Ingersoll’s Voice, Adler’s Vision
Motivating Humanists
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/eph.v21i1.31Keywords:
community-centered humanism, Robert Green Ingersoll, emotional reasoning, moral valuesAbstract
Humanism, in contrast to traditional religions, often seems to find it difficult to generate moral energy and motivation in adherents. How will Humanists generate sufficient “moral energy” to achieve our societal aims? I argue that Humanism has within it sufficient resources to motivate Humanists to high levels of moral action. I suggest that we must listen to the voice of Robert Ingersoll, learning how to appeal to the emotions and to the full range of “moral tastes” human beings are sensitive to. We should also remember the vision of Felix Adler as we build moral communities and foster moral leadership.
References
Adler, F. 1905. “The Essential Difference Between Ethical Societies and The Churches,” in The Religion of Duty (New York: McClure, Phillips & Co., 1905), chap. 10.
Adler, F. 1905. The Religion of Duty. New York: McClure, Phillips & Co.
Brader, T. 2006. Campaigning for Hearts and Minds: How Emotional Appeals in Political Ads Work. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Colby, A., & Damon, W. 1992. Some Do Care: Contemporary Lives of Moral Commitment. New York: The Free Press.
Damasio, A. 2006. Descartes’ Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain. New York: Penguin Books.
Damon, W. 1990. The Moral Child. New York: The Free Press.
Damon, W. 2009. The Path to Purpose. New York: The Free Press.
Damon, W., and Gregory, A. 1997. “The Youth Charter, towards the formation of adolescent moral identity,” Journal of Moral Education 26(2): 117–130.
Dawkins, R. 2006. The God Delusion. London: Bantam Press.
Gardner, H. 1993. Creating Minds. New York: Basic Books.
Haidt, J. 2012. The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion. New York: Pantheon Books.
Ingersoll, R. 1877. The Liberty of Man, Woman, and Child. In The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, vol. 1 (Dresden, N.Y.: Dresden Publishing Company, 1901), pp. 329–398.
Jacoby, S. 2011. “The Spirited Atheist: American atheists must define themselves, not be defined by the religious.” The Washington Post online at: www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ spirited-atheist/post/american-atheists-must-define-themselves-not-be-defined-by-the-religious/ 2011/12/27/gIQAovELMP_blog.html.
Marcus, G. E. 2002. The Sentimental Citizen: Emotion in Democratic Politics. University Park, Penn.: Pennsylvania State University Press.
Monin, B., & Jordan, A. H. In press. “The Dynamic Moral Self: A Social Psychological Perspective,” in Moral Self, Identity and Character: Prospects for a New Field of Study, ed. D. Narvaez and D. Lapsley (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press). Preprint online at psych.stanford.edu/~monin/papers/Monin%20and%20Jordan%20Moral%20Identity%20Chapt er.pdf.
Murry, W. R. 2007. Reason and Reverence: Religious Humanism for the 21st Century. Boston: Skinner House Books.
Walker, L. J. 2002. “Moral Exemplarity” in Bringing in a New Era in Character Education, ed. W. Damon (Stanford, Cal.: Hoover Institution Press), pp. 65–83.
Westen, D. 2008. The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation. New York: Public Affairs.
Adler, F. 1905. The Religion of Duty. New York: McClure, Phillips & Co.
Brader, T. 2006. Campaigning for Hearts and Minds: How Emotional Appeals in Political Ads Work. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Colby, A., & Damon, W. 1992. Some Do Care: Contemporary Lives of Moral Commitment. New York: The Free Press.
Damasio, A. 2006. Descartes’ Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain. New York: Penguin Books.
Damon, W. 1990. The Moral Child. New York: The Free Press.
Damon, W. 2009. The Path to Purpose. New York: The Free Press.
Damon, W., and Gregory, A. 1997. “The Youth Charter, towards the formation of adolescent moral identity,” Journal of Moral Education 26(2): 117–130.
Dawkins, R. 2006. The God Delusion. London: Bantam Press.
Gardner, H. 1993. Creating Minds. New York: Basic Books.
Haidt, J. 2012. The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion. New York: Pantheon Books.
Ingersoll, R. 1877. The Liberty of Man, Woman, and Child. In The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, vol. 1 (Dresden, N.Y.: Dresden Publishing Company, 1901), pp. 329–398.
Jacoby, S. 2011. “The Spirited Atheist: American atheists must define themselves, not be defined by the religious.” The Washington Post online at: www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ spirited-atheist/post/american-atheists-must-define-themselves-not-be-defined-by-the-religious/ 2011/12/27/gIQAovELMP_blog.html.
Marcus, G. E. 2002. The Sentimental Citizen: Emotion in Democratic Politics. University Park, Penn.: Pennsylvania State University Press.
Monin, B., & Jordan, A. H. In press. “The Dynamic Moral Self: A Social Psychological Perspective,” in Moral Self, Identity and Character: Prospects for a New Field of Study, ed. D. Narvaez and D. Lapsley (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press). Preprint online at psych.stanford.edu/~monin/papers/Monin%20and%20Jordan%20Moral%20Identity%20Chapt er.pdf.
Murry, W. R. 2007. Reason and Reverence: Religious Humanism for the 21st Century. Boston: Skinner House Books.
Walker, L. J. 2002. “Moral Exemplarity” in Bringing in a New Era in Character Education, ed. W. Damon (Stanford, Cal.: Hoover Institution Press), pp. 65–83.
Westen, D. 2008. The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation. New York: Public Affairs.
Published
2014-07-21
Issue
Section
Articles
How to Cite
Croft, J. (2014). Ingersoll’s Voice, Adler’s Vision: Motivating Humanists. Essays in the Philosophy of Humanism, 21(1), 31-47. https://doi.org/10.1558/eph.v21i1.31
