Overview

According to bestselling historian Yuval Noah Harari, today's average American has their foot in three ideological camps: nationalism, free market capitalism, and humanism. The first two might seem obvious, but the third? It's entirely possible that most who qualify for that label would be hard pressed to explain its meaning, much less use it self-descriptively. This book is designed to serve two important purposes: First, to provide an accessible resource for anyone curious about the humanist tradition and the arguments advanced by leading contemporary proponents. Second, to address what the author believes is a critical question for our time, the era of the Anthropocene: Is humanism's seemingly benign package of values at least partially responsible for some of the world's most pressing problems? To answer the last question, Schuler draws from an eclectic collection of commentators, including life scientists, spiritual writers, public intellectuals, technologists, novelists, and even poets. In the end, this wide-ranging survey will help the reader determine whether humanism makes sense for them.

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9781666774375

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Reviews

"""This prodigious work captures the thought of dozens of humanists and anti-humanists alike in concise and accessible ways. Humanism has never seen itself as a static worldview. Michael Schuler's scholarship illuminates the next stage of its journey."" --William F. Schulz, author of Making the Manifesto ""Michael Schuler's definitive exploration of humanism taps into a diverse and far-reaching array of expert voices to consider both the history of the controversy surrounding humanism and the implications of humanism in contemporary society. As he points out, while few may self-identify as humanists, 'it has stealthily risen to a position of ideological primacy.' That makes Humanism: In Command or in Crisis a timely and thought-provoking dive into what could be an existential topic for a planet in crisis."" --Paul Fanlund, publisher, The Capital Times ""This ambitious study, based on decades of research and reflection, explores the development of humanist thought, broadly considered, from the Renaissance to the present. Michael Schuler points to the pervasive presence of the humanist, anthropocentric outlook in our current culture and judiciously questions whether this has been an unmitigated good for the world we inhabit. Deeply insightful and beautifully written, this is a significant book."" --Charles L. Stinger, professor emeritus of history, University at Buffalo ""Humanism: In Command or in Crisis is valuable and timely. Michael Schuler clearly lays out contending humanist and anti-humanist perspectives in international environmentalism. While there is tension and disagreement among thought leaders about biocentrism, politics, equity, and human intervention necessary to improve our land's health, this book rightly concludes that Aldo Leopold's land ethic philosophy is a preeminent humanist's inspiration to philosophic evolution ever more relevant to our current and impending environmental crises."" --Brent Haglund, director, Sand County Foundation"

"""This prodigious work captures the thought of dozens of humanists and anti-humanists alike in concise and accessible ways. Humanism has never seen itself as a static worldview. Michael Schuler's scholarship illuminates the next stage of its journey."" --William F. Schulz, author of Making the Manifesto ""Michael Schuler's definitive exploration of humanism taps into a diverse and far-reaching array of expert voices to consider both the history of the controversy surrounding humanism and the implications of humanism in contemporary society. As he points out, while few may self-identify as humanists, 'it has stealthily risen to a position of ideological primacy.' That makes Humanism: In Command or in Crisis a timely and thought-provoking dive into what could be an existential topic for a planet in crisis."" --Paul Fanlund, publisher, The Capital Times ""This ambitious study, based on decades of research and reflection, explores the development of humanist thought, broadly considered, from the Renaissance to the present. Michael Schuler points to the pervasive presence of the humanist, anthropocentric outlook in our current culture and judiciously questions whether this has been an unmitigated good for the world we inhabit. Deeply insightful and beautifully written, this is a significant book."" --Charles L. Stinger, professor emeritus of history, University at Buffalo ""Humanism: In Command or in Crisis is valuable and timely. Michael Schuler clearly lays out contending humanist and anti-humanist perspectives in international environmentalism. While there is tension and disagreement among thought leaders about biocentrism, politics, equity, and human intervention necessary to improve our land's health, this book rightly concludes that Aldo Leopold's land ethic philosophy is a preeminent humanist's inspiration to philosophic evolution ever more relevant to our current and impending environmental crises."" --Brent Haglund, director, Sand County Foundation"

Author Information

Michael A. Schuler served Unitarian Universalist congregations as senior minister for over forty years, including thirty at the predominantly humanist First Unitarian Society of Madison, Wisconsin. Under his leadership, the society grew to become one of the largest in the Unitarian Universalist movement. He holds a PhD in the humanities from Florida State University.

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