Uncertain Humanism and the Water of Whiteness

The Humanist Magazine has devoted its most recent issue to the question of “Do Black Lives Matter to Humanism?” The issue includes four contributions from a panel I participated on at the American Humanist Association’s annual conference this past May in Denver, CO. Participants included Anthony B. Pinn, Sikivu Hutchinson, Monica R. Miller, and me. Whether you’re interested in humanism, race, or contemporary American identity politics, the issue is worth checking out. Here’s how my contribution begins…

IN 2005, one of today’s most revered American writers, David Foster Wallace (now deceased), delivered a commencement address to graduates of Kenyon College, titled “This Is Water.” The twenty-minute speech is worth a listen or read, freely available on YouTube and in Wallace’s eponymous 2009 collection, This Is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life. Some of what he says in the address about liberal arts education is applicable to humanism. In particular, his words help to color a brand of humanism I refer to as “uncertain humanism,” a way of privileging human possibilities for flourishing that relies on an embrace of and appreciation for uncertainty — for not knowing, feeling anxious, insecure, and unsettled. Uncertain humanism is not just about how we approach “facts.” It involves how we approach our very identities and who we think we are.

Continue reading at The Humanist Magazine July/August 2015…