231 | Sarah Bakewell on the History of Humanism

In 'Second from Last in the Sack Race', David Nobbs crafts a comedic tale of Henry Pratt, a young boy born into poverty with a challenging family life. Despite his difficulties, Henry proves to be a resilient and imaginative underdog, embodying the spirit of the great British underdog. The novel is part of the Henry Pratt series and offers a witty portrayal of a Yorkshire boyhood.

This book is a unique biography that tells the story of Michel de Montaigne's life through the questions he asked himself and the various answers he explored in his essays. Montaigne, a Renaissance nobleman and philosopher, wrote essays that were free-roaming explorations of his thoughts and experiences. Bakewell's work delves into Montaigne's upbringing, his career, his friendships, and his reflections on life, death, and human nature. The book provides twenty different answers to the overarching question 'How to live?' drawn from Montaigne's texts, offering practical and philosophical advice on living a good life[1][3][4].

This book by Sarah Bakewell delves into the history and philosophy of existentialism, starting with a pivotal moment in 1933 when Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and Raymond Aron discussed phenomenology over apricot cocktails. It explores how this encounter inspired Sartre to integrate phenomenology into his philosophy, leading to the development of existentialism. The book follows the lives and philosophies of key existentialists, including Heidegger, Husserl, Camus, and Merleau-Ponty, and discusses themes such as freedom, authenticity, absurdity, and the search for meaning. It also examines the role of existentialism in post-war liberation movements like anti-colonialism, feminism, and gay rights. Bakewell interweaves biography and philosophy to make complex ideas accessible and engaging for general readers.

The Decameron is a collection of novellas written by Giovanni Boccaccio, composed between 1349 and 1353. The book is structured as a frame story where ten young people (seven women and three men) escape the Black Death in Florence by retreating to a villa in the countryside. Over ten days, each member of the group tells a story, resulting in a total of 100 tales. The stories cover a wide range of themes, including love, fortune, wit, and deception. Boccaccio's work is notable for its humanistic perspective, emphasizing intelligence and wit over dogma, and it provides a vivid portrayal of contemporary urban society during the time of the plague. The Decameron has had a profound influence on Renaissance literature and continues to be a significant work in Italian literature[1][3][4].

The novel follows the arrival of the Overlords, mysterious aliens who bring about a utopian era of peace and prosperity on Earth. However, this new era comes at the cost of human creativity, ambition, and eventually, human identity. The story is divided into three parts, each exploring different themes: the initial invasion, the golden age under the Overlords, and the eventual transformation of human children into a new form of psychic hive-mind consciousness. The novel raises philosophical questions about the nature of humanity, the price of progress, and the ultimate fate of the human race under alien supervision.

This book is a collection of lectures delivered by William James at the University of Edinburgh between 1901 and 1902. It focuses on the personal and subjective aspects of religious experiences, rather than on theology or organized religion. James examines various types of religious experiences, including healthy-mindedness, the sick soul, conversion, mysticism, and saintliness. He emphasizes the importance of feeling and personal experience in religion, arguing that these experiences are the primary source of religious beliefs and practices. The book also discusses the psychological and philosophical implications of these experiences, highlighting their complexity and life-altering nature[2][3][4].

Candide, written by Voltaire, is a satirical novel that critiques metaphysical optimism, particularly the philosophy of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. The story revolves around Candide, a naive and optimistic young man who is expelled from his home after an illicit affair with the baron's daughter, Cunégonde. Candide and his companions, including his tutor Pangloss, experience a series of horrific events such as wars, earthquakes, slavery, and other atrocities. Despite these hardships, Pangloss persists in his belief that 'all is for the best in this best of all possible worlds.' The novel ultimately concludes with Candide and his friends settling on a farm in Turkey, where they find happiness by focusing on practical, everyday tasks rather than philosophical speculations. Voltaire uses satire to lampoon various aspects of 18th-century society, including science, philosophy, religion, and government[2][3][5].

In 'Humanly Possible', Sarah Bakewell delves into the expansive tradition of humanist thought, tracing its development from the 14th century to the present. The book highlights humanism's emphasis on shared humanity, cultural vibrancy, and moral responsibility, featuring figures like Voltaire, Zora Neale Hurston, and Bertrand Russell. Bakewell's narrative is both an intellectual adventure and a call to care for one another, reminding readers of humanism's enduring power despite historical opposition.