Herbert A. Tonne

From Philosopedia

Tonne, Herbert A. (1902–1998)

When he signed Humanist Manifesto II, Tonne was on the editorial board of the Journal of Business Education. He was active in the American Humanist Association (AHA) and in humanist circles in the New Jersey and New York areas.

Tonne, who was a professor of business education at New York University and the State University of New York at Albany, wrote a number of texts on education:

Problems of Teaching Economics (with P. S. Lomax, 1932);

Social-Business Subjects in the Secondary Schools (with M. H. Tonne, 1932);

Consumer Education in the Schools (1941);

Functions of Business (with L. L. Jones and R. G. Price, 1941);

A Realistic Philosophy of Education (1942);

Methods of Teaching Business Subjects (with E. L. Popham and M. H. Freeman,

1957);

Business Principles: Organization and Management (with S. I. Simon and

E. C. McGill, 1958);

Principles of Business Education (4th and 5th editions with L. C. Nanassy,1947,

1954, 1961, 1967, 1973); and

Principles and Trends in Business Education (with L. C. Nanassy and D. R. Malsbury,

1977).

He also wrote Looking Ahead to 2084 (1974); The Human Dilemma: Finding Meaning in Life (1980); Scribblings of a Concerned Secular Humanist (1988); and “Why Are There So Few Humanists?”

Tonne was an articulate secular humanist who knew many influential humanist leaders and, in turn, influenced many.

Correspondence

In his 90s, Tonne corresponded with Warren Allen Smith on various subjects concerning humanism. He was critical of Ellen Johnson, Madalyn Murray O'Hair, Corliss Lamont, Beth Lamont, other well-known humanists, the Council for Secular Humanism, and the American Humanist Association.

(See entry for Humanist Manifesto II. Also see “Religious Belief in America: A New Poll,” Free Inquiry, Summer 1996, which he commissioned. Among other facts, the 1996 study showed that over 88% of Americans believe in a personal God who can answer prayer; that only 8.2% believe God is an invention of the human mind; that 88% believe an atheist is anyone who does not believe in the existence of a superior being who created and rules the universe; that 93.2% believe miracles are performed today by the power of God; and that 80.3% believe in life after death, as contrasted with 26.1% among people who consider themselves very non-religious. Tonne found the Goldhaber Research Associations poll’s findings, which he funded, surprising. Do people just ignore or disbelieve what they read and hear? he asked.)

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