The bestselling prizewinning author of How to Live and At the Existentialist Caf explores the great tradition of humanist writers thinkers scientists and artists all trying to understand what it means to be truly human. THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A BARACK OBAMA BOOK OF THE YEAR I cant imagine a better history PHILIP PULLMAN Fascinating moving funny OLIVER BURKEMANIf you are reading this you may already be a humanist. Even if you dont know it.Do you love literature and the arts Do you have a strong moral compass despite not being formally religious Do you simply believe that individual lives are more important than grand political visions If any of these apply you are part of a long tradition of humanist thought.In Humanly Possible Sarah Bakewell asks what humanism is and why it has flourished for so long.