Richard Hofstadter: Anti-Intellectualism in American Life, The Paranoid Style in American Politics, Uncollected Essays 1956–1965
EDITED BY SEAN WILENTZ LIBRARY OF AMERICA, 2020 Conspiracy theories are the last refuge of the status quo—its last line of ideological defense. “It’s not that our institutions are bad,” a conspiracy theory promises, “It’s... Read More
Unburying Diderot
An excerpt from Diderot and the Art of Thinking Freely by Andrew S. Curran Sometime during the snowy winter of 1793, under cover of night, a small group of thieves pried open a wooden door... Read More
The Black Humanist Heathen Gaze
On Wednesday, May 20, the American Humanist Association’s Center for Education presents its May Speaker Series event via Zoom (6:30-8:00pm ET) with Sikivu Hutchinson. The author will discuss her new book, Humanists in the Hood:... Read More
Elle the Humanist: An Interview with a Young Humanist Author
Since hearing about Elle Harris, the nine-year-old author of the upcoming humanist book Elle the Humanist, from my coworker Emily Newman—who, incidentally, helped to edit the book—I’ve tried to recollect the remarkable things I did... Read More
How to Live a Good Life: A Guide to Choosing Your Personal Philosophy
EDITED BY MASSIMO PIGLIUCCI, SKYE C. CLEARY, AND DANIEL A. KAUFMAN VINTAGE, 2020 How to Live a Good Life is not an overview of world religions and philosophies—rather, it’s intended to be an anthology that... Read More
For Small Creatures Such as We: Rituals for Finding Meaning in Our Unlikely World
BY SASHA SAGAN G.P. PUTNAM'S SONS, 2019 Life is worth celebrating and we should take the time to celebrate family, friendships, ourselves, milestones, and the wonders of the universe. This is the message of Sasha... Read More
Race in a Godless World: Atheism, Race, and Civilization, 1850–1914
BY NATHAN G. ALEXANDER NYU PRESS, 2019 Nathan G. Alexander’s Race in a Godless World: Atheism, Race, and Civilization, 1850–1914 is a better book than its title, however accurate, might indicate. Well written and informative,... Read More