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“What is Humanism?”
Presented by Tanya Long

Wednesday, June 21 is World Humanist Day so it seemed appropriate to discuss  humanism, hence the topic.

There are many Humanist organizations across Canada, the U.S. and internationally, all adhering to certain principles:

• A belief in reason and scientific inquiry to define reality and guide human behaviour.

• A belief that "the buck stops here," i.e. there is no supernatural force or afterlife that we can fall back on. Human beings are entirely responsible for our actions and the consequences of those actions. 

• Humanists believe in living an ethical and meaningful life,  adhering to the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights, that all people, regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, geographic location, etc. are entitled to a life of dignity, respect and equality. 

But still many questions arise:

• What is the difference between a humanist and a secular humanist?

• Is it possible to have a spiritual life and still be a humanist?

• What is the difference between humanist and humanitarian?

• Do words like awe and wonder have a place in a humanist's vocabulary?

• Is it possible to hold a fundamentalist, extreme version of humanism similar to religious extremism and if yes, what would that look like?

• What is your understanding of humanism?

You undoubtedly have other questions to add to this list. Let's discuss. 

Resources:

The HAT Constitution Section 3 - Declaration of Principles
Humanists International Amsterdam Declaration
Humanists International What is Humanism?