The Road to Reason - Softcover

Pat Duffy Hutcheon

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0968601413 ISBN 13: 9780968601419

Publisher: Canadian Humanist Publications, 2001

Synopsis

There would seem to be a great deal of confusion and misunderstanding in the public mind about the life stance of modern humanism and its philosophical underpinnings. Who better to clear this up than the eminently deserving "Canadian Humanist of the Year 2000" as well as designated recipient of the American Humanist Association's "Humanist Distinguished Service Award" for 2001. As a committed humanist Pat Duffy Hutcheon she has made many invaluable contributions to the clarification of the nature and origin of evolutionary naturalism as a necessary component of modern humanism. This collection of topical essays is the most recent addition to her ongoing pursuit, following her analysis of cultural development in Building Character and Culture (Westport, CT: Praeger, 1999) and her earlier seminal work tracing the evolution of the naturalistic basis of social-scientific thought in Leaving the Cave (Waterloo, ON: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 1996). Dr. Hutcheon's newest book presents the ideas, in the context of their time, of some of the most prominent thinkers who have, in one way or another, shaped the evolving philosophy of humanism over the centuries. It is a much needed and most welcome resource for any thoughtful person who wants to better appreciate the naturalistic view of human existence rather than the supernatural or mystical approaches that so regrettably dominate the current scene.

About this title

About the Author

Dr. Pat Duffy Hutcheon is a retired Education professor, sociologist and writer who studied for her advanced degrees in the social sciences at the University of Calgary, Yale University and the University of Queensland, Australia. She taught, first, as a schoolteacher and then as a university professor at the Universities of Regina and British Columbia, as well as serving as the British Columbia director of the Ottawa-based Vanier Institute of the Family and as a research advisor with the Health Promotion Branch of the Canadian government. In addition to her four books, she has published over 75 articles, poems and chapters in books.

From the Back Cover

"These succinct and well-written sketches of humanist thinkers and thinking from the Buddha to Richard Dawkins are both remarkable for their originality and insight and valuable as contributions to the history of ideas. She succeeds brilliantly in demonstrating the core of unifying ideas that constitute true humanism, continuing today as evolutionary naturalism. Her work stands as a stunning rebuke to those in the so-called 'humanities' whose anti-science attitudes are the inverse of classical humanism. If this book could be read by all college students and a good many teachers it would make up some of the sad deficit in what currently passes for education." (Robin Fox, University Professor of Social Theory, Rutgers University.)

Other Recent Books by Pat Duffy Hutcheon. . .

Building Character and Culture (Praeger, 1999): "This is a groundbreaking work which skillfully and sensitively addresses a range of issues and problems in modern western society and offers a rational and eminently sensible framework for dealing with these concerns. It challenges ingrained assumptions and may significantly affect the way in which you view the world. Any book capable of achieving such a goal is nothing short of inspirational." (Gordon Baker, Lecturer in Education and Coordinator of Teaching Experience, School of Education, Flinders University of South Australia.)

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

From "Carl Sagan's Scientific Humanism": An appreciation of a man of our times whose life and work personifies the intellectual and ethical approach of modern humanism.

Carl Sagan was one of the greatest humanists who ever lived, although he seldom, if ever, used the term. He devoted his life to educating the public about science3/4and to educating scientists about their responsibility for how scientific knowledge is used3/4in an age when both were considered by the academic community to be inappropriate pursuits. He fought a long-term battle against the pseudo-science and anti-science that are spreading like a rot in modern culture. And, through his success in organizing physicists to communicate the message about the nature of the nuclear winter that would predictably result from the deployment of hydrogen bombs, Carl Sagan, more than any other one person, may have been responsible for the avoidance of nuclear war in our lifetime. . . .

In 1977 Carl Sagan became a media star with the publication of his popular book, The Dragons of Eden. That same year he and Ann Druyan, who was to become his third wife, produced a disk to be taken into space. It was called Sounds of Planet Earth. Sagan referred to it as "a message in a bottle thrown into the future." Also that same year, he and Ann began planning a thirteen-part television series titled Cosmos: a project that lasted three years and required filming in twelve different countries. It was aired in 1980, the same year the Voyager spacecraft sent back the first pictures ever taken of Jupiter and Saturn. In 1981 the launch of the shuttle Columbia marked the end of NASA's program of large-scale space travel. In 1982 the American Congress allocated funds to support a long-sought official search for extra-terrestrial intelligence. During this period Sagan suffered a severe, life-threatening illness. For these, and a number of additional reasons, he began to focus all of his remarkable talents and energies on the prospects for continuing life here on our apparently unique and fragile Earth.

Near the end of his life Sagan told of being asked by a student: "Now that you have successfully debunked everything that we have been taught to believe about the human role and origin in the Universe, what is there left for us?" His answer for the student, and for all human beings, was to "do something worthwhile with this amazing life while you have it!"

Did Carl Sagan in fact merely tear down old beliefs without putting anything better in their place? Even for those who never met him, he left behind a treasure trove of published works which put the lie to that accusation. His life was dedicated, not to tearing down, but to building a positive, integrated world view capable of providing better guidance for human beings in the centuries to come than our ancient inherited mythologies could ever do.

Edition details

• Publisher: Canadian Humanist Publications
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0968601413
• ISBN 13: 9780968601419
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 198