Book Review - Positive Humanism

Bo Bennett's Positive Humanism

I just finished reading Bo Bennett's new book - Positive Humanism: A Primer .  I enjoyed it. It's a short read - just 32 pages in pdf form and consists of several short essays - that take us through the basics of Positive Humanism.

This is an academically oriented book. It is meant to be a sequel to Gerard Larue's The Way of Positive Humanism . What is Positive Humanism?  Is the focus of Humanism on all that is positive - how to live life better and be a better person and flourish - and a downplaying of the - what we are against approach that a lot of the modern Humanist movement seems to find itself stuck in.

Now, for a Humanist, like me, some of this was a bit redundant, known and obvious. I wouldn't necessarily call his version of Humanism, Positive Humanism as something separate from what I know Humanism to be - but at the same time, I understand why it might be necessary given the current movement's penchant to focus on - rights of non-belief - as if that is the sum total of what we Humanists are concerned about.

Back to the book, For someone new to the concept of Humanism, or who is coming out of the self-help and success guru world, or who - like the author, spent time as an angry atheist and is trying to rid themselves of their "anger" – this is a really good book and a really needed book.

I kind of wish I had read his bio (which is at the back) first as it would have made the rest of the book – and how he approached the subject make more sense. But again, that may be because I'm well versed in the subject and so understanding WHY Bo wrote this book and his background would have helped me appreciate his approach better.  His background by the way is self help guru turned self help skeptic turned angry atheist, turned social psychologist PhD, turned advocate for Positive Humanism, as a way to combat the many "success" myths that permeate the self help word..

As for the specific content. I liked how he laid out the scientific case for rationalism and morality without religion.  I also liked how he dealt with the problem of free will. This may seem esoteric - but it does matter to the practice of Humanism because if we don't have free will (and the scientific jury is still out on that), then how can we choose to be good.  His answer is - it doesn't matter if we have free will or not. I love that. That's kind of how I approach it to.

 However, his conclusion on the topic of free will left me feeling a little icky.  His conclusion is about how we are part of the causal chain for others.  We can change others.  This bothered me a bit because my own Humanist practice is so inward looking. Yeah – I’m dedicated to making the world a better place. But intentionally trying to change someone – that makes me uncomfortable. It seems disrespectful. I think of Humanism as a personal practice. That is what works for me. I share it because I think others could be helped by it as well. But they are free to chose a different path. Intentionally trying to change other people who don’t want to be changed bothers me. I got what he was saying. It's a way to deal with the free will problem and not devolve into victim blaming by taking an optimistic and positive and compassionate approach to people who believe and behave differently – but it still smacked of privilege and ego.

All in all - it's a good addition to the written world of Humanism. Now – if I can just talk him into turning his Many Myths of Success presentation into an online course for Humanist Learning System.

You Learn by Living - book review

 I was given given this book, You Learn by Living: Eleven Keys for a More Fulfilling Life for Christmas. Because it takes me forever to read things, I only just finished it.  I have an excuse, I'm a mom and the only time I have free to read is my lunch break which is only really 1/2 hour long including food prep time.

Anyway, LOVED THIS BOOK!  I recommend it. In fact, if you are a Humanist parent, or a parent at all, you should get it. It contains so much excellent advice for raising kids in a humanistic way. It really does remind me of my own childhood and the approach my parents took with us kids.

If you are a fan of my writing (see http://jen-hancock.com/books.html ) I recommend this book as a supplement. I really feel vindicated in a way. My approach can't be half bad if it is the same advice that Eleanor was giving out.

She talks about the importance of critical thinking and of learning and learning to see beyond the obvious to what is really important. She talks about the importance of being genuinely interested in people so that you learn from them instead of seeing them as competitor. She talks about our responsibilities as citizens in a participatory democracy. And she does it all brilliantly.

If you are a Humanist, read this book, it provides important lessons in applied Humanism.

Yo Solo - wonderful!

My friend Chaz Mena, a fellow Humanist and accomplished actor, starred in a one man show that was recorded for pbs.  It is called Yo Solo and it is about Bernardo de Galvez, a Spaniard who basically helped us win the Battle of Pensacola and therefore the revolution.

This is a delightful film. If you are a history buff, you will enjoy it. If you are a Humanist, you will enjoy it. The themes of the show are not just revolution but also morality and human nature and courage and doing what is right despite the odds against you.

There is one segment in particular I liked that had to do with how people are immobilized by fear. For me, this is a recurring theme that I have to deal with because, well, it is immoblizing. I feel like I am always having to fight against that to move forward in my life.

Anyway - The video is excellent, my friend does a wonderful job and you all should see it. You can view it free online at: http://www.wsre.org/galvez/  Enjoy.

An important history for the freethought movement

I really enjoyed John Emerson Roberts: Kansas City's ''Up-to-date'': Freethought Preacher . It follows the life of John Emerson Roberts, who was a Freethought preacher in Kansas who also spent time in Chicago. I am active in the freethought movement being a Humanist and having worked for a Humanist organization. I am well aware of the problems our movement has with respectability, infighting and more.

What was interesting about this book was to find out that these are the same problems the freethought movement had back in the late 1800s early 1900s. It's depressing to think we haven't progressed since that time. This movement is still largely a movement of intellectuals.

What I did find really cool was that there were several freethought preachers giving regular services in the major cities. At one point Chicago had 3 freethought preachers who you could get a lecture from on a weekly basis. We don't have that anymore, but I think it is definitely needed. The only group I can think of is the North Texas Church of Freethought.

I think the reason these freethought churches" died out is because they were largely totally dependent on the preacher. When they weren't available, there were no replacement for lectures. As we move forward, we need to ensure our communities have an ample supply of speakers and "preachers" so that our communities don't die when the leader does.

On a personal note, my family was involved in the freethought community of Chicago so when the story takes John Roberts to Chicago, I kept thinking about the fact that my relatives probably had gone to see him preach, or they had been involved with one of his competitors. That was neat.

All in all a very enjoyable read and I really think that anyone who is active in the secular community would benefit from reading this book because of just how important it is to understand our history as a movement. A lot of people are under the impression this is a new movement, but it isn't. We have a history and we should learn it so that we can build upon that history instead of reinventing the same history and making the same mistakes.

Why I like Indian cinema

I was watching a movie called Break Ke Baad the other day and I realized why I like Bollywood movies. They are infused with a Humanistic sensibility. This is a love story with a traditional guy and a modern girl. The girl doesn't want to follow the traditional marriage route. She wants to live by her own rules.

They attend a wedding and have a discussion about family obligations. She doesn't like the obligations. He talks about how they aren't obligations. They are ways for you to show that you love the other person by taking their feelings into account in your decision making.

Like the girl in this movie - I think obligations for the sake of obligations aren't a good thing. However, I also understand the fact that being responsible to my relationships and the people I love is what not only gives my life meaning, it is what makes life enjoyable.

Keep in mind that no one in this woman's life is asking her to do anything she doesn't want to do.They want her to fulfill her dreams. They are only asking her to take their feelings into consideration. She is at first unable to understand the difference. It is only when she looses the guy she loves because she isn't treating him well that she finally understands.

As a Humanist, I feel very strongly that we must be compassionate with other people in our interpersonal relationships. It is how we strike the balance between our need for autonomy and our need for companionship that dictates how successful we will be in life.

In other words,you fulfill your social obligations are because of love – you don’t do them because you have to. You do them because you care about the impact you have on other people.

Here is a preview of the movie which I definitely enjoyed even though it wasn't a traditional musical. The musical numbers were all montages.

People Will Talk about Humanistic Medicine

 

I saw this movie last night. My mother had recommended it. It was excellent. Classic Cary Grant. But more important to me was the story it told. People Will Talk is a  1951 remake of a German film that came out the year before and the plot is basically Humanism vs. traditionalism. As a Humanist, I loved it.

The basic story is that you have a doctor practicing what we now call Humanistic Medicine who is a) being challenged for unethical conduct by a colleague and b) who falls in love with a pregnant woman, which is obviously scandalous for the time. But what gets people talking is actually his mysterious friend who is like a man servant to him, but who is actually just a very good friend. This friend has his own story that again, highlights the applied humanist ethics of our lead character. And yes, it is very powerful.

Dr. Praetorius, our lead, runs a clinic where patients are considered humans and not inmates. They are real people to be treated with compassion and not just as lumps of flesh to be cured. As much attention is paid to their mental health as it is to their physical health. And if you were wondering why more doctors don't practice medicine this way, you will be glad to know that there is a modern movement to encourage doctors to approach their work with exactly this attitude. It is promoted by the Gold Foundation (for Humanistic Medicine).

Dr. Praetorius' relationship with the woman pregnant out of wedlock and her family is compassionate, ethical, and responsible and ultimately very loving. As is his relationship with his friend Shunderson. Shunderson is a beautifully written character and well acted by Finlay Currie.

This movie covers a variety of difficult topics but ultimately encourages all of us to lead ethical and compassionate lives and to do what is right by others. It doesn't matter that people will talk, as Dr. Praetorius shows, there is joy to be found living life ethically, fully, intentionally and compassionately.

Book Review: The Happy Humanist

 I was given the book, The Happy Humanist, to read and review by it's author.  It's a nice short book, less than 100 pages, and I agree with everything in it. But then, that's because I'm a Humanist myself.

This book isn't about the Humanist philosophy, which isn't mentioned or defined at all.  It is a book about how a Humanist views the self. How we view our place in the universe.  How we view ourselves in relationship to other people and why we view ourselves this way.  Of course, since the word Humanist isn't mentioned in the book at all, it is only referenced in it's title, you have to constantly remind yourself that he is in fact writing from a Humanist perspective.

That being said, his advice is good. Same advice I give in my book (see link on the right) I kept thinking as I read the book that it was all rather Buddhist in it's approach, like the part about being detached, but not too detached.  There is a reason why it sounds Buddhist and that is because the teachings of Siddhartha were Humanistic in nature.

Do I recommend this book?  Yes. It's a bit academic and dry, but all the important bits about how we Humanists view life, the universe and everything are in there. The only downside is that it isn't always clear what his recommendations are for living life. They are sometimes hidden in the larger discussion. It's also  not easily quotable. I kept wanting to share some of the insights, but they won't fit in a twitter post. I realize that might be a selling point for some people actually.

The real question is whether this100 page book is worth its $16,95 US list price. That, I can't answer for you. As the Happy Humanist points out repeatedly, you are the only one who can determine what is best for you.