Humanly Possible by Sarah Blackwell

This book covers a concept more than a time period, and is about a world view, more or less. Humanism is traced over seven centuries in Europe. It runs from medieval umanisti (students of humanity) to today’s (more secular) self-declared humanists. Along with intellectual developments across centuries, the author gives us their material background – books, book-selling, printing, corpse dissection, plagues and sprezzatura (courtly nonchalance). Among figures covered--some well known and and others not-- are Christine de Pisan, with her redoubtable defense of women’s worth; Erasmus, praising the “folly” of love; the erudite Montaigne, wondering what on earth he knew; Spinoza, challenging the accuracy of biblical narratives; Voltaire, lampooning “the best of all possible worlds” and ridiculing the notion that “whatever is, is right”; Thomas Paine, who deemed religion “irreligious” in its claustrophobic gloom; John Stuart Mill, with his incisive analysis of the oppression of women; and Bertrand Russell, sent to prison for opposing war. The idea has a lot of potential, but for me, it wasn't illuminating. However, it was on Obama's 2023 Reading List, so maybe I am wrong about that. He is usually consistently great in his choices.