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Humanly Possible

The great humanist experiment in living
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( 2,084 ratings, 301 reviews)
Brief Description
Seven hundred years of heroic humanists (and their enemies), from the acclaimed author of How to Live and At The Existentialist Cafe. The bestselling, prizewinning author of How to Live and At the Existentialist Cafe explores the great tradition of humanist writers, thinkers, scientists and artists,... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$3000
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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Seven hundred years of heroic humanists (and their enemies), from the acclaimed author of How to Live and At The Existentialist Cafe.

The bestselling, prizewinning author of How to Live and At the Existentialist Cafe explores the great tradition of humanist writers, thinkers, scientists and artists, all trying to understand what it means to be truly human.

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A BARACK OBAMA BOOK OF THE YEAR

'I can't imagine a better history' PHILIP PULLMAN 'Fascinating, moving, funny' OLIVER BURKEMAN

If you are reading this, you may already be a humanist. Even if you don't know it.

Do you love literature and the arts? Do you have a strong moral compass despite not being formally religious? Do you simply believe that individual lives are more important than grand political visions? If any of these apply, you are part of a long tradition of humanist thought.

In Humanly Possible, Sarah Bakewell asks what humanism is and why it has flourished for so long. By introducing us to the adventurous lives and ideas of famous humanists through 700 years of history, she shows how the humanist values that helped steer us through dark times in the past are just as urgently needed in our world today.

'An epic, spine-tingling and persuasive work of history' Daily Telegraph

'As she romps through the centuries, readers will feel assured that they are in the company of a gifted guide' The Economist

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781529924626

Publisher: Vintage Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 21 March 2024

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Vintage

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 30.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 369g

Pages: 464

About the Author

Sarah Bakewell had a wandering childhood, growing up on the "hippie trail" through Asia and in Australia. She studied philosophy at the University of Essex, and worked for many years as a curator of early printed books at the Wellcome Library, London, before becoming a full-time writer. Her books include How to Live- a life of Montaigne, which won the Duff Cooper Prize and the US National Book Critics Circle Prize, and At the Existentialist Cafe, a New York Times Ten Best Books of 2016. She was also among the winners of the 2018 Windham-Campbell Literature Prize. She still has a tendency to wander, but is mostly to be found either in London or in Italy with her wife and their family of dogs and chickens. www.sarahbakewell.com

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