One Year Anniversary for this blog! And a small dive into Humanism...

These are times unseen and never experienced before for our generation and our kids’…

The world order is literally turned upside down by the big lunatic bully who behaves like a spoiled brat over in Washington DC (Who and When will he be stopped?). It has become a world of absolute cynicism, as Thomas Mann expressed it in 1944 (see below).

The rule of law is replaced by the rule of power. All despicable attitudes, such as hatred for the other, racism, blind individualism, corruption etc…, that mankind has taken centuries and generations to slowly contain since the age of enlightenment, (with awful wars and mass murders periodically reminding it of the huge challenge it had taken on), are creeping back towards the surface.

This blog/forum is not about the misery, that we can feel, as we witness what is going on in the world today. But the timing of its launch corresponded to the inauguration of Trump as US President for his second term, so we have obviously spent some time trying to understand what was going on since then.

I happened to launch the blog exactly one year ago. Our first member joined on january 21st, 2025. We had posted 5 small pieces at that time. Since then, another 38 posts were written of which 20 are connected to “personalized” summaries of factual books, that you find under “Main Themes”. The aim with the blog is not to be too reactive to present events, but to try to step back to find the analysis or interpretation of the latter, that speak the most to us. I thank the people who have contributed with 8 of the posts as of today and hope to see more of that going further. I also hope you will engage further in the “forum”. As you know, members get access to all pages.

For those who are curious, we now have a little less than 100 members for an average of 300 single viewers per month ie around 200 non-members checking in as well. 70% of our members read the French version. I have no particular goal to increase the number of members, it has to come naturally. I probably know all of them (you) directly or indirectly with 5 or 6 exceptions. Most of all, I would love to get your feedback and ideas on how to improve the blog! I know that some, among the younger think that the book “résumés” and even some of the posts are too long. One of you suggested that I make a summary of these résumés, that I will do. At the same time, I believe, that summarizing a 300 to 500 pages book in 10 to 15 pages corresponds to trying to extract the substance that I find in it. Let’s say you need to accept some slow reading, when you’re interested in the subject… :)

What I also lack, is time to look at documentaries, and I am very thankful for all ideas you can send to me, that is a part that I would like to expand in 2026!

Once again, thanks for taking the time and follow this blog, now, just make it yours and participate!!

Back to this piece. As I started above, it feels like the rule of law and basic democratic and liberal principles are under siege, especially in the Western world.

I therefore thought it was time, once again, to take a step back and, this time, talk about HUMANISM. Humanism has been at the core of the values that we have been taught growing up and I thought it would be a good reminder to dig into its history and main ideas in these troubled times, as humanistic values are obviously stepped on in a world where the strong rules or tries to rule again. In order to do so, I read and have picked excerpts from an excellent book called “HUMANLY POSSIBLE, Seven Hundred Years of Freethinking, Inquiry and Hope” by Sarah Bakewell, a British author and professor.

“The site Goodreads” summarizes the book shortly below:

“Humanism is an expansive tradition of thought that places shared humanity, cultural vibrancy, and moral responsibility at the center of our lives. The humanistic worldview has inspired people for centuries to make their choices by principles of freethinking, intellectual inquiry, fellow feeling, and optimism.

Voyaging from the literary enthusiasts of the fourteenth century to the secular campaigners of our own time, from Erasmus to Esperanto, from anatomists to agnostics, from Petrarca to Bertrand Russell, and from Voltaire to Desmond Tutu, Bakewell brings together extraordinary humanists across history. She explores their immense variety: some sought to promote scientific and rationalist ideas, others put more emphasis on moral living, and still others were concerned with the cultural and literary studies known as "the humanities." Humanly Possible asks not only what brings all these aspects of humanism together but why it has such enduring power, despite opposition from fanatics, mystics, and tyrants.

A singular examination of this vital tradition as well as a dazzling contribution to its literature, this is an intoxicating, joyful celebration of the human. And at a moment when we are all too conscious of the world's divisions, Humanly Possible--brimming with ideas, experiments in living, and respect for the deepest ethical values--serves as a recentering, a call to care for one another, and a reminder that we are all, together, only human.”

In my own summary below, and to the contrary of the book, which is, in a very orderly way, developing the most important humanistic ideas and their thinkers in a chronological order, I’ve tried to regroup them by bigger themes, as the only way to make it simple and as short as possible.

Enjoy!

Read more, if interested in the Philosophy section of our “Main Themes” by clicking on the link…