Toward a New Humanism

“At a critical moment in World War II, as Western Civilization hung in the balance, Samuel Ramos laid the foundations for a new humanism… . This timely, fluent, and precise translation of Toward a New Humanism helps us understand how we’ve arrived at the tragic situation of having to defend ourselves against our own creations.”

—Guillermo Hurtado, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)

“With the publication of Sanchez’s accessible, flawless translation of Toward a New Humanism, there are no longer any valid reasons to deny Ramos’s place in the history of 20th century philosophy; we can now get to work teaching, interpreting, and grappling with the issues and ideas that he sought to clarify; more importantly, we can now get a sense of how Ramos’s ‘new humanism’ lends clarity to problems that for eighty-five years have been getting more and more obscure. And for this we are grateful.”

—Carlos Sanchez, San Jose State University

“This is a book for our times. Samuel Ramos offered clarity about the crises that enveloped the world in the 1940s, but his insights into the human condition are equally applicable to many threats we face today. The nuanced translation and thorough introduction … represent a fruitful move toward bringing Mexican philosophy further into the English-speaking world as a powerful tradition worthy of our best attention.”

—Amy A. Oliver, American University

Robert Eli Sanchez, Jr. is Associate Professor of Philosophy, Occidental College.