Re: Humanists
Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2016 11:36 pm
Hi Belinda, thank you for your post. I wasn't expecting a reply but I suppose, given the tone of mine-somewhat critical-I really should have expected some comeback, so here I am, despite my final sign-off!
Interesting that you should 'admit' that Humanism is a middle class and intellectual interest, even a middle class and intellectual movement. I have just come to that conclusion myself, just as I finished reading Grayling's The God Argument. It seems to me, having taken a renewed interest in the subject in the last couple of years, even going as far as joining the BHA and contacting my local MP on subjects of interest to that organisation, that Humanism will always remain a minority interest, even to the extent of being a minority interest to the intelligent middle class, to whom I most certainly do not belong. My interest is not of interest even to my wife! Most people are not religious and neither are they agnostics or atheists or humanists. Most people are entirely indifferent to the questions which interest me, and you. Births, marriages and deaths, that's as far as the great mass of the population go on matters of religion, and not even that far when it comes to philosophy.
Having read Grayling's book to the end what it seems to amount to is easily summed up: 'If only people could be nice to each other wouldn't the world be a wonderful place.' I'm afraid Humanism is not going to get far on that thin gruel! The world is far to harsh a place for such philosophy, and always has been.
'Colour and ritual are the sugar and the bread'. Very very true. One of the pleasures of being a Catholic, when I was a Catholic, long ago, was the Latin mass, which I considered to be a living work of art, the strange language, the colour, the incense, the whole shooting match, as people say these days. The church made a bad mistake when it went to the mass in the vernacular, the people left in droves!
And my interest in philosophy? I took an OU degree ten years ago now, including a couple of modules on the subject, and have renewed my interest though I don't think I'm ready yet to wrangle with Kant!
Pope Francis? I'm afraid I find it difficult to find words of praise for any Pope, given the rotten organisation he heads up, but I will say he is an improvement of previous holders of that office.
Thank you for your interest.
Interesting that you should 'admit' that Humanism is a middle class and intellectual interest, even a middle class and intellectual movement. I have just come to that conclusion myself, just as I finished reading Grayling's The God Argument. It seems to me, having taken a renewed interest in the subject in the last couple of years, even going as far as joining the BHA and contacting my local MP on subjects of interest to that organisation, that Humanism will always remain a minority interest, even to the extent of being a minority interest to the intelligent middle class, to whom I most certainly do not belong. My interest is not of interest even to my wife! Most people are not religious and neither are they agnostics or atheists or humanists. Most people are entirely indifferent to the questions which interest me, and you. Births, marriages and deaths, that's as far as the great mass of the population go on matters of religion, and not even that far when it comes to philosophy.
Having read Grayling's book to the end what it seems to amount to is easily summed up: 'If only people could be nice to each other wouldn't the world be a wonderful place.' I'm afraid Humanism is not going to get far on that thin gruel! The world is far to harsh a place for such philosophy, and always has been.
'Colour and ritual are the sugar and the bread'. Very very true. One of the pleasures of being a Catholic, when I was a Catholic, long ago, was the Latin mass, which I considered to be a living work of art, the strange language, the colour, the incense, the whole shooting match, as people say these days. The church made a bad mistake when it went to the mass in the vernacular, the people left in droves!
And my interest in philosophy? I took an OU degree ten years ago now, including a couple of modules on the subject, and have renewed my interest though I don't think I'm ready yet to wrangle with Kant!
Pope Francis? I'm afraid I find it difficult to find words of praise for any Pope, given the rotten organisation he heads up, but I will say he is an improvement of previous holders of that office.
Thank you for your interest.