Yeah I think I pretty much go along with that. After all humanism which is about as close to an institution as I get is a direct reaction to the institution of religion. An attempt to create something similar without the requirement of spirituality or faith...though some may disagree about the faith required for rational thought.
Nice point! Humanism IS institutional. Within academia, it is an underlying assumption (though not absolute), which is
not too different from the role religion played. Oh, no one gets burned at the stake, but whole ways of thinking
end up dismissed.
No wonder there is an anti-academic current within the religious right.
