2nd Paper Guidlines

Radical Political Thought
Guidelines for 2nd paper: “What is the problem with humanism?”


For the purposes of this paper, humanism:

1. is a political ideology (a “world‐view”), which 
2. maintains that humanity is the basis or origin of politics, and 
3. maintains that politics, therefore, ought to serve the development of humanity.

Some classic statements of humanism:


Sartre: “Man is nothing else but that which he makes of himself.” (“Existentialism is a Humanism,” 1946)

Fromm: “Man's potential, for Marx, is a given potential; man is, as it were, the human raw material which, as such, cannot be changed, just as the brain structure has remained the same since the dawn of history. Yet, man does change in the course of history; he develops himself; he transforms himself, he is the product of history; since he makes his history, he is his own product.” (Marx’s Concept of Man, 1961)


Marx: “The whole of what is called world history is nothing but the creation of man by human labour, and the emergence of nature for man; he therefore has the evident and irrefutable proof of his self‐creation, of his own origins.” (“Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts,” 1844)


In order to write this paper, you must:

1. Take a position on humanism (regardless of what that position is – e.g., you might answer the question by saying, “There is NO problem with humanism!”)
2. Defend your thesis, taking into account what Fanon, Althusser, and MacKinnon have to say about this question. This requires:
3. Figuring out how they would answer the question.
4. Figuring out where your own answer agrees and disagrees with their answers.
5. Defending your interpretation of these authors – that is, giving reasons for thinking a) that they do indeed answer the question in the way you say they do, and b) that they would indeed agree/disagree with you on the points and for the reasons you say they do.

Other “mechanical” guidelines:

1. Papers should be 1200‐1500 words in length.
2. Papers should have a line spacing of 1½ or 2, printed double‐sided if possible, and without cover‐sheets, portfolios, or other bells and whistles.
3. Papers should cite course texts whenever appropriate, but nothing else.
4. Papers are due at the beginning of class on 2 (extended) 9 November, 2010.
5. Late papers will be marked down 1/3 a letter grade for every day (1‐24 hours) they are late.