presenting humanism to others

8/9/2019 Presenting Humanism to Others

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Presenting HumanismPresenting Humanismto othersto others

Presenting HumanismPresenting Humanismto othersto others


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Presentation principlesHumanism as a world view is still evolving Positive philosophy of life

Belief in everyone being free to make the most of theone life we know for sure they have

Endorse positive freedom that respects individualambition and the human rights of others

Want to help to create a good society that cares forothers.

Humanists are inquisitive we look to science tofind answers, which are always tentative.

Personalise How I came to this view?

Keep God out of it!? "The good life is one inspired by love andguided by knowledge. Bertrand Russell, Philosopher


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Humanists have a positive view

of human natureThere are many problems in the world and peoplecan often be very selfish and, sometimes crueltowards others.

However, people also show extraordinarykindness..

What is your personal experience of this?

Why should people act well towards others?


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Humans have

progressed bycooperatingThrough millions of years of evolution, human beings

have succeeded by working together...

to help each other in times of trouble to bring up and educate the young to clear land for farming to construct buildings and communal projects to created stable societies that trade and allow

individuals to specialise in what they are good at To care for the needy the sick, the elderly..


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Humans working together have the capacityHumans working together have the capacityto do remarkable things using a combinationto do remarkable things using a combinationof knowledge, skills and imagination. A goodof knowledge, skills and imagination. A good

society allows all individuals to achieve theirsociety allows all individuals to achieve theirpotential.potential.

What are the important achievements ofWhat are the important achievements ofhuman society?human society?


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Human achievements include


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Humans are also

inquisitive..

What thingsfascinate us?


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Some things that have

fascinated me Where did we (i.e. humans) come from? How long have we been around? How did the universe start?

Is there life on other planets? How did the incredible variety of life on earth come

about? What happens when we die? Are there ghosts and spirits? Is there anything that is

supernatural? Where might genetic engineering lead? What mighthumans look like in future?

Humanists keep their minds open to new ideasand information and respect science.


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How do HumanistsHow do Humanistsapproach the bigapproach the big

questions?questions?

How do HumanistsHow do Humanistsapproach the bigapproach the big

questions?questions?


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Where did we come from?

We don't know for sure but the best thatscience can tell us is... Our universe began with a BIG BANG 13.7 billion

years ago. It has been expanding ever since. Life has evolved gradually from simple to more

complex life forms though life today sharescommon basic DNA which suggests that complexlife evolved from earlier simple life forms.

Homo sapiens evolved 250,000 to 400,000 yearsago.

We appreciate the wonder of evolution, which hascreated so many forms of life from simple originsand the process goes on!


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What happens after death?

We cant be sure! Many people hope for an afterlife but little evidence

of this.

If there is it will be a bonus. Most likely thing is that our bodies will decompose andmolecules will be used to create new life.

This idea is very liberating. It makes us want to makethe best of the one life we know we have live everyminute and help others to have a good life too andleave a good legacy for those who come after us!


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What is the purpose of life?

Life on earth is accidental.

For each individual it is a UNIQUE

ONE-OFF

EVENTSome religions argue that thepurpose of life is to serve God.

Humanists believe that individuals

have agency i.e. the power tocreate their own meaning!


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How should we live life?

People seem to be happier when they have achance to improve themselves.

This is more likely if they live in an orderly,secure and caring society. So creating a goodsociety is important to us all.

However, we don't all have to be the same.Individuals should be free to find their ownfulfilment. Humanists appreciate diversity.

It is OK to enjoy life!!You don't have to feel guilty about having a goodtime (so long as it is not at the expense ofothers).


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Do we have rules to live by?While Humanists generally agree with:

the GOLDEN RULE:You should treat others as you would like others

to treat you.

They generally feel that few rules hold for all times. When Societychanges we often need to change the rules.

But the PRINCIPLES of how we live our lives stay the same.

An important word for Humanists is EMPATHY.

We are concerned for others and, when things go wrong,we try to imagine ourselves in other peoples shoes e.g. Gaza.

We recognise that often deep fulfilment comes when we do thingstogether with friends, communities and societies.


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Does the Supernatural exist?

Are there spirits, ghosts etc ?

We cant be sure!

But as long as I haven't experienced themor seen convincing evidence I will work onthe assumption that they are unlikely andnot relevant to my daily life.


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Is there a God

or Gods?

We don't know for certain! But it is difficult to understand how there could be an all-seeing,

all-knowing God who doesn't intervene to prevent atrocities e.g.genocide.

In the past, GODS and thesupernatural were used to explainthe unknown The realm of the unknown has shrunk over time and so has that of

God.God is no more evident than fairies! If he or she ever existed then he seems to have gone away.

Deist view is that God started everything and then has played noactive part left to humans to solve problems and create a good life.

Humanists prefer to look to human ingenuity andsciencefor explanations and tosolve problems.


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Howcan we make sure

that society stays good?Observing how society works gives us hope.

We come across many people who act kindly towards others. Modern society has been shaped by the Liberal Meme

Dawkins We have gradually extended human rights through prison reform,

rights for women, the disabled, the elderly Life for many people is better today than ever before.

Therules we live by are made by human beings on the basisofexperience. Human beings have been successful down the ages by working

together to overcome problems. Widely agreed codes of behaviourhave been the key.

Aframework of LAWtoensure basic human rights is important.


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2002 Amsterdam Declaration ofHumanist Principles

1. Humanism is ethical. It affirms the worth, dignity and autonomy of the individual and the right of everyhuman being to the greatest possible freedom compatible with the rights of others. Humanists have aduty of care to all of humanity including future generations. Humanists believe that morality is anintrinsic part of human nature based on understanding and a concern for others, needing no externalsanction.

2. Humanism is rational. It seeks to use science creatively, not destructively. Humanists believe that thesolutions to the world's problems lie in human thought and action rather than divine intervention.Humanism advocates the application of the methods of science and free inquiry to the problems ofhuman welfare. But Humanists also believe that the application of science and technology must betempered by human values. Science gives us the means but human values must propose the ends.

3. Humanism supports democracy and human rights. Humanism aims at the fullest possible developmentof every human being. It holds that democracy and human development are matters of right. The

principles of democracy and human rights can be applied to many human relationships and are notrestricted to methods of government.4. Humanism insists that personal liberty must becombinedwith social responsibility. Humanism

ventures to build a world on the idea of the free person responsible to society, and recognises ourdependence on and responsibility for the natural world. Humanism is undogmatic, imposing no creed uponits adherents. It is thus committed to education free from indoctrination.

5. Humanism is a response to thewidespreaddemandfor an alternative todogmaticreligion. Theworld's major religions claim to be based on revelations fixed for all time, and many seek to impose theirworld-views on all of humanity. Humanism recognises that reliable knowledge of the world and ourselvesarises through a continuing process of observation, evaluation and revision.

6. Humanism values artisticcreativity and imagination andrecognises the transforming powerof art.

Humanism affirms the importance of literature, music, and the visual and performing arts for personaldevelopment and fulfilment.7. Humanism is a life stance aiming at themaximumpossiblefulfilment through the cultivation of

ethical and creative living and offers an ethical and rational means of addressing the challenges of ourtimes.

How should these principles be appliedto running a Humanist school?


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What is Humanism lacking?

How can we make it better

and acceptable to more people?

presenting humanism to others

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