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Editorials Sidney Hook As Secular Humanist

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Editorials Sidney Hook As Secular Humanist of Stalinism, and noted that Hook lived to see his heroic efforts vindicated: Even within the Soviet Union he is now recognized as Editorials one of the vital critics of totalitarian repression. In my remarks at the memorial I pointed out that Hook was one of the leading American secular humanist philosophers of Sidney Hook as Secular Humanist: the twentieth century. Belief in God, he argued, was a "speculative hypothesis of an extremely low order of probability."' He did A Personal Tribute not criticize religious beliefs, which are personal, but he objected to efforts to Paul Kurtz publicly declare religious doctrines as a form of public truth, or to impose them upon n September 25, 1989, a memorial was of Encounter magazine; and others. others in the community. Oheld at the New York University to Many of the speakers who attended are Hook disagreed with those who attemp- commemorate the passing of the veteran considered neoconservatives—yet Hook ted to justify democracy in terms of religion. secular humanist philosopher Sidney Hook. resisted that description. He was a social He pointed out that from belief in the Participating at the meeting were distin- democrat, he said, who believed in a free fatherhood of God, mutually antagonistic guished leaders of thought and action society and the welfare state, but strongly political systems may be drawn: Monarchy, representing a wide range of viewpoints— rejected the idea that the social order must oligarchy, dictatorship, and so on. He Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan; Jean be based on religion. He was well known believed democracy to be justifiable only by Kirkpatrick, the former ambassador to the for his polemical skills, and maintained virtue of its empirical consequences, that is, United Nations; Lane Kirkland, the presi- relationships with individuals of diverse whether it leads to the good life for the dent of the AFL-CIO; John Bunzel and Miro political and ideological stances. He once ordinary person and preserves the dimen- Todorovich of the University Centers for quipped that many of his friends were not sions of freedom. He likewise thought that Rational Alternatives; Leo Cherne and friends of one another. morality was independent of religious Leonard Sussman of Freedom House; Carl Sidney Hook exerted a powerful influ- foundations, and that ethical judgments Gershman of the Endowment for Demo- ence on modern thought. Moynihan, Las- would be justified autonomously by means cracy; Herbert Hill of the A. Philip Ran- key, and others heralded his vital role in of intelligence. dolph Institute; Melvin Laskey, the editor alerting Western intellectuals to the dangers It was thus a cause for considerable dismay for many at the Hook memorial when Norman Podhoretz, the editor of the Quotations from Sidney Hook neo-conservative Commentary magazine, published by the American Jewish Commit- "Instead of a revival of religious faith "The validity of a moral proposition tee, came to the podium wearing a skullcap, in general, we should work specifically . is independent of any divine and immediately proceeded to chant the toward a revival, or a new birth, of faith revelation or any other transcendent or kaddish, an ancient Hebrew prayer for the in democracy." supernatural element." dead. Those who understood and appre- ciated Sidney Hook's entire philosophical "The validity of democracy as a moral career were aware of how this might have "Humanism to me is the view that and political ideal does not rest upon offended him. Irving Kristol, a columnist for morals are autonomous of religious religious doctrine." the Wall Street Journal and Public Interest, belief, that they are relevant to truths related his profound indebtedness to Hook about nature and human nature, truths "Of great relevance to the concerns of but he too adamantly rejected Hook's secular that rest on scientific evidence." rational humanists is the contention humanism. Yet Sidney Hook represented the that without commitment to transcend- secular humanist tradition in his time as no ent religious beliefs no programs of "I do not believe there is empirical one else did; he was a fearless defender of social reform can be justified or imple- evidence that large-scale ideas about the free inquiry, reason, and the ethics of mented. Even some neo-conservative existence of God, freedom, and immor- democracy. thinkers ... hold this view.... In recent tality have a direct bearing on human Hook confessed to me several times over years many large claims have been made behavior and that the erosion of the years his displeasure with the religious for religious faith. It has been celebrated transcendental beliefs gets expressed in tone that many neo-conservative journals as the topsoil of democracy, indeed of immoral conduct." were taking. He deplored the "new failure all morality.... I believe all of these of nerve" in an article published in Partisan claims are false. The validity of democ- "I am willing to call myself an atheist Review shortly after World War II, and racy as a moral and political ideal does except when it is assumed ... that an continued throughout his life his opposition not rest upon religious doctrine." atheist must be a Communist." to it. He even disagreed with his revered teacher John Dewey about whether human- ism was religious in nature; he believed that All of the above quotations are reprinted from FREE INQUIRY Dewey was abusing the ethics of language by using the term "God" to refer to human 40 FREE INQUIRY ideals. Hook maintained on the contrary that that FREE INQUIRY, SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, seems to best sum up his ideals: "An ethical humanism is secular. and Prometheus Books were beacons of light humanist today," he said, "is one who relies Hook embarrassed me several times in in an often irrational world. on the arts of intelligence to defend, enlarge, his later years by telling me that John Dewey Last fall, I went to New York City to and enhance the areas of human freedom had passed the torch of freedom and reason bestow upon Andrei Sakharov—like Hook in the world."2 to him and that he was bequeathing the same a humanist laureate in the Academy of Adieu, Sidney. You will be sorely missed. responsibility to me. When I remonstrated Humanism—the International Humanist We hope we will fulfill your great expec- at his generous remarks he said that all Award on behalf of the International tations of us. around us contemporary society seemed to Humanist and Ethical Union. I invited Hook be abandoning the conviction that rational along, but he was too ill to go. He told me, Notes inquiry and science could be used for the however, to give Sakharov his regards and betterment of humankind, and that the ideals tell him how much he appreciated his valiant 1. Sidney Hook, The Quest for Being (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1961). of secular society needed to be defended defense of democracy and humanism. One 2. Paul Kurtz, ed., The Humanist Alternative against its religious detractors. He thought of Sidney Hook's definitions of humanism (London: Pemberton Books, 1973), p. 34. • Democracy and Humanism in Eastern Europe t is gratifying to read daily accounts about Catholic church will begin to exert inordi- practicing Catholic Pole said, "We didn't I the remarkable events occurring in nate influence in that country, as it is closely throw over one tyranny for our children to Eastern Europe as the democratic revolution identified with Solidarity and its leader, Lech bow to another instead." gains ground. Thoroughly discredited by Walesa, and with Mazowiecki as well. The their restive populations and stagnant church has already introduced measures s Alan Riding wrote in the New York economies, Communist Bloc nations have consonant with the Catholic party line, ATimes, "Today only Romania and at long last attempted to take a new turn. which is certain to find favor with John Paul Albania remain silent prisoners of orthodox Perhaps the most surprising change is II. Among the most worrisome of these Stalinism." rocking East Germany, where, after the changes is the recent call for an end to Each day brings new surprises in the opening of the Berlin Wall, Prime Minister legalized abortion and free family planning; Communist Bloc. Democratic humanists can Hans Modrow promised more liberal foreign some see a coming battle over education as only applaud these with the hope that they trade rules, more private enterprise, reduced the church attempts to co-opt newly privat- will continue. All of this provides an central planning, and greater freedom for ized schools. But the alternative to oppres- opportunity for humanism to make genuine the country's 16.6 million people. Modrow sive communism should not be dogmatic advances, for it offers a viable alternative called the changes "irreversible," and told Catholicism; as Victor Sepestyen reports in for large sections of the globe seeking new the people, "Don't be afraid to speak your the Evening Standard International, one directions. minds!" Todor Zhirkov, who had ruled Bulgaria for thirty-five years with a heavy-handed Communist orthodoxy, was ousted in early DWI'? SELLS November and replaced by Petar Mladenor, ARE BREAKING uP • who maintains the he is committed to THAT oLb GAN(' parliamentary democracy and free elections. of MANE U Q r• Czechoslavakia's Communist Party chief Milos Jakes, the Politburo, and the rest of or° the Communist leadership resigned follow- ing anti-government demonstrations on an J. STALIN W40.DEN unprecedented scale. •vs% t1111" In Hungary, the Communist Party has voted to disband and reconstitute itself as a new social democratic party, the Hungar- ian Socialist Workers' Party. The new party 1989 7. r rejects the centralization of power, and be m supports a "mixed social market economy" ve No that will allow for both private and state property.
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