Reply: Beyond Optimism and Pessimism, Praise and Blame

“Apocalypse Now and Not Yet” is a nicely written essay even if any direct connections with my paper on geography and humanism are hard to fathom. “The Search for Humanism” addresses the paper, chapter and verse, but seems to have missed its spirit entirely. “Apocalypse” invites speculation on the future in discourse ranging from theology to science fiction, while the “search” fixes an inquisitorial gaze on the past, outraged about the disrespect shown for Enlightenment rationality and the apparently wanton flirtations with relativism and nihilism apparent in my interpretation of Western humanism.