Humanly Possible

ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BEST BOOKS OF 2023

“Humanly Possible is a terrific invitation to argument, to conversation, to all the fun people make together, on their own.” —Washington Post

“Lively. . . [Bakewell’s] new book is filled with her characteristic wit and clarity; she manages to wrangle seven centuries of humanist thought into a brisk narrative, resisting the traps of windy abstraction and glib oversimplification. . . She puts her entire self into this book, linking philosophical reflections with vibrant anecdotes. She delights in the paradoxical and the particular, reminding us that every human being contains multitudes.” —Jennifer Szalai, New York Times

“A book of big and bold ideas, Humanly Possible is humane in approach and, more important, readable and worth reading . . . Bakewell is wide-ranging, witty and compassionate.” —The Wall Street Journal

“Bakewell exemplifies the thirst for life and learning of humanism at its best.” —Literary Review

“Exhilarating.” —The Times (UK)

“Witty and warm-hearted.” —The Daily Telegraph

“NBCC Award winner Bakewell (How to Live) brilliantly tracks the development of humanism over seven centuries of intellectual history . . . Erudite and accessible, Bakewell’s survey pulls together diverse historical threads without sacrificing the up-close details that give this work its spark. Even those who already consider themselves humanists will be enlightened.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Engagingly written as well as richly informative . . . every thinker, every book, every movement is located lightly and precisely in relation to its past and its influence on the present day. I can’t imagine a better history of humanism, nor one that is so vividly persuasive. Bakewell is a wonderful writer.” —Philip Pullman

“Sarah Bakewell’s books are always a joyous education . . . She combines a keen intellect with a lightness of touch and one always feels that she delights in sharing what she has learned. That delight is contagious . . . the world looked different when I finished this book.” —Robin Ince, co-host of The Infinite Monkey Cage and author of The Importance of Being Interested