Humanism A Very Short Introduction by Stephen Law

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Summary
What is a Humanist?
The book, Humanism: A Very Short Introduction, most definitely gives a clear and precise understanding of what exactly Humanism is and consists of. There are several different meanings behind the term and it means more than a person’s opinion on whether or not God truly exists. Humanists are very open-minded and believe that science and reasoning are tools that should be used to evaluate the human lifestyle. The history of humanism dates back to Ancient Greece and the days of Confucius who believed in the Golden Rule which is well known as being, “Do not unto another that you would not have him do unto you” (Law, 9). It appears ironic that both religious groups and humanists embrace such rule. In the beginning of the book, the author gives seven characteristics to help the reader better understand what humanism actually is.
Point one establishes that humanists speculate that no belief should be scrutinized or regarded as off limits. Every person is entitled to their opinion and should express themselves in accordance to their beliefs. Second, in regards to religion, humanists are distinguished by a category of either being agnostic or atheists. Humanists have doubts that a god or higher gods actually exist and do not believe in supernatural beings such as angels and/or demons. Third, they reject the idea of an afterlife. Humanists tend to stand firm in believing that people only have one life here on Earth and once death occurs, heaven or hell is not a place where souls reside. Reincarnation is also not something that humanists feel happens to people once they pass on. However, humanists realize that the opinions they express have consequences that are subjected to critical public scrutiny. Fourth, ...

... middle of paper ...

...and always will be, despite the scientific research done in this book that gave several examples of why He may not exist. I will end my conclusion with this: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16, New International Version).

Works Cited

Egdall, M. (2011, November 15). Georges lemaître: Discovered the expansion of the universe. Retrieved from http://www.decodedscience.com/georges-lemaitre-discovered-the-expansion-of-the-universe/5588
Law, S. (2011). Humanism: A very short introduction. Oxford,NY: Oxford University Press., New York.
McLeod, S. A. (2007).Behaviorism - Simply Psychology. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/behaviorism.html
McLeod, S. A. (2007).Humanism - Simply Psychology. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/humanistic.html

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