Hi Kevin.

Very interesting as far as it goes. I’m a fan of Renaissance Humanism, Peirce and James.

However, the meaning of Humanism, so it seems to me, has changed down the centuries, and you don’t mention this.

It was born, as you say, at the time of the Italian Renaissance. This was a return to, a rebirth of, ancient ideas: Hermeticism, Platonism. There was therefore a strong metaphysical, spiritual element to it, best expressed by Shakespeare through the mouth of Hamlet: “What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god! the beauty of the world, the paragon of animals”.

In modern times, Humanism has degenerated into a cover for atheism, and a hubristic over-evaluation of the role of humans; it has elevated them to the status of gods in a godless universe (Richard Dawkins, Julian Huxley, Steven Pinker call themselves Humanists). This is a very dangerous development.

best wishes.