the little book of humanism: Universal lessons on finding purpose, meaning and joy by Andrew Copson and Alice Roberts. Piatkus (London 2020). Hbk. 256 pages. £6.55.
Last year Andrew Copson and Alice Roberts of Humanists UK joined the ever-growing band of authors of 'little books' about a wide range of subjects designed for busy people with enquiring minds. Their publication, the little book of humanism (title depicted fashionably in lower case script) is a very different animal from Søren and Jesper's the little red school book (lower case title designed for youth appeal) in translation from the Danish (price 30p) and its evangelical Christian attempt at counterbalance, The Little White Book by Johannes Facius, Johny Noer and Ove Stage (price 25p) which I reviewed for a student magazine in 1971. The two above, both written for young people, were none the less unashamedly preachy; the former stridently advocating freedom from traditional moral restraints in the realms of sex and drugs, the latter earnestly expressing dire warnings against dabbling in either.
For a start, the little book of humanism has been attractively produced as a small hardback with a green and gold lettered cover, using sustainably resourced paper and thoughtfully designed for a range of different uses. It is basically an anthology of carefully chosen quotations drawn from a wide variety of sources, some of 'classical' provenance but most taken from the writings of twentieth century authors – a mix of fiction and non-fiction – contributors having come from philosophy and the arts generally, from the sciences, many lesser known and from overseas. The text is well spaced, never overcrowded on the page and often faced with beautiful pen-and-ink line drawings by the multi-talented Dr Alice Roberts herself, or with well chosen black and white photographs from other sources. At the back of the book there is a glossary of thumbnail information about each of the textual contributors and each of the additional illustrators too.
As hinted earlier, the book ticks a number of boxes. It will satisfy the busy reader who is curious to find out basic facts about Humanism. It will be a helpful supplement to the Humanist celebrants' 'bible', Seasons of Life, as well as being an inspirational source for members of the public seeking help in planning rites of passage events. Further, it could function as an ideal 'thought for the day' meditational handbook, reminiscent of the daily Bible-reading notes published for devout Christians. Dedicated 'to all those who think for themselves and act for others', the book takes the reader from a brief and accessible introduction to Humanism through an unfolding and logical progression of uplifting and wise quotations – via the place of evolved humanity in the universe, reflections about the natural world, about human diversity and equality, morality and reason, science and progress – to religion and faith, finding meaning, death and living well.
There were so many good quotations, but one which made a particular impression on me was from James Hemmings, a past president of Humanists UK:
'Our entire bodies and brains are made of a few dollars' worth of common elements: oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon, enough calcium to whitewash a chicken coop, sufficient iron to make a two-inch nail, phosphorus to tip a good number of matches, enough sulphur to dust a flea-plagued dog, together with modest amounts of potassium, chlorine, magnesium and sodium. Assemble them all in the right proportion, build the whole into an intricate interacting system, and the result is our feeling, thinking, striving, imagining, creative selves. Such ordinary elements; such extraordinary results!'
As I finished reading this delightful new introduction to Humanism I was particularly struck by its gentleness and non-hectoring tone. I wondered how much this might have been a result of Alice Roberts's warm influence on Humanists UK in recent years. Her personal emphasis on the need for 'kindness' would seem to be stamped all over it.
Penny Mawdsley is a long-term member of SOF. She has been a SOF trustee, chair of trustees and a past editor of Portholes. She now convenes the Merseyside and North Wales SOF Group.