“Humanism” can mean many things, from Renaissance scholars’ dedication to literary study to a modern organised movement that seeks meaning and morality in our relationships here on Earth, rather than in religious ideas of the beyond. Humanism is so wide-ranging that it can seem an elusive term, but that also reflects its great richness, both as a concept and as a way of living.

Sarah Bakewell, author of Humanly Possible and books on Montaigne and on existentialism, will take us through some of the byways of humanist tradition, and introduce a few of the erudite, inspiring and occasionally bizarre figures who have lived humanist lives over some 700 years of European history. She will explore what humanists have thought and said, and what they might offer us today.