, social justice, community, and religious education. Together, these voices proclaim a passionate affirmation of a rich and dynamic tradition within Unitarian Universalism. (Description from publisher)
The Humanist Way by Edward L. Ericson (Editor)
ISBN: 9780804421768
Publication Date: 1988-02-01
Explains the nature of ethical and religious humanism, differentiates secular and religious humanism, and stresses the importance of preserving the freedom, dignity, and well being of all people. (Description from publisher)

The End of God-Talk by Anthony B. Pinn
Call Number: MFC1 BL2525 .P56 2012
The End of God-Talk outlines the first systematic African American non-theistic theology. Pinn offers a new center for theological inquiry, grounded in a more scientific notion of the human than the imago Dei ideas that dominates African American theistic theologies. He proposes a turn to Henry David Thoreau, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and Alice Walker in order to effect a sense of ethical conduct consistent with African American non-theistic humanism. The End of God-Talk ends with an exploration of the religious significance of ordinary spaces and activities as settings for humanist theological engagement
Humanists in the Hood: Unapologetically Black, Feminist, and Heretical by Sikivu Hutchinson
Call Number: HQ1421 .H88 2020
Explores the ways in which African American women who identify as feminists and atheists are spearheading an anti-racist, social justice humanism in today's polarized political, social, and cultural climate
The Black Humanist Experience by Norm R. Allen (Editor)
ISBN: 1573929670
Publication Date: 2002-11-01
The first book dedicated entirely to humanists of African descent, The Black Humanist Experience gives African American humanists the opportunity to discuss their reasons for leaving the religious fold and embracing a humanist life stance. As a minority within a minority, African American humanists may often feel isolated and misunderstood. These thoughtful essays help to draw attention to the vitality of the humanist movement within the black community and they put many myths about humanists to rest.
Is God a White Racist? A Preamble to Black Theology by William R. Jones
Call Number: MFC1 BT82.7 .J66 1998
If a benevolent God has dominion over human history, why do certain ethnicities suffer disproportionately? Scholar William R. Jones first posed this question over twenty years ago, in this landmark critique of the black theology movement. Now, readers can once again obtain this powerful examination of evil and the nature of suffering, hope for ending oppression, and ideas expressed in the early works of Albert B. Cleage, James H. Cone, Joseph R. Washington, and others.

A Feminist Ethic of Risk by Sharon D. Welch
Call Number: MFC1 BJ1275 .W42 2000
A Feminist Ethic of Risk proposes a new model for ethics and new life orientation for social justice. It directly addresses American and European "middle-class despair" over issues and challenges seemingly too large to tackle, such as environmental destruction or racism. Her ethic uproots classical assumptions and opens up the possibility of a strong religious vision or "theology of resistance and hope." This new edition includes a new chapter that situates the feminist ethic of risk in relation to other styles and options in religious ethics today. (Description from publisher)
Humanists in the Hood: Unapologetically Black, Feminist, and Heretical by Sikivu Hutchinson
Call Number: HQ1421 .H88 2020
Explores the ways in which African American women who identify as feminists and atheists are spearheading an anti-racist, social justice humanism in today's polarized political, social, and cultural climate. (Description from publisher)
Feminism As Radical Humanism by Pauline Johnson
ISBN: 9780813323589
Publication Date: 1994-08-17
Feminism is currently at an impasse. Both the liberation feminism of the 1970’s and the more recent feminism of difference are increasingly faced with the limitations of their own perspectives. While feminists today generally acknowledge the need to recognise diversity, they lack a coherent framework through which this need can be articulated. In Feminism as Radical Humanism, Pauline Johnson calls for a reassessment of feminism’s relationship to modern humanism. She argues that despite its very thorough and necessary critique of mainstream formulations of humanist ideals, feminism itself remains strongly committed to humanist values. Drawing on a broad range of political and intellectual traditions, Johnson demonstrates that, only by proudly affirming its own humanist commitments can feminist theory find a way to negotiate the impasse in which it currently finds itself. (Description from publisher)

When Colorblindness Isn't the Answer: Humanism and the Challenge of Race by Anthony B. Pinn
Call Number: MFC1 B821 .P473 2017
The future of the United States rests in many ways on how the ongoing challenge of racial injustice in the country is addressed. Yet, humanists remain divided over what if any agenda should guide humanist thought and action toward questions of race. In this volume, Anthony B. Pinn makes a clear case for why humanism should embrace racial justice as part of its commitment to the well-being of life in general and human flourishing in particular. As a first step, humanists should stop asking why so many racial minorities remain committed to religious traditions that have destroyed lives, perverted justice, and justified racial discrimination. Rather, Pinn argues, humanists must first confront a more pertinent and pressing question: why has humanism failed to provide a more compelling alternative to theism for so many minority groups? For only with a bit of humility and perspective-and a recognition of the various ways in which we each contribute to racial injustice-can we truly fight for justice" (Description from publisher)
Creating Change Through Humanism by Roy Speckhardt
Publication Date: 2015
Humanism is "the radical idea that you can be good without a god." That's how Roy Speckhardt, the longtime executive director of the American Humanist Association, defines it. His new book, Creating Change Through Humanism, lays out how and why people can lead moral and ethical lives without belief in a higher power. While surveys show that more and more Americans are giving up on religion, merely abandoning traditional religious faith is just one step on a path to a better way of thinking. Speckhardt explains how to take the next steps with the empathy and activism that characterize humanism today. Humanism has inspired generations of individuals to improve themselves, their communities and their country. Creating Change Through Humanism describes how a humanist lifestance has influenced and can continue to advance acceptance, diversity and equality. (Description from publisher)
The Secular Conscience by Austin Dacey
Publication Date: 2008
Philosopher Austin Dacey calls for a bold rethinking of the nature of conscience and its role in public life. Inspired by an earlier liberal tradition that he traces to Spinoza and John Stuart Mill, Dacey urges liberals to lift their self-imposed gag order and defend a renewed secularism based on the objective moral value of conscience.Dacey compares conscience to the press in an open society: it is protected from coercion and control, not because it is private, but because it has a vital role in the public sphere. It is free, but not liberated from shared standards of truth and right. It must come before any and all faiths, for it is what tells us whether or not to believe. In this way, conscience supplies a shared vocabulary for meaningful dialogue in a diverse society, and an ethical lingua franca in which to address the world. (Description from publisher)

Humanism: Essays on Race, Religion and Popular Culture by Anthony B. Pinn
ISBN: 9781472581426
Publication Date: 2015-08-27
Humanism: Essays on Race, Religion and Popular Culture provides a much-needed humanities-based analysis and description of humanism in relation to these cultural markers. Whereas most existing analysis attempts to explain humanism through the natural and social sciences (the "what" of life), Anthony B. Pinn explores humanism in relation to "how" life is arranged, socialized, ritualized, and framed. This ground-breaking publication brings together old and new essays on a wide range of topics and themes, from the African-American experience, to the development of humanist churches, and the lyrics of Jay Z. (Description from publisher)

20th Century Humanism

The Case for Modern Man by Charles Frankel
Publication Date: 1960
Frankel argues that humanity can solve most its problems by embracing the rational methods and liberal ideas that distinguish the modern period. (Description from publisher)
An ethical philosophy of life presented in its main outlines, by Felix Adler.
Publication Date: 1918
Felix Adler (1851-1933) was a professor of political and social ethics and a social reformer who founded the Ethical Culture movement. "An Ethical Philosophy of Life, Presented in its Main Outline" is divided into four parts. The first is an autobiographical introduction describing the various milestones by which Adler arrived at his worldview. The second part expounds on the philosophical theory. The third part contains applications of the theory to the more strictly personal life, under the captions of the "Three Shadows of Sickness, Sorrow and Sin." The final part applies the theory to social institutions, the family, the vocation, the state, the international society and the Church. (Description from publisher)
Humanist Manifestos I & II
Call Number: BL2747.6 .H85 1973
Humanist manifesto I first appeared in The New humanist, May/June 1933. Humanist manifesto II first appeared in September/October 1973. (Description from publisher)
Why I Am Not a Christian by Bertrand Russell
Publication Date: 1963
This classic essay collection expresses the freethinker’s views to religion and challenges set notions in today’s society from one of the most influential intellectual figures of the twentieth century. Bertrand Russell has always been concerned with the basic questions to which religion also addresses itself—questions about the place of humanity in the universe and the nature of the good life, questions that involve life after death, morality, freedom, education, and sexual ethics. He brings to his treatment of these questions the same courage, scrupulous logic, and lofty wisdom for which his other work as philosopher, writer, and teacher has been famous.

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Wiggin Library

The Wiggin Library catalog contains over 35,000 volumes, primarily specializing in Unitarianism, Universalism, and Unitarian Universalism. It also contains an extensive holdings on American freethought and humanism. This collection is available to faculty, students, and community members, and most of our books can be circulated through the mail. To inquire about creating an account to access the Wiggin library, email library@meadville.edu.

Humanist Special Collection

This guide was created as part of the Humanist Special Collection at the Meadville Lombard Library and Archives. The Humanist Special Collection houses archival materials that document the growth and impact of humanism within both Unitarian Universalism and the larger world. The Humanist Special Collection contains personal papers from notable humanists, the records of humanist organizations and congregations, and collections centered around specific themes and events tied to humanism.