A brief, clear and to-the-point account of the basics of humanism. I have seen many people, including myself, independently come up with very similar ideas for their personal philosophy. Humanist is a great label, provided one is sought, for someone who value human life, rationality, and reject supernaturalism and superstition.

There are a couple of criticism that I can make. For one, I would wish the language to be more precise at times. Careful attention to wording is one way to avoid reinforcing misconceptions that exist in the public at large. Also, I thought that the authors took unnecessary swipes at capitalism and consumerism, only a few, though. ( )

This handy little pamphlet came as a gift following my renewal of membership in the American Humanist Association. It contains all anyone needs to know about Humanism, along with sections that answer the question, “Are you a Humanist?”

I especially liked one part of Chapter Two: “Seven Contributing Ideas” of Humanism.
These ideas include several things I had thought about and concluded for myself years ago. It is comforting to see I have a strong foundation for my philosophy of life. The seven ideas include: “1. life should be experienced deeply, lived fully, with environmentally sensitive awareness and appreciation of that which is around us; 2. nature is thoroughly worthy of attention and study; 3. confidence in humankind; 4. equality of rights among humans; 5. cooperation and mutual aid; 6. [belief in] evolution as worked out by 19th century scientists; and 7. [reliance on] scientific thinking” ( 25-26).

This short book is available from the American Humanist Association bookshop at http://www.americanhumanist.org/index.html

--Jim, 5/5/08 ( )