Kurt Vonnegut a Humanist?

Question

The late Kurt Vonnegut Jr., widely known one of the best American novelists of the second half of the twentieth century, was a self-proclaimed "Humanist". I know in one of his works he gives his own definition of what it means to be a Humanist. Does anyone know which book it is?

Answer 1

I hope this what you were looking for...
Here's from his last book, A Man Without a Country:

"Do you know what a humanist is?
My parents and grandparents were humanists, what used to be called Free Thinkers. So as a humanist I am honoring my ancestors, which the Bible says is a good thing to do. We humanists try to behave as decently, as fairly, and as honorably as we can without any expectation of rewards or punishments in an afterlife. My brother and sister didn't think there was one, my parents and grandparents didn't think there was one. It was enough that they were alive. We humanists serve as best we can the only abstraction with which we have any real familiarity, which is our community."

Then he goes on and makes this wonderful joke about Issac Asimov in heaven.

Answer 2

"Do you know what a Humanist is? I am honorary president of the American Humanist Association, having succeeded the late, great science fiction writer Isaac Asimov in that functionless capacity. We Humanists try to behave well without any expectation of rewards or punishments in an afterlife. We serve as best we can the only abstraction with which we have any real familiarity, which is our community.

We had a memorial services for Isaac a few years back, and at one point I said, “Isaac is up in Heaven now.” It was the funniest thing I could have said to a group of Humanists. I rolled them in the aisles. It was several minutes before order could be restored. And if I should ever die, God forbid, I hope you will say, “Kurt is up in Heaven now.” That’s my favorite joke."

I hope that explains it, in Kurt's inimitable style.

Answer 3

Kurt Vonnegut is taken into consideration one of my literary heroes. Slaughterhouse 5 grow to be an absolute masterpiece. regrettably, i don't understand lots in regards to the guy in the back of the books, yet from what little I surely have discovered, he appeared like a terrifically eccentric guy. won't be able to conquer that.

Answer 4

Ch ch chang like that answer, great book and flick, I consider a more humorist approach and say "Timequake" it wasn't well received by the expecting-public , but the ideas initial foundation of repeating all our mistakes makes him, yes a Humanist.

Answer 5

Vonnegut explored this theme in Slaughterhouse-Five