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What is Humanism?
Throughout recorded history there have been non-religious people who have believed that this life is the only life we have, that the universe is a natural phenomenon with no supernatural side, and that we can live ethical and fulfilling lives on the basis of reason and humanity. They have trusted to the scientific method, evidence and reason to discover truths about the universe and placed human welfare and happiness at the centre of their ethical decision making. Many hundreds of thousands of people in Ireland share this way of living and of looking at the world, but many of them have not heard the word ‘humanist’ and don’t realise that it describes what they believe.
It is one of the main purposes of the Cork Humanists to increase public awareness of what Humanism is, and to let the many thousands of non-religious people in this country know that, far from being somehow deficient in their values, they have an outlook on life which is coherent and widely-shared, which has inspired some of the world’s greatest artists, writers, scientists, philosophers and social reformers, and which has a millenia-long tradition in both the western and eastern worlds.
A Simple Guide to Humanism
The British Humanist Association launched a website recently called a Simple Guide to Humanism which we think is just top notch and is accessible for people of all ages.
The IHEU Minimum Statement
In 1996, the General Assembly of the International Humanist and Ethical Union adopted the following resolution. Any organisation wishing to become a member of IHEU is now obliged to signify its acceptance of this statement:
"Humanism is a democratic and ethical life stance, which affirms that human beings have the right and responsibility to give meaning and shape to their own lives. It stands for the building of a more humane society through an ethic based on human and other natural values in the spirit of reason and free inquiry through human capabilities. It is not theistic, and it does not accept supernatural views of reality."
The Amsterdam Declaration
In 1952, at the first World Humanist Congress, the founding fathers of IHEU agreed a statement of the fundamental principles of modern Humanism. They called it "The Amsterdam Declaration". That declaration was a child of its time: set in the world of great power politics and the Cold War.
The 50th anniversary World Humanist Congress in 2002, again meeting in the Netherlands, unanimously passed a resolution updating that declaration: "The Amsterdam Declaration 2002". Following the Congress, this updated declaration was adopted unanimously by the IHEU General Assembly, and thus became the official defining statement of World Humanism. You can find a link to 2002 declaration here.
The Happy Human Symbol
Many Humanist organisations use the Happy Human symbol as a logo and the Cork Humanists have incorporated it into our own logo. The IHEU have a page with the history of the Happy Human symbol.
Defining 'Humanism'
Roughly speaking, the word humanist has come to mean someone who:
However, definitions abound and there are longer and shorter versions. The fullest definition to have a measure of international agreement is contained in the 2002 Amsterdam Declaration of the International humanist and Ethical Union. Some others include:
…a commitment to the perspective, interests and centrality of human persons; a belief in reason and autonomy as foundational aspects of human existence; a belief that reason, scepticism and the scientific method are the only appropriate instruments for discovering truth and structuring the human community; a belief that the foundations for ethics and society are to be found in autonomy and moral equality…
- Concise Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy
An appeal to reason in contrast to revelation or religious authority as a means of finding out about the natural world and destiny of man, and also giving a grounding for morality…Humanist ethics is also distinguished by placing the end of moral action in the welfare of humanity rather than in fulfilling the will of God.
- Oxford Companion to Philosophy
Believing that it is possible to live confidently without metaphysical or religious certainty and that all opinions are open to revision and correction, [Humanists] see human flourishing as dependent on open communication, discussion, criticism and unforced consensus.
- Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy
That man should show respect to man, irrespective of class, race or creed is fundamental to the humanist attitude to life. Among the fundamental moral principles, he would count those of freedom, justice, tolerance and happiness…the attitude that people can live an honest, meaningful life without following a formal religious creed.
- Pears Cyclopaedia, 87th edition, 1978
Rejection of religion in favour of the advancement of humanity by its own efforts.
- Collins Concise Dictionary
A non-religious philosophy, based on liberal human values.
- Little Oxford Dictionary
Labels, Labels, Labels
It is important to note that a person can be a Humanist, an Atheist and an Agnostic all at the same time, the terms are not mutually exclusive. Often people decide which term to use based on how comfortable they are with the term or they can make a decision based on the movement and/or organisation's agendas with which their personal values are most compatible. The term freethinker and rationalist are also adopted by some non-theists.
Some Questions which Arise
James Croft one of our favourite Humanist thinkers/authors/activists has done a series of very concise and informative articles on the subject which include:
Honing Humanism – Is Humanism “a Philosophy”?
Here Croft dicusses in broad terms two different ways in which the term “Humanism” can be understood: as an interconnected set of values constituting a lifestance, and as a tradition of thought and practice in which those values are of primary importance.
Honing Humanism – What Use is Humanism?
Here Croft addresses two challenges to the question “What’s the use in the term Humanism?” First, the inconsequential “It doesn’t tell me what I’m particularly interested in, which is your specific ethical and epistemological systems”; second, the substantive “Humanist values, absent any specific framework for grounding them, are so broad as to encompass almost everybody who isn’t a fundamentalist!”
Capital 'H' Humanism
(extract from Wikipedia page on 'Secular Humanism')
[M]any adherents of the approach reject the use of the word "secular" as obfuscating and confusing, and consider that the term "secular humanism" has been "demonized by the religious right... All too often secular humanism is reduced to a sterile outlook consisting of little more than secularism slightly broadened by academic ethics. This kind of 'hyphenated humanism' easily becomes more about the adjective than its referent".[8] Adherents of this view, including the International Humanist and Ethical Union and the American Humanist Association, consider that the unmodified but capitalised word Humanism should be used. The endorsement by the IHEU of the capitalization of the word "Humanism", and the dropping of any adjective such as "secular", is quite recent. The American Humanist Association began to adopt this view in 1973, and the IHEU formally endorsed the position in 1989. In 2002 the IHEU General Assembly unanimously adopted the Amsterdam Declaration, which represents the official defining statement of World Humanism for Humanists. This declaration makes exclusive use of capitalized Humanist and Humanism, which is consistent with IHEU's general practice and recommendations for promoting a unified Humanist identity.[1] To further promote Humanist identity, these words are also free of any adjectives, as recommended by prominent members of IHEU.[2] Such usage is not universal among IHEU member organizations, though most of them do observe these conventions.
World Humanist Congress
The International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) holds international congresses every three years in different parts of the world, past congresses took place in Oslo, Washington, Paris, Noordweijkerhout (Netherlands), Mexico City, Mumbai and Amsterdam. Each congress is organised by a host member organisation in conjunction with the IHEU executive committee. The next congress is to be held in 2014 in association with member organization the British Humanist Association (BHA) in Oxford, England, on August 6–11, 2014.
The congress has many aims including
Learning More about Humanism
Humanism is an approach to life that is found throughout time and across the world in many different cultures. You can find out more about what humanists think and believe under the BHA's Humanism Today, and more about how Humanism has developed over time under their The Humanist Tradition page.
Our Members Stories
You might be interested in reading the personal stories of some of members and how they came to call themselves Humanists Humanists on the Humanist Journeys page.
It is one of the main purposes of the Cork Humanists to increase public awareness of what Humanism is, and to let the many thousands of non-religious people in this country know that, far from being somehow deficient in their values, they have an outlook on life which is coherent and widely-shared, which has inspired some of the world’s greatest artists, writers, scientists, philosophers and social reformers, and which has a millenia-long tradition in both the western and eastern worlds.
A Simple Guide to Humanism
The British Humanist Association launched a website recently called a Simple Guide to Humanism which we think is just top notch and is accessible for people of all ages.
The IHEU Minimum Statement
In 1996, the General Assembly of the International Humanist and Ethical Union adopted the following resolution. Any organisation wishing to become a member of IHEU is now obliged to signify its acceptance of this statement:
"Humanism is a democratic and ethical life stance, which affirms that human beings have the right and responsibility to give meaning and shape to their own lives. It stands for the building of a more humane society through an ethic based on human and other natural values in the spirit of reason and free inquiry through human capabilities. It is not theistic, and it does not accept supernatural views of reality."
The Amsterdam Declaration
In 1952, at the first World Humanist Congress, the founding fathers of IHEU agreed a statement of the fundamental principles of modern Humanism. They called it "The Amsterdam Declaration". That declaration was a child of its time: set in the world of great power politics and the Cold War.
The 50th anniversary World Humanist Congress in 2002, again meeting in the Netherlands, unanimously passed a resolution updating that declaration: "The Amsterdam Declaration 2002". Following the Congress, this updated declaration was adopted unanimously by the IHEU General Assembly, and thus became the official defining statement of World Humanism. You can find a link to 2002 declaration here.
The Happy Human Symbol
Many Humanist organisations use the Happy Human symbol as a logo and the Cork Humanists have incorporated it into our own logo. The IHEU have a page with the history of the Happy Human symbol.
Defining 'Humanism'
Roughly speaking, the word humanist has come to mean someone who:
- trusts to the scientific method when it comes to understanding how the universe works and rejects the idea of the supernatural (and is therefore an atheist or agnostic)
- makes their ethical decisions based on reason, empathy, and a concern for human beings and other sentient animals
- believes that, in the absence of an afterlife and any discernible purpose to the universe, human beings can act to give their own lives meaning by seeking happiness in this life and helping others to do the same.
However, definitions abound and there are longer and shorter versions. The fullest definition to have a measure of international agreement is contained in the 2002 Amsterdam Declaration of the International humanist and Ethical Union. Some others include:
…a commitment to the perspective, interests and centrality of human persons; a belief in reason and autonomy as foundational aspects of human existence; a belief that reason, scepticism and the scientific method are the only appropriate instruments for discovering truth and structuring the human community; a belief that the foundations for ethics and society are to be found in autonomy and moral equality…
- Concise Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy
An appeal to reason in contrast to revelation or religious authority as a means of finding out about the natural world and destiny of man, and also giving a grounding for morality…Humanist ethics is also distinguished by placing the end of moral action in the welfare of humanity rather than in fulfilling the will of God.
- Oxford Companion to Philosophy
Believing that it is possible to live confidently without metaphysical or religious certainty and that all opinions are open to revision and correction, [Humanists] see human flourishing as dependent on open communication, discussion, criticism and unforced consensus.
- Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy
That man should show respect to man, irrespective of class, race or creed is fundamental to the humanist attitude to life. Among the fundamental moral principles, he would count those of freedom, justice, tolerance and happiness…the attitude that people can live an honest, meaningful life without following a formal religious creed.
- Pears Cyclopaedia, 87th edition, 1978
Rejection of religion in favour of the advancement of humanity by its own efforts.
- Collins Concise Dictionary
A non-religious philosophy, based on liberal human values.
- Little Oxford Dictionary
Labels, Labels, Labels
It is important to note that a person can be a Humanist, an Atheist and an Agnostic all at the same time, the terms are not mutually exclusive. Often people decide which term to use based on how comfortable they are with the term or they can make a decision based on the movement and/or organisation's agendas with which their personal values are most compatible. The term freethinker and rationalist are also adopted by some non-theists.
Some Questions which Arise
James Croft one of our favourite Humanist thinkers/authors/activists has done a series of very concise and informative articles on the subject which include:
Honing Humanism – Is Humanism “a Philosophy”?
Here Croft dicusses in broad terms two different ways in which the term “Humanism” can be understood: as an interconnected set of values constituting a lifestance, and as a tradition of thought and practice in which those values are of primary importance.
Honing Humanism – What Use is Humanism?
Here Croft addresses two challenges to the question “What’s the use in the term Humanism?” First, the inconsequential “It doesn’t tell me what I’m particularly interested in, which is your specific ethical and epistemological systems”; second, the substantive “Humanist values, absent any specific framework for grounding them, are so broad as to encompass almost everybody who isn’t a fundamentalist!”
Capital 'H' Humanism
(extract from Wikipedia page on 'Secular Humanism')
[M]any adherents of the approach reject the use of the word "secular" as obfuscating and confusing, and consider that the term "secular humanism" has been "demonized by the religious right... All too often secular humanism is reduced to a sterile outlook consisting of little more than secularism slightly broadened by academic ethics. This kind of 'hyphenated humanism' easily becomes more about the adjective than its referent".[8] Adherents of this view, including the International Humanist and Ethical Union and the American Humanist Association, consider that the unmodified but capitalised word Humanism should be used. The endorsement by the IHEU of the capitalization of the word "Humanism", and the dropping of any adjective such as "secular", is quite recent. The American Humanist Association began to adopt this view in 1973, and the IHEU formally endorsed the position in 1989. In 2002 the IHEU General Assembly unanimously adopted the Amsterdam Declaration, which represents the official defining statement of World Humanism for Humanists. This declaration makes exclusive use of capitalized Humanist and Humanism, which is consistent with IHEU's general practice and recommendations for promoting a unified Humanist identity.[1] To further promote Humanist identity, these words are also free of any adjectives, as recommended by prominent members of IHEU.[2] Such usage is not universal among IHEU member organizations, though most of them do observe these conventions.
World Humanist Congress
The International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) holds international congresses every three years in different parts of the world, past congresses took place in Oslo, Washington, Paris, Noordweijkerhout (Netherlands), Mexico City, Mumbai and Amsterdam. Each congress is organised by a host member organisation in conjunction with the IHEU executive committee. The next congress is to be held in 2014 in association with member organization the British Humanist Association (BHA) in Oxford, England, on August 6–11, 2014.
The congress has many aims including
- Bringing together members of IHEU’s Member Organisations and individual supporters to discuss matters of concern, to learn and to draw inspiration from each other.
- Focusing global humanist attention on selected issues, so that an IHEU position on the issue can be formulated.
- Showcasing the role and aims of IHEU, promoting knowledge and understanding of IHEU among other NGOs in the region.
- Creating increased visibility for IHEU and humanism in the media – thereby achieving a generally raised profile for Humanism and humanist concerns in the region.
- Helping build a network of international contacts among Congress participants.
- Creating opportunities for IHEU-kindred organisations to participate in our activities and meetings, on a reciprocal basis.
Learning More about Humanism
Humanism is an approach to life that is found throughout time and across the world in many different cultures. You can find out more about what humanists think and believe under the BHA's Humanism Today, and more about how Humanism has developed over time under their The Humanist Tradition page.
Our Members Stories
You might be interested in reading the personal stories of some of members and how they came to call themselves Humanists Humanists on the Humanist Journeys page.
