Humanism

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== See also ==
 
== See also ==
 
*[[British Humanist Association]]
 
*[[British Humanist Association]]
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*[[New Humanist]]
  
 
== External links ==
 
== External links ==

Revision as of 21:14, 9 September 2012

The Atheist's Guide To

Atheism

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Key concepts
More about atheism
Notable atheists

Humanism is the idea and "life stance" that humans, not knowing what goes on outside the natural world (if anything), are all we have in this reality, and that human reason must help us act morally. It is often associated with rationalism, but rationalism does not necessarily have any moral implications. It is also associated with atheism and agnosticism, specifically in the guise of secular humanism, although the two certainly aren't the same thing; Humanism is where atheism and agnosticism would turn to for moral guidance, as it can't really get it from a divine source, for example.

Contents

What humanism is, and what it is not

There are many branches of humanist philosophy, but all have in common recognizing the intrinsic worth of all human beings. Humanism also assumes that people have the ability to distinguish between right and wrong without the aid of a supernatural being or its edicts.

Many humanists believe in God - in fact, humanism as we know it began with medieval Christians enamored with the works of the Greeks and Romans. Secular humanists often don't, but in general consider God irrelevant. As a result it's become a snarl word among the Religious right.

Attacks on humanism

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From the religious perspective

Some fundamentalist propagandists will try to scare you with a document called The Humanist Manifesto. It really isn't that bad, though not every humanist is going to agree with it as it was written by religious humanists. It just sounds scary because it ends in "-ist Manifesto". Go on, read it. Them, actually; there's three of them. It won't hurt you. Though you should probably also read A Secular Humanist Declaration and the IHEU's Amsterdam Declaration 2002 as well.

Answers in Genesis claims - and will continue to claim, provided they survive the financial year - that humanists are in league with Satan.[1]

From the antihumanist perspective

Antihumanists oppose humanism on philosophical grounds, arguing that "human reason" is only an illusory source of morality, as it is only a reflection of societal norms and social practices and nothing intrinsically special.

See also

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