THE HUMANIST INSTITUTE
Class V

Mentors: Pat Hoertdoerfer and Robert Tapp

Session 1. Humanist Philosophies and Ideologies

An intensive seminar discussion o{ modern religious and secular humanism, naturalism, scientific humanism. The relevant works of Dewey, Huxley, Fromm, and others were read in advance. Humanist Manifestos I and II were examined critically. Current humanist philosophic issues were discussed.

Overviews of humanism

• Manifestos I and II
• Corliss Lamont, The Philosophy of Humanism

Institutionalizing humanism

• Howard Radest, The Devil and Secular Humanism
• Edward Erickson, The Humanist Way

Varieties of humanist philosophy

• Bertrand Russell, Why I am not a Christian
• Erich Fromm, Marx's Concept of Man
• John Dewey, A Common Faith
• Julian Huxley, The Humanist Frame
• John-Paul Sartre, Existentialism as a Humanism

Session 2. Humanist Histories and Organizations

The seminar examined the history of humanism, including such forerunners of modern humanism as free thought, deism, the "religion of humanity" and rationalism. Humanist movements in the United States and abroad were analyzed, including humanist developments within non-humanist organizations. The work of humanist founders and pioneers&emdash;both women and men&emdash;was reviewed. Humanist organizations were examined in terms of their successes and failures.

• David Robinson, The Unitarians and Universalists
• Immanuel Kant, What Is Enlightenment?
• Howard Radest, Toward Common Ground
• Sherwin Wine, Judaism Beyond God

plus selected readings from:

• George Axtelle, "John Dewey and the Genius of American Civilization" in: Lawson, Douglas E.; Arthur E. Lean, eds., John Dewey and the World View
• Nona Coxhead, The Relevance of Bliss: A Contemporary Exploration of Mystic Experience
• Andrew Greeley, Religious Change in America
• Catherine Keller & J. A. Columbo, Two North American Political Theologies
• Edmund Wilson, The Emergence and History of the American Humanist Association
• Peter Williams, Unitarianism and Universalism
• Martin Marty, Free Thought and Ethical Movements
• Melvin B. Endy,Jr., The Society of Friends
• Jacob Neusner, Judaism in Contemporary America
• Abraham J. Karp, The Emergence of an American Judaism
• Deborah Dash Moore, Social History of American Judaism
• Catherine Albanese, Transcendentalism
• William McGuire King, Liberalism

Session 3. Relationships to Traditional Religions and Ideologies

An examination of humanistic themes and qualities in the major religious traditions. Similarities and differences among humanism and other life philosophies were explored. Possibilities of alliances were evaluated. Meanings of 'humanism' within traditions was examined.

Traditional Religions

• Smith, The World's Religions

Using Traditional Materials

• Gerald LaRue, Ancient Myth and Modern Life
• John Yohannon, Treasury of Asian Literature (selections)

Arguments for a Common Mystical Core

• William James, Varieties of Religious Experience

Arguments for Difference

• Riane Eisler, The Chalice and the Blade
• Robert Miller, The Complete Gospels

Existentialist and Behaviorist "Alternatives"

• B.F. Skinner, Walden Two
• Albert Camus, The Plague

Session 4. Social and Ethical Issues

The seminar examined alternative political and economic ideologies together with the implications for social organization. Among the views explored were varieties of capitalism and socialism. We discussed alternative views of democratic society, representative government, and participatory democracy. The implications of these alternatives for humanistic values and the direction given by humanistic values to choices among these alternatives were examined.

Humanism as a philosophy of living must confront issues in public as well as private life This seminar focused on those public issues which call for a humanist response and to which humanists must address themselves in thought, speech, and action. The aim of the seminar was to clarify issues and contexts, establish philosophic guidelines for making moral judgments, and identify ways by which humanists can respond to the community needs.

• Joseph Schumpeter, Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy
• Laurel Richardson & Verta Taylor, Feminist Frontiers II: Rethinking Sex, Gender, and Society
• Joe Holland & Peter Henriot, Social Analysis: Linking Faith and Justice
• Kenneth Wald, Religion and Politics in the United States, 2nd ed.
• Daniel Bonevac, Today's Moral Issues
• Kurt Vonnegut, Cat's Cradle

Session 5. Gender and Family Issues

Gender and family issues have become central among the concerns of contemporary humanists. The seminar explored perspectives within contemporary feminism. We also reviewed contemporary literature on families, seeking ways to bring humanist principles to bear upon these two areas. Our goal was to prepare for leadership in these areas where traditional authority has both failed and been discarded, and to prepare humanist leaders to facilitate fresh insights.

• Carol Gilligan, In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women's Development
• Roger Greeley (ed.), The Best of Robert Ingersoll
• Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Family and Nation
• Augustus Y. Napier, with Carl Whitaker, The Family Crucible: The Intense Experience of Family Therapy
• Lillian B. Rubin, Intimate Strangers: Men and Women Together
• Wade Clark Roof (ed.), Religion in the Nineties
• Alice S. Rossi (ed.), Gender and the Life Course
• Arlene S. Skolnick, & Jerome H. Skolnick (eds), Family in Transition, Sixth Ed.
• Carol Tavris, The Mismeasure of Women
• James Turner, Without God, Without Creed: The Origins of Unbelief in America

Session 6. Science

Since the Enlightenment, humanists have associated reasoning with the pursuit of the sciences. The seminar examined this historic relationship, its, results, and some of its contemporary critics. We also explored theoretical and therapeutic issue related to the development of the human self.

• Laurence Levine and Jane Koretz in Humanism Today
• Philip Regal, The Anatomy of Judgment
• Fritjof Capra & David Steindl-Rast, Belonging to the Universe
• Carl Degler, The Search for Human Nature
• National Academy of Science, On Being a Scientist
• Robert Tapp et al., "Theology and the Frontiers of Learning"
• Aldous Huxley, Island
• Books for special session conducted by Calvin Chatlos
• Brinner, An Elementary Textbook of Psychoanalysis
• Jan Piaget, Six Psychological Studies
• Jan Piaget & B. Inhelder, Psychology of the Child

Session 7. Moral Value Education

Humanists are educators. Humanist communities conduct programs of moral education to children and young people as well as adult education courses. In this seminar, alternative views of moral development and application of both psychological and philosophical ideas to the classroom, the discussion group, and the public education project were explored.

• Mortimer Adler, The Paideia Program
• Robert Coles, The Spiritual Life of Children
• Mihalyi Csikzentmihalyi, Evolving Self: A Psychology for the 3rd Millennium
• John Dewey, Democracy and Education
• Educational Policies Commission, Moral and Spiritual Values in Public Education
• James Fowler, Stages of Faith
• Paolo Freire, The Pedagogy of the Oppressed
• Robert Fulghum, All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten
• Tim LaHaye, Battle for the Mind
• Howard Radest, Can You Teach Ethics?
• Joseph Reimer, et al., Promoting Moral Growth, 2nd ed.
• Michael Schulman, Bringing Up a Moral Child

Session 8. Rituals and Humanist Ceremonies

The seminar consisted of a series of practical working sessions on the uses of the arts&emdash;visual, poetry, music, dance, film, and drama&emdash;in the life of the humanist community; the uses of the spoken word, and the role of the humanist leader as "preacher." Theoretical issues relating to "postmodernism" were also discussed. Students also developed topics for their summary papers.

• Algernon D. Black, Without Burnt Offerings
• Khoren Arisian, The New Wedding: Creating Your Own Marriage Ceremony
• Carl Seaburg, (ed.), Great Occasions: Readings for the Celebration of Birth, Coming-of-Age, Marriage, and Death
• Sherwin Wine, Celebration

Session 9. Humanist Reconstruction and Student Research

This session reviewed earlier discussions of the origins of human supernaturalisms, and of the legitimate places of fictive imagination in cultural evolution. In addition, the results of summary papers were shared and evaluated.

• Stewart E. Guthrie, Faces in the Clouds: A New Theory of Religion
• Viktor Koman, The Jehovah Contract
• "Humanism and Postmodernism," Humanism Today