what is humanism?

[Athosxc]

Just so long as they don't have one of those laser things that takes out a city with one shot...welcome to the green men!

 

[Sunstone]

Angellous, why do you think secular humanism is radically optimistic?

 

[MatCauthorn]

Angellous, why do you think secular humanism is radically optimistic?

I used to semi-jokingly call myself a "cynical humanist" because I hold a lot of humanist beliefs, but I don't see much reason for the optimism that secular humanism (at least in its pure form) seems to advocate. In essence, secular humanists think that humanity is the best hope that we have for improving our lives and solving problems here on earth (as opposed to praying to a God/gods for help, or seeking enlightenment, or other traditional religious pursuits). However, us cynical humanists think that, while humans may be our best hope for the future, that's not an entirely comforting thought.

So, it's radically optimistic in that it presumes that people are basically good and that, given time, education, and opportunity, the human race will move towards helping itself out of the troubles which (largely) it created in the first place. And, I think most people would agree, that's really optimistic, especially considering the new waves of religious fundamentalism which seem to be sweeping the country. (Not that religion is all bad in terms of helping people in the here and now, but they do tend to emphasize, "there's a better world coming... so focus on that, and don't worry so much about this world," which tends to have negative consequences in terms of things like pollution and addressing larger factors contributing to homelessness, inequality, etc.)

-- Mat

 

[Saw11_2000]

^Oh no I'm an optimist.

I do sorta feel that way, however.

 

[Athosxc]

Personally, I don't see the optimism of SH as very realistic. Since optimism and realism can very well go hand-in-hand, I find SH rather depressing when I think about it. I'll admit, I like to start with a systemic approach, and break it down from there, but I don't think that totally corrupts my view point. MatCauthorn made a good point when he said that the human race will move towards helping itself out of the troubles which (largely) it created in the first place. As a general overview, I find little evidence of humanity solving problems, but rather in band-aiding them.

The problems don't go away, they are gotten around through re-interpretations of laws, technology, changes in the norms and mores of society, and thinking patterns. In the end, sec.humanism ends up right back at the same problems from a different angle time and time again. Every time, someone cries out "foul" and a new method is invented to put that particular problem off a little longer. In the end, the effort has the same effect as herding cats. All IMHO, but I think not too far off of the truth.

 

[Saw11_2000]

^What you talkin about Willis?

I'll be the first one to say that SHs do "delay" problems, if you suppose. But, SHs in general hope for alternatives and such. Also, SH doesn't dictate so much about environmental issues...etc. as much as human issues, health medicine, politics, prayer, etc. I like to genuinely help people, nothing is as cool as seeing a smile on someone's face after you've helped them.

I tend to focus more on "NOW" then "LATER". Maybe I'm impatient.

 

[Hypatia]

I wouldn't say that we humans are greatest on this planet but we are organisms like any other living thing on this planet. As someone exlpained, we humanists try to solve problems with human solutions i.e. reasoning, ingenious ideas (can include inventions here) and working together as just a few things. The American Humanist website is a great source. You will also notice there are different varieties of humanists...secular, religious, and somewhere in between. I consider myself a secular humanist even though sometimes I meditate and my husband and I used a pagan ritual in our humanist wedding ceremony for aesthetic value and as a way of honoring our Celtic ancestors. I may be secular but I'm still human.

 

[eudaimonia]

Secular Humanism is a term which has come into use in the last thirty years to describe a world view with the following elements and principles:

• A conviction that dogmas, ideologies and traditions, whether religious, political or social, must be weighed and tested by each individual and not simply accepted on faith.
• Commitment to the use of critical reason, factual evidence, and scientific methods of inquiry, rather than faith and mysticism, in seeking solutions to human problems and answers to important human questions.
• A primary concern with fulfillment, growth, and creativity for both the individual and humankind in general.
• A constant search for objective truth, with the understanding that new knowledge and experience constantly alter our imperfect perception of it.
• A concern for this life and a commitment to making it meaningful through better understanding of ourselves, our history, our intellectual and artistic achievements, and the outlooks of those who differ from us.
• A search for viable individual, social and political principles of ethical conduct, judging them on their ability to enhance human well-being and individual responsibility.
• A conviction that with reason, an open marketplace of ideas, good will, and tolerance, progress can be made in building a better world for ourselves and our children.

By this very short list, it seems that my philosophical path of Eudaimonism falls under the umbrella category of Secular Humanism. (Some people who come from humanist groups have joined the Fellowship of Reason and now call themselves both secular humanists and Eudaimonists, so I presume there is little or no conflict deep down.)

I don't call myself a secular humanist, though. I tend to associate it too much with leftist politics and one world government (see the various Manifestoes), and its morality at times seems like little more than a secularized Christian-altruist morality, though I appreciate that they sometimes give some emphasis to what I regard as more central moral values, such as "fulfillment, growth, and creativity".

That said, I regard secular humanists as fellow travellers. Thank you for Star Trek.


eudaimonia,

M.

 

[DakotaGypsy]

Religion is a creation of humans. Deities were created to explain away the terrors of life and death, as well as to serve as props in the storytelling that served to entertain humans before theater, as well as the technology of radio, television, the cinema, etc., were created by humans to entertain other humans.

Of course, these instruments of entertainment were and are used to educate as well as to indoctrinate humans.

One must be very careful to separate the indoctrination from the entertainment and educational values of communication.

Ethics and morality have been hard won, as humans have figured out that survival is dependent upon humans behaving decently to each other as well as being just. God has nothing to do with any of this, apart from being a human creation.

 

[charles brough]

I think Mat has given a good description of Humanism and probably it is what the Humanist organizations would rather much agree with.

HOWEVER, it is so tied in with our other secular beliefs of "free-enterprise system", rights, democracy, individualism and "free will" that the term "Secular Humanism" has often been used to describe the whole list of beliefs that are separate from both Christian doctrine and that of the other religions. It is tied in with science as part of the belief conglomeration.

Scientists dislike having all these beliefs given a title, though! Even social scientists have biases! They like to think of it as "truth" rather than a belief system! I don't think that is being objective or even scientific! What do you folks think?

charles, http://humanpurpose.simplenet.com (430 hits PER DAY in January!)

I take issue with the suggestion that humanists think that humans are the greatest beings on the planet, in the sense that that gives the impression that humanists don't care about the fate of animals, for instance. Humanists as a group have great concern for the environment, and the interaction among species, even if only because it is natural processes which sustain life on earth.

For a more broad definition, a few starting points can be taken from here: http://www.secularhumanism.org/intro/what.html:

---
Secular Humanism is a term which has come into use in the last thirty years to describe a world view with the following elements and principles:

• A conviction that dogmas, ideologies and traditions, whether religious, political or social, must be weighed and tested by each individual and not simply accepted on faith.
• Commitment to the use of critical reason, factual evidence, and scientific methods of inquiry, rather than faith and mysticism, in seeking solutions to human problems and answers to important human questions.
• A primary concern with fulfillment, growth, and creativity for both the individual and humankind in general.
• A constant search for objective truth, with the understanding that new knowledge and experience constantly alter our imperfect perception of it.
• A concern for this life and a commitment to making it meaningful through better understanding of ourselves, our history, our intellectual and artistic achievements, and the outlooks of those who differ from us.
• A search for viable individual, social and political principles of ethical conduct, judging them on their ability to enhance human well-being and individual responsibility.
• A conviction that with reason, an open marketplace of ideas, good will, and tolerance, progress can be made in building a better world for ourselves and our children.

---

But, it is somewhat difficult to define humanism since it has no Pope-figure, or anyone who is determined by its believers to be in charge (like a priest or a chaplain) so there is nobody who is in a position to say what is and what is not humanistic. Many people refer to works by famous humanists for this purpose - Robert Green Ingersoll, Bertrand Russel, Paul Kurtz, etc.

-- Mat

 

[jrbogie]

please fill me in, guys.

Humanism in brief

Humanism is a philosophy of life inspired by humanity and guided by reason. It provides the basis for a fulfilling and ethical life without religion.

• Humanists make sense of the world using reason, experience and shared human values.
• Humanists see no convincing evidence for gods, the supernatural, or life after death.
• Humanists believe that moral values are properly founded on human empathy and scientific understanding.
• Humanists believe we must live this life on the basis that it is the only life we'll have -- that, therefore, we must make the most of it for ourselves, each other, and our world.

Humanist philosophies have arisen separately in many different cultures over many thousands of years. Whether or not they use the term humanism, tens of millions of Americans and hundreds of millions of people around the world agree with the humanist philosophy of living a happy and productive life based on reason and compassion.

 

[MissAlice]

Hmmm, reading through the posts I think I might be more of a humanism than an agnostic, unless of course the two overlap.

 

[Nepenthe]

Hmmm, reading through the posts I think I might be more of a humanism than an agnostic, unless of course the two overlap.

Sure, they can overlap. Humanism can be secular, it can accomodate atheism/ agnosticism, or it can include religious humanism. Humanism runs a wide gauntlet of ethical interpretations but tends to emphasize human reason and rationality as the most reliable means of understanding the world and interacting within that world. Humanism's main distinction from religion is that humanists, even religious humanists, tend to reject authoritarianism and interventionist or supernatural explanations of how the world works.

 

[Lois]

Humanism is a good attitude to people

 

[St Giordano Bruno]

I am a humanist of soughts but I am not so sure about us being the most superior species of living creature on this earth because if the last cold war had gone disastrously wrong and turned into a hot one we could have had the unenviable distinction being the first species of animal to completely stuff the planet up.
As for the afterlife I honestly don't know, Nietzsche's eternal return or Anthropic bias towards always necessarily existing may sound plausible, but I can never be absolutely sure. But whatever happens I strongly rebuke that any religious conversion or belief will make any difference to you such as the doctrine of Salvation. I look on that as an insult to all pre Christian cultures such as the Inuit of the Arctic or the Ya̧nomamo of the Amazon etc to deny them such a privalage. I just live this life as if it is the only one I will live and forget about speculating about something which is so unknowable.

 

[KnightOwl]

I am, among other things, a humanist. I belong to the AHA and was a board member of my local affiliate organization for a few years.

The shortest definition I can give of a humanist is that of a person who seeks to improve the human condition without relying on supernaturalism.

The "improve the human condition" portion of that statement along with the chance to socialize with other non-believers was what attracted me to organized humanism in the first place. I don't consider humanism a religion, but rather a philosophy in the sense of a philosophy upon which one lives their life.

 

[KnightOwl]

just adding a post so I'm subscribed - just changed my settings

 

[Fromper]

Sorry to thread necro, but I was thinking of starting another thread to ask the same question, before I found this thread. And after reading this thread, I think I'm still missing the point.

How exactly is "secular humanist" not just another way of saying that someone is atheist or agnostic? I just don't see why secular humanism is considered something separate.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Humanism is just human-focused ethics that is formed without the basis of faith. People try to be all dogmatic about it, though. There's religious/theistic forms of it, too.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanism

 

[Fromper]

I get that there's theistic humanism, too, which from what I can tell is believing in a religion, but living your life in a secular way.

But as far as I can tell, secular humanism is just atheism without being a sociopath. Is there something I'm missing?