Humanism in the Modern World
About this ebook
This book explores how humanist values have historically been challenged and how they prevailed, offering a comparative analysis between past intellectual struggles and today's crises of thought and identity. It delves into how the digital age, while democratizing information, has also fragmented attention, heightened social comparison, and replaced depth with spectacle. The decline of reading culture, the rise of aestheticized self-worth, and the transformation of universities into elite, corporatized institutions have all contributed to an environment where critical thinking is devalued, history is flattened, and intellectual engagement is increasingly passive.
Yet, as history shows, humanist resistance adapts. This book does not merely diagnose the problem; it seeks solutions-exploring how modern intellectuals, digital creators, and educators can reclaim humanism for a new age. From rethinking the role of universities to fostering meaningful discourse in digital spaces, it argues that humanism must evolve without surrendering to a surface-level, algorithmic world.
By drawing lessons from the past and applying them to the present, this book offers a roadmap for reviving intellectual depth, reinforcing individual autonomy, and ensuring that humanism remains a guiding force in an increasingly mechanized and visually driven society. It is a call to resist intellectual passivity, to reclaim knowledge as a public good, and to defend the essential humanist belief that self-worth is not found in metrics, but in thought, creativity, and the lifelong pursuit of meaning.
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About the author
Jeff Radwell was born into a lineage of educators, reformers, and leaders in humanitarian service.
He holds a BA, summa cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania, MBA with First Class Honors from London Business School, and a PhD from Imperial College London. His research and leadership have been recognized by the NIH, which named him a distinguished scholar, and by NYU, where he was honored as exceptional faculty. He also co-founded the Justice, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Group of the American Statistical Association, is a fellow of the Royal Statistical Society, and serves on the board of directors for GLAAD and the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.
In addition to befriending every dog he meets, he enjoys literature, ceramics, gardening, and architectural design. His work, whether in science, writing, or advocacy, reflects his commitment to building a more thoughtful and inclusive world.
