Class 18
Mentors:
Ann Fuller and John Shook (2011 to Present)
Ann Fuller is a Community Minister affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brevard, spokesperson in local separation of church and state issues, and writer. She earned a B.A. in Politics from Washington & Lee University, a M.A./Phd in Divinity Studies from Columbus University and is a graduate of the Humanist Institute's Class 15. She specializes in ritual celebration and acadecmically has focused on the comparative mythology of the ancient Near East and early church history.
Dr. John R. Shook is a scholar and professor living in Washington, D.C. He is Director of Education and Senior Research Fellow of the Center for Inquiry since 2006, and the new Education Coordinator for the American Humanist Association. He is also on the faculty of the Science and the Public EdM program of philosophy at Oklahoma State University. Shook publishes on philosophical topics and science, naturalis, ethics, democracy, secularism, atheism, and religion. He has debated the existence of God with William Lane Craig and other prominent theologians. He has authored and edited more than a dozen books and dozens of articles in journals, from academic presses to popular magazines such as Free Inquiry. Among his books are Dewey's Empirical Theory of Knowledge and Reality (authored, 2000), Prgmatic Naturalism and Realism (edited, 2003), Blackwell Companion to Pragmatism (co-edited, 2005), The Future of Naturalism (edited with Paul Kurtz, 2009), The God Debates (authored, 2010), The Essential William James (edited, 2011), and he also recently edited Paul Kurtz's new book Exuberant Skepticism (2010).
Session One: Essential Humanism
Required Texts
Herrick, Jim. Humanism: An Introduction
Peary, Douglas. Humanist Heroes
Bennett, Helen. Humanism, What’s That?: A Book For Curious Kids
Epstein, Greg. Good Without God
Kurtz, Paul. Forbidden Fruits: The Ethics of Secularism.
Solomon, Robert. Spirituality for the Skeptic: The Thoughtful Love of Life
Baggini, Julian. Atheism: A Very Short Introduction
Articles & Documents Available Online
Lamont, Corliss. The Philosophy of Humanism. Online at http://www.corliss-lamont.org/philos8.htm
Declarations of Humanist Organizations, 1933-2003. Online at http://www.pragmatism.org/humanistdeclarations.pdf
What is Humanism? By Fred Edwords http://www.americanhumanist.org/who_we_are/about_humanism/What_is_Humanism
The Humanist Philosophy in Perspective By Fred Edwords
http://www.americanhumanist.org/who_we_are/about_humanism/The_Humanist_P...
Optional Text List
Dewey, John. A Common Faith
Larue, Gerald. Freethought Across the Centuries
Harris, Sam. The End of Faith
Ericson, Edward. The Humanist Way
Pinn, Anthony. African American Humanist Principles
Dawkins, Richard. The God Delusion
Jacoby, Susan. Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism
Post-Session One Assignments:
Pick two books in the Optional Text list and write reflection papers on them.
Pick one book in the Optional Text list and write a book review as if you were submitting it to a humanist publication.
Write One Sermon/ Platform Address, Speech, or Editorial directed to a boarder audience regarding the Session.
Continuing Discussion
Participate in on-line discussions regarding the topics considered in this session. Examples might include:
- Are secular and religious humanism part of the same movement or too different to be reconciled?
- How can humanist organizations work together more effectively? How closely can they work together without losing their focus or identity?
- How can humanists reach out to like minded individuals? How should humanists at the grass roots level organize? Is the congregational structure appropriate for humanist groups?