What Is True? An Introduction to Secular Humanism

Some religious circles contend that virtue is impossible without a belief in God. Secular humanism—which grew out of the Enlightenment of the 17th and 18th centuries—takes a purely rational approach to the fundamental questions of human existence and ethics. What Is True? essentially serves up a succession of talking heads, who address topics ranging from the origin of religion (spurred by fear of the unknown and a psychological need to believe in something beyond the here and now) and critiques of the attitudes that belief systems have fostered through the centuries, to an exposition of the rationalist alternative, which readily acknowledges the limits of human knowledge and power but embraces the notion that truly moral behavior is developed through reason, without regard to myth or so-called higher powers. Although the scarcity of visual variety (apart from occasional inserts of artwork or naturalistic footage) is a drawback, What Is True? offers a solid introduction to the basic principles of secular humanism, overall. DVD extras include extended versions of the interviews and printed bios of interviewees. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)