By Douglas Anele
On many occasions, as a columnist and concerned Nigerian, I feel depressedwhile discussing the hydra-headed, mostly man-made, problems of contemporary Nigeria. In fact, the more I think about the country and its unending recycling of failed members of the ruling elite into positions of power, authority and influence, the more I am convinced that Nigerian leaders do not believe in the Nigerian project.

In otherwords, considering the gargantuan looting of the national treasury and gross misuse of our patrimony by the ruling class, I think that virtually all the peoplethat have been, and still are, in the portals of power had prepared or are preparing themselves for the eventual disintegration of the country.

Certainly, we shall return to this very theme in the near future. For, now however, let us investigate the relevance of having a  to the last.reasoned philosophy of life by discussing the main ideas contained in Jim Herrick’s interesting little book entitled Humanism: An Introduction.

The Nigerian edition of the book in question was published in 2006 by Gadfly Publishers, Ibadan, and comprises 105 pagesthe last three of which contains the ‘Index’. It also has a title page, the copyright page, dedication page, a table of contents, acknowledgement page and an “Introduction” written by Laurie Taylor.

There is an ‘Appendix’ which presents a statement of humanist beliefs agreed at the International Humanist and Ethical Union at its 50th anniversary conference in the Netherlands in 2002. Now, the term ‘humanism’is derived from the Latin expressionhumanus which, when translated into English, means ‘human being.’

As a philosophical point of view, it denotes a cluster of interrelated concepts concerning the nature, essential attributes, powers, education and values of human beings. Hence, it is not surprising that Humanism: An Introduction dwells on human values from the first chapter to the last.

In chapter 1 of the book, the author defineshumanism as a “most human philosophy of life. Its emphasis
is on the human, the here-and-now, the humane. It is not a religion and it has no formal creed, though humanists have beliefs. Humanists are atheists or agnostics and do not expect an afterlife.

It is essential to humanism that it brings values and meaning into life.” As a philosophy of life, its proponents can be found across the world, and it may not always be espoused openly because some may be over-prudent and some may not have articulated their position clearly. The chapter contains a summary of the major convictions of humanists.

They include: disbelief in miracles considered as divine intervention in natural processes, belief that morality stems from the social nature of man, emphasis on scientific knowledge and responsible use of its results, and preference for open and democratic societies.

Chapter 2 with the title “The Humanist Tradition”introduces readers to the historical development of humanismfrom antiquity to date. In the ancient period, sceptical views about the existence of god were expressed in religious documents, including Hinduism, Confucianism and Buddhism.

Protagoras, an ancient Greek philosopher and prominent member of the sceptic school,doubted the existence of god, whereas Epicurus another ancient Greek thinker maintained that the gods did not exist or at least were indifferent to humanity.

Humanistic thinking did not flourish during the middle ages because the period was dominated by religious orthodoxy, notably Christian thought and institutions. The renaissance witnessed revival of classical learning.

Although some central doctrines of the Catholic Church were challenged by “heretics” during the period, “development of print and the ability to read The Bible in one’s own language enhanced the capacity for independent thought about religion” (p.7).

The Enlightenment period was an intellectually active movement of the 18th century centred in France. Prominent figures of the Enlightenment include Voltaire, Diderot, Gibbon and Hume. The critique of religion that gathered momentum during theEnlightenment was taken to a new level in the 19th century.

The utilitarians, Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, Karl Marx, George Eliot, Thomas Hardy and Darwin’s theory of evolution continued the assault on orthodox Christian doctrines. The term ‘humanism’ as used in the sense of a philosophy of life originated in Germany from writers on education at the beginning of the 19th century.

By the 20th century humanism movedto the mainstream of thought and ramified into diverse schools of thought. Sigmund, Freud, Julian Huxley, and Bertrand Russell were named by the author as prominent humanists of the century.

Chapter 3 is on “Humanism, Philosophy, God and the Afterlife.” It begins with a quotation attributed to W.K. Clifford to the effect that “It is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.”

Arguments were presented in support of scepticism. Humanists, the author claims, tend to be agnostics (the position of “I don’t know” in relation to the god hypothesis) or atheists (outright rejection of the idea that god exists). He lists 14 arguments that usually lead people into atheism or agnosticism (pp. 13-16).

The interesting thing about the arguments is that they can be grouped into the same general headings for arguments purporting to prove the existence of god, namely, cosmological, ontological, teleological and moral arguments. Herrick marshals scientific and philosophical arguments to debunk the belief in reincarnation and miracles. He argues correctly that a humanist can marvel at the wonders of nature without invoking the idea of a creator or miracle.

Moreover s/he “will accept the wonders of nature, the depths of human love the rapture of poetry as more than sufficient for the loss of miracles.”

The author contrasts humanism with ideology, that is,“a collection of beliefs and values held for a specific group of people and a particular programme of action” (p. 19). Pragmatism and logical positivism, two prominent schools of thought in philosophy, are important for humanism.

Pragmatism shares with humanism scepticism towards our knowledge of the world and the decision to take what is valuable for our actions in the world as the “working truth.” The noted positivist, A. J. Ayer, was active in the humanist movement.

But although humanists tend to be interested in philosophy, expert knowledge of philosophy is not really necessary for one to be a humanist. Yet, “since Plato and Aristotle philosophers have dealt with the broad questions of what is the world and what meaning there is in a human life in a way which humanists find of great interest.

There is no humanist Bible or Koran, no creed or dogma, but within the philosophic tradition humanists may find stimulus for their questing and questioning approach to life” (p. 20). TO BE CONTINUED.