The bestselling prizewinning author of How to Live and At the Existentialist Café 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
