Tony Davies offers students a clear, introductory guide to the complexities of humanism, one of the most contentious and divisive of concepts, outlining: * An introduction to origins and definitions * The emergence of 'Man' in fifteenth century writing and later philosophies * A critique of the religion of humanity * Religious, sexual and political themes of modern life and thought * Critical debate between humanism, modernism and antihumanism * Key figures, from Pico, Erasmus, and Milton to Nietzsche, Heidegger and Foucault in detail * Includes further reading