Secularism: Politics, Religion, and Freedom (Very Short Introductions)

In this simple introduction to the philosophy, working tenets, and historical background of secularism, Copson, chief executive of the British Humanist Association, works at an incredibly fast clip. (He covers the Enlightenment philosophers, for example, in less than a full chapter.) Beginning with social reformer George Holyoake coining the word “secularism” in the late 19th century, Copson argues that the word’s original meaning corresponds more closely to the meaning of the contemporary “humanism” by defining secularism as an “approach to the ordering of communities, nations, and states” that places the human subject above other ideals. After presenting the evolution of the term, however, Copson, doesn’t make much of an argument. One chapter features a discussion of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a secular humanist document, and elsewhere he recaps arguments made by religious groups (particularly around the intersection of community and faith), but nowhere does Copson offer personal opinions or trenchant analysis. Instead he presents the various arguments in their own terms. This strategy works for presenting information, but lends the book a static feel. This short introduction will be used best as a narrative bibliography for further reading. (Dec.)