Religion is currently gaining a much higher profile. The number of faith schools is increasingly, and religious points of view are being aired more frequently in the media. As religion's profile rises, those who reject religion, including humanists, often find themselves misunderstood, and occasionally misrepresented. Stephen Law explores how humanism uses science and reason to make sense of the world, looking at how it encourages individual moral responsibility and shows that life can have meaning without religion. Challenging some of the common misconceptions, he seeks to dispute the claims that atheism and humanism are 'faith positions' and that without God there can be no morality and our lives are left without purpose. Looking at the history of humanism and its development as a philosophical alternative, he examines the arguments for and against the existence of God, and explores the role humanism plays in moral and secular societies, as well as in moral and religious education. Using humanism to determine the meaning of life, he shows that there is a positive alternative to traditional religious belief. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

About the Author
Stephen Law is a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at Heythrop College, University of London. He has written many books including several popular philosophy titles including The Philosophy Gym (Headline, 2003), Companion Guide to Philosophy (Dorling Kindersley, 2007), and Greatest Philosophers (Quercus, 2008). He is also the Editor of THINK, the journal of the Royal Institute of Philosophy.

Awards
Winner of Awarded the 2011 Morris D. Forkosch Award for Humanist Book of the Year.



Book Information
ISBN 9780199553648
Author Stephen Law
Format Paperback
Page Count 176
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 132g
Dimensions(mm) 174mm * 112mm * 10mm