Humanly Possible

Seven Hundred Years of Humanist Freethinking, Inquiry, and Hope

By: Sarah Bakewell

Narrated by: Antonia Beamish

The New York Times bestseller • One of Barack Obama's Favorite Books of 2023 • A New York Times Notable Book

“A book of big and bold ideas, Humanly Possible is humane in approach and, more important, readable and worth reading. . . Bakewell is wide-ranging, witty and compassionate.”–Wall Street Journal

“Sweeping . . . linking philosophical reflections with vibrant anecdotes.”—The New York Times

The bestselling author of How to Live and At the Existentialist Café explores seven hundred years of writers, thinkers, scientists, and artists, all seeking to understand what it means to be truly human

Humanism is an expansive tradition of thought that places shared humanity, cultural vibrancy, and moral responsibility at the center of our lives. For centuries, this worldview has inspired people to make their choices by principles of freethinking, intellectual inquiry, fellow feeling, and optimism. In this sweeping new history, Sarah Bakewell, herself a lifelong humanist, illuminates the very personal, individual, and, well, human matter of humanism and takes listeners on a grand intellectual adventure.

Voyaging from the literary enthusiasts of the fourteenth century to the secular campaigners of our own time, from Voltaire to Zora Neale Hurston, 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 unites all these meanings of humanism 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, Humanly Possible serves as a recentering, a call to care for one another, and a reminder that we are all, together, only human.

©2023 Sarah Bakewell (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“A book of big and bold ideas, Humanly Possible is humane in approach and, more important, readable and worth reading . . . Bakewell is wide-ranging, witty and compassionate.”—The Wall Street Journal

“NBCC Award winner Bakewell (How to Live) brilliantly tracks the development of humanism over seven centuries of intellectual history . . . Erudite and accessible, Bakewell’s survey pulls together diverse historical threads without sacrificing the up-close details that give this work its spark. Even those who already consider themselves humanists will be enlightened.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Engagingly written as well as richly informative . . . every thinker, every book, every movement is located lightly and precisely in relation to its past and its influence on the present day. I can’t imagine a better history of humanism, nor one that is so vividly persuasive. Bakewell is a wonderful writer.”—Philip Pullman

A glimmer of hope

This is a masterfully written history of humanist thought and the humans who developed it from the Greeks to the present day. Antonia Beamish narrates the text with subtle grandeur, with measures of awe and splendor that will leave you feeling that there definitely IS a better way to live than how we’re doing it now!

well worth a credit

I found this book to be a good, well researched, overview of humanism containing many interesting facts and anecdotes.

No Magical Thinking

So many great names speak to us across the ages. The Epilogue of humanity has not yet been written.

MAGNIFICENT

one book I am entirely compelled to purchase in hard copy. a truly magnificent work.

Wonderful

Extremely well written, well argued, and well read by the narrator. Learned a lot and was convinced!

Inspiring

So well stated. Beautifully read. Inspiring. Requires 15 words. One two three four five six seven

Terrific

The always excellent Sarah Bakewell gives us a great book that is accessible and important, imo, in these days.
I plan to listen again, very well done as we’d expect from this exceptional writer.

approachable and informative

I couldn't keep up with all the names and dates as well as I would have liked, but I learned a lot, and I appreciated that the author humanized the humanists rather than just present them dryly. Also, the narrator did a fantastic job.

Worthy, great study

Should be taught in every senior high school and college humanities curriculum. outstanding survey of humanism and superb narration.

Humanity's last best hope

This excellent historical journey is one I wish all human beings would consider taking especially in these dark days of increasing fascism, nationalism, religious extremism, racism, political posturing and pandering. Sarah Bakewell offers an antidote and antivenom to all that poison, one readily available to any and all human beings. She takes you through this remarkable collection of fellow travellers on the human journey. She is a masterful storyteller.