Humanism in a Non-Humanist World

287 Pages·2017·3.455 MB·English

by  Monica R. Miller

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Studies in Humanism and Atheism
Series editors
Anthony B. Pinn
Rice University
Houston, TX, USA
Jürgen Manemann
Forschungsinstitut für Philosophie
Hannover
Germany
Although numerous scholars and activists have written academic and pop-
ular texts meant to unpack and advocate for humanism and atheism as life
orientations, what is needed at this point is clear and consistent attention
to the various dimensions of humanist and atheist thought and practice.
This is the type of focused agenda that this book series makes possible.
Committed to discussions that include but extend well beyond the United
States, books in the series—meant for specialists and a general r eadership—
offer new approaches to and innovative discussions of humanism and
atheism that take into consideration the sociocultural, political, economic,
and religious dynamics informing life in the twenty-first century.
More information about this series at
http://www.springer.com/series/15125
Monica R. Miller
Editor
Humanism
in a Non-Humanist
World
Editor
Monica R. Miller
Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA, USA
Studies in Humanism and Atheism
ISBN 978-3-319-57909-2 ISBN 978-3-319-57910-8 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-57910-8
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017943657
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017
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Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights
of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction
on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and
retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology
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The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this
publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are
exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and
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Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied,
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Cover credit: proud_natalia
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To Dr. Warren Wolf
In Memoria
A
cknowledgements
Specific thanks are owed to the Institute for Humanist Studies (IHS) in
Washington, D.C., and to its Director of Research, Anthony B. Pinn
for enabling such unique, robust, and formidable spaces for unfolding
dialogue, and extended engagement on Humanism. Over the years,
the research spaces afforded by the IHS have brought together unlikely
thinkers across field, occupation, and life philosophies from all over the
globe. These rare opportunities are ostensibly marked by the highest
commitment to thinking, debating, wrestling, and reasoning together.
I am thoroughly grateful for having had the wonderful opportunity to
have participated in several of these symposia—which have always left
me feeling affirmatively challenged towards something new, and some-
thing different. A special word of thanks is owed to series co-editor
Jürgen Manemann who co-edits this series on Studies in Humanism and
Atheism along with Pinn. In addition, my thanks to Palgrave Macmillan,
especially Philip Getz for his hard work with this series, as well as kind
patience and guidance as I worked through this volume. This book
sprang from the occasion of the 2013 IHS meeting in Houston, Texas
at Rice University which asked participants to consider the question,
“How should humanism relate to a Non-Humanist World?” This volume
draws from this meeting in 2013, and would not exist without Pinn’s
guidance and support at various levels. It was in and through his for-
midable work, unmatched mentorship, and constant challenge to remain
reflexive and ask the ‘hard’ questions of life that I first came into my
own voice in, and stance on, humanism. To him, and for his continued
vii
viii ACkNOWLEDGEMENTS
bearing witness to such necessary and difficult work, I am ever grateful.
Additional acknowledgements are due to the board, colleagues and fel-
lows of the IHS, some of whom contributed to this volume, others who
have shown valuable support to me along the way, and in other ‘human-
ist’ endeavors. Of course, I wish to thank each of the contributors for
their generosity and patience with my editorial task, and more basi-
cally, for giving us rich food for thought in the form of this collection of
essays. Further thanks to Jürgen Manemann, Anna Maria Hauk and col-
leagues at the Forshungsinstitut Fur Philosophie, Hannover, Germany.
Prior Fellows and staff of the Institute have provided essays in this vol-
ume, where the completion of this volume was also undertaken while in
residence as a Fellow, away from my home institution, Lehigh University
on sabbatical. A special word of thanks to Christopher Driscoll, for his
enduring encouragement and support of this work, especially for his
ever-gracious feedback, suggestions, and editorial wisdom throughout
the many stages of this volume from the early stages of development
to submission of this manuscript. Lastly, to my mother Charlotte Ann
Pace Spano, my grandmother Addie Pace, and my sister Nicole Lynette
Tricoche, who all, in their own unique ways, taught me how to be skepti-
cal, think logically but never be over-certain, encouraged me to always
think (and do!) for myself, and ‘mothered’ me in all of the complex ways
in which one ought be critically generous, yet generously critical when
developing, and utilizing a hermeneutic of suspicion. Most importantly,
respectively—my grandmothers love for, service in, yet critique of the
Baptist Church, my mother’s penchant for eclecticism of life philoso-
phies from her start in the church to her arrival in Buddhism, and my big
sister’s mandate that without knowledge (of self, and others), without
a politic of equality, without a stance on life that is radically inclusive of
others, we have not yet begun living, nor come into our own.
c
ontents
1 Introduction 1
Monica R. Miller
Part I Humanism in a Non-Humanist World
2 World-Views as Options—Humanistic and
Non-humanistic 35
Matthias Jung
3 Us vs. Them: But Who Is Us and Who Is Them? 57
Herb Silverman
4 Secular Voices of Color—Digital Storytelling 75
Elonda Clay and Christopher M. Driscoll
5 Where Humanism Is, and Where It Is Headed in This
Non-Humanist World 99
Norm R. Allen
ix
x CONTENTS
Part II Humanism in a Non-Humanist World
6 How Could Humanists Become Solidary with the Non-
Humanist World? Towards an Anamnestic Humanism 117
Jürgen Manemann
7 The Absence of Presence: Relating to Black (Non)
Humanisms in Popular Culture 133
Monica R. Miller
8 Rudy’s Paradox: The ALIENation of Race and Its
Non-Humans 151
Christopher M. Driscoll
9 Figuring in Scripture 171
Allen Dwight Callahan
Part III Humanism in a Non-Humanist World
10 A Case for Community: Within and Beyond the Four
Walls 193
Mike Aus
11 Uncanny Nihilism and Cornel West’s Tragic Humanism 209
Eike Brock
12 Relating to a “Non-Humanist” World: Participating in
Democracy, on Why the Humanist Viewpoint Matters 237
Toni Van Pelt
13 Postscript 261
Monica R. Miller
Index 265