Humanist

The HUMANIST is published bimonthly by the American Humanist Association. A recent issue contains articles, book reviews, editorials, news and Letters to the Editor. The subjects include such topics as the commercialization of society, multilateralism, nuclear weapons, the Just War Doctrine and the environment. Some of the contributors are Ralph Nader, Gregory D. Foster, Douglas Mattern and Eugene B. Kogan.

I am definitely not a humanist but I still enjoy reading this publication for its alternative viewpoint. It is highly readable and contains very little waste.

I have received three issues of the Humanist as of this review. I have read most of the articles in two of the issues, and am currently working my way through the third. Inside every cover of the magazine is the following definition of humanism, "Humanism is a rational philosophy informed by science, inspired by art, and motivated by compassion. Affirming the dignity of each human being, it supports liberty and opportunity consonant with social and planetary responsibility. Free of theism and other supernatural beliefs, humanism thus derives the goals of life from human need and interest rather than from theological or ideological abstractions, and asserts that humanity must take responsibility for its own destiny." Not surprisingly, I would say that the articles I have read fall nicely in line with this definition.

The magazine covers many different topics. Here are the titles of a few articles that I particularly enjoyed: "Moving from a War Economy to a Peace Economy," by Mary Beth Sullivan; "The Bible According to Thomas Jefferson," by Peter Carlson; "Going Anti-Postal," by Michael I. Niman; "Black Churches and Blue-Eyed Jesuses," by Sikivu Hutchinson; "Biblical Scholarship and the Right to Know," by Bart Ehrman; and "Terra Instabilis: Are we Headed toward a New World Disorder?," by Jon Harrison. As you can see, there is a wide array of topics covered. Each issue also has worthwhile book reviews.

I particularly enjoyed the article about the Postal System. The author, Dr. Michael I. Niman, who is a professor of journalism and media studies at Buffalo State College, makes the point that the Founders looked at the Postal System as fostering democracy, as it offered cheap rates to publishers. In other words, it aided in providing free speech. He goes on to say that we are one of the only countries that does not subsidize our Postal Service. We stopped subsidizing the Postal Service under President Reagan's tenure. Dr. Niman advocates the Postal System offering a reasonably priced internet service, which would be similar to the reasonably priced service it provides with first class mail. He makes the case that there are things that can be done to make the USPS profitable again. The reason I liked this article is because it introduced me to ideas that I had never been exposed to before, nor would have thought of on my own.

Another article that I thought was exceptional is entitled, "Terra Instabilis: Are We Headed toward a New World Disorder?" by Jon Harrison. He looks at the predominantly economic crises in Europe, China, the Middle East, and the U.S. He looks at the specific problems that each of these regions face, and how these region-specific problems could impact the whole, since there is such economic interdependency in the global economy. I particularly like what he says about the problems the U.S. faces. He says, "The economic dilemmas America now faces are politically driven. That is to say, past political choices---to run up massive deficits, to encourage consumption over investment, to impose a free trade regime on a playing field tilted against the United States---have landed the country in its current economic situation." I could not agree more. Unless these specific trends are reversed, I think there is little hope for our country's future. With respect to "free trade" he says, "Both parties adhere slavishly to the current free trade regime, which has devastated U.S. manufacturing...." My overall point about this article is that he questions issues, issues like "free trade," in a way that is rarely done in the major media.

Overall, I am glad I subscribe to the Humanist. In all likelihood, I will renew my subscription. I find it to be worth reading.

Buy Humanist Now