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| The Humanist (magazine) | |
|---|---|
| Title | The Humanist |
| Frequency | Quarterly |
| Category | Humanism, Secularism, Ethics |
| Company | American Humanist Association |
| Firstdate | 1941 |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Humanist (magazine) is a quarterly periodical published by the American Humanist Association that focuses on secular humanism, ethical inquiry, and cultural criticism. It presents essays, interviews, reviews, and commentary engaging public figures, intellectuals, and activists across politics, philosophy, science, and the arts. The magazine has intersected with debates involving notable institutions and movements from mid-20th-century liberalism to contemporary secular and civil liberties advocacy.
Founded in 1941 amid debates surrounding World War II, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the interwar intellectual climate, the publication grew out of networks that included members of the American Humanist Association, the Unitarian Universalist Association, and figures active in the First Amendment and civil liberties movements. Early contributors and editors interacted with personalities associated with Harlem Renaissance writers, New Deal policymakers, and critics of McCarthyism. During the Cold War period the magazine engaged with debates involving Albert Einstein, Bertrand Russell, and organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union and the NAACP. In the 1960s and 1970s it published responses to the cultural shifts prompted by John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and the movements surrounding Vietnam War protest, often addressing tensions with religious institutions such as the Roman Catholic Church and the National Council of Churches. Later decades saw dialogue with figures from the Environmental movement, the Women's Liberation Movement, and institutions like Planned Parenthood and Human Rights Watch. In the post-9/11 era the magazine featured debates on secularism and civil liberties involving references to Patriot Act, American Civil Liberties Union, and international bodies such as the United Nations.
The editorial stance emphasizes secular humanist values articulated historically by thinkers like Thomas Jefferson, John Stuart Mill, and John Dewey, drawing on legal precedents such as Everson v. Board of Education and scholarly frameworks from institutions like Columbia University, Harvard University, and Oxford University. Contributors deploy arguments informed by science and skepticism associated with figures linked to Carl Sagan, Richard Dawkins, James Randi, and organizations like Center for Inquiry and Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. The magazine has promoted positions on free expression resonant with rulings from the Supreme Court of the United States and debates involving political leaders such as Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama. It situates humanist ethics in conversation with social movements championed by Gloria Steinem, Betty Friedan, Malcolm X, and legal advocates like Thurgood Marshall.
Over its history the magazine has published work or interviews with a wide array of public figures and intellectuals associated with arts, science, politics, and activism. Contributors have included essayists and scholars connected to Noam Chomsky, Susan Sontag, Hannah Arendt, Isaac Asimov, Kurt Vonnegut, Maya Angelou, and Toni Morrison; scientists and skeptics affiliated with Stephen Jay Gould, Steven Pinker, E. O. Wilson, Jane Goodall, and Neil deGrasse Tyson; philosophers and ethicists linked to Martha Nussbaum, Peter Singer, Daniel Dennett, and A. C. Grayling; civil rights and labor activists such as Bayard Rustin, Cesar Chavez, Angela Davis, and Howard Zinn; and political figures including Eleanor Roosevelt, Adlai Stevenson, George McGovern, and Elizabeth Warren. Interviews have drawn artists and cultural figures associated with Pablo Picasso, Georgia O'Keeffe, Bob Dylan, Allen Ginsberg, and Paul Simon as well as scientists and policy makers connected to Vannevar Bush, Rachel Carson, Edward O. Wilson, and Anthony Fauci.
Issued quarterly, the magazine has combined long-form essays, opinion pieces, book reviews, and interviews, mirroring formats used by periodicals like The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine, The Atlantic, and The Nation. Print runs and circulation have varied, with distribution channels including subscriptions, academic libraries such as those at University of California, Yale University, and University of Chicago, and vendor networks serving cultural institutions like the Library of Congress and independent bookstores tied to Powell's Books. Digital editions align with online platforms maintained by organizations such as Project MUSE, JSTOR, and university presses. Circulation peaks corresponded with periods when public debates involved figures like Ayn Rand, Milton Friedman, Noam Chomsky, and events such as Watergate and the Civil Rights Movement.
The publication has influenced discourses on secularism, ethics, and public policy, intersecting with debates in legal circles around cases such as Lemon v. Kurtzman and legislative actions like the debates over School Prayer Amendment. Reception among scholars, activists, and journalists has ranged from praise by proponents of secular humanism associated with Isaac Asimov and Carl Sagan to criticism from religious leaders in communities such as the Southern Baptist Convention and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The magazine's commentary has been cited in discussions involving think tanks and research centers like the Brookings Institution, the Cato Institute, the Heritage Foundation, and RAND Corporation.
The magazine and its contributors have been recognized by organizations awarding honors relevant to journalism, human rights, and secular scholarship, including awards associated with PEN America, Pulitzer Prize conversations, and accolades from secular organizations like the International Humanist and Ethical Union. Controversies have at times involved disputes over ideological stances during episodes tied to McCarthyism, debates over abortion policy with groups like National Right to Life Committee, and disagreements about free speech raised in contexts involving Campus protests and public commentary on figures such as Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson. Debates over editorial decisions have engaged scholars and institutions including Columbia University, Stanford University, and cultural critics writing for The New York Times and The Washington Post.
Category:Humanist periodicals Category:American magazines