Dedication
In loving memory of my dear brother,
Geoff Plummer (1942–2020)
Critical Humanism
A Manifesto for the Twenty-First Century
Ken Plummer
polity
Copyright page
Copyright © Ken Plummer 2021
The right of Ken Plummer to be identified as Author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
First published in 2021 by Polity Press
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ISBN-13: 978-1-5095-2794-6
ISBN-13: 978-1-5095-2795-3(pb)
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Plummer, Kenneth, author.
Title: Critical humanism : a manifesto for the 21st century / Ken Plummer.
Description: Cambridge, UK ; Medford, MA : Polity Press, 2021. | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Summary: “A passionate defence of human value and human potential”-- Provided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2021006115 (print) | LCCN 2021006116 (ebook) | ISBN 9781509527946 (hardback) | ISBN 9781509527953 (paperback) | ISBN 9781509527960 (pdf) | ISBN 9781509527984 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH: Humanity. | Humanism--Social aspects. | Human beings.
Classification: LCC BJ1533.H9 P58 2021 (print) | LCC BJ1533.H9 (ebook) | DDC 179.7--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021006115
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021006116
Typeset in 10.5 on 12 pt Sabon
by Fakenham Prepress Solutions, Fakenham, Norfolk NR21 8NL
Printed and bound in Great Britain by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon
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Boxes, Tables and Figures
Boxes
0.1 Defining humanity
1.1 Connecting humanity: the critical humanist project
1.2 An expanding concern over human rights
2.1 Eight ways to destroy the planet over a few hundred years
5.1 Stories of an emergent human species: critical moments
5.2 Meta-narratives of worldly care: a few symbolic moments
7.1 A cascade of effervescent politics of humanity
7.2 Thinking beyond the West: an emerging consciousness
Tables
2.1 Monitoring the mutilated world
3.1 Hierarchies of humanity: the dehumanization of others
4.1 Making sense of atrocity and anti-humanity
5.1 Media landmarks of narrative humanity
7.1 The Sustainable Development Goals for a world in 2030
8.1 Social imaginaries for a post Covid-19 world: from damaged humanity to a humanized world
8.2 Humanizing economies: from market values to human values
8.3 Humanizing the digital world
Figures
1.1 The connective spiral of humanity
2.1 Global inequality regimes, 2018
3.1 Circles of connective humanity
6.1 The Inglehart–Welzel World Cultural Map
Acknowledgements
My special thanks to Jonathan Skerrett, who has been my advising editor for the past three books. I have had some really good editors over quite some time, starting with Peter Hopkins at Routledge one very drunken lunch back in 1972;
