What is Humanism?
HUMANISM is a philosophy of reason and science in the pursuit of
knowledge. Therefore, when it comes to the question of the most valid
means for acquiring knowledge of the world, Humanists prefer science
and believe that arbitrary faith, authority, revelation and altered
states of consciousness are less reliable methods of arriving at
truth.
HUMANISM is a philosophy for people who think for themselves. There
is no area of thought that a Humanist is afraid to challenge and
explore.
HUMANISM is a philosophy focused upon human means for comprehending
reality. Humanists make no claims to possess or have access to
supposed transcendent knowledge.
HUMANISM is a philosophy of imagination. Humanists recognize that
intuitive feelings, hunches, speculation, flashes of inspiration,
emotion, altered states of consciousness and even religious
experience, while less reliable ways of obtaining truth, remain
useful sources of ideas that can lead us to new ways of looking at
the world. These ideas, after they have been assessed rationally for
their usefulness, can then be put to work, often as alternate
approaches for solving problems.
HUMANISM is a philosophy for the here and now. Humanists regard human
values as making sense only in the context of human life rather than
in the promise of supposed life after death.
HUMANISM is a philosophy of compassion. Humanist ethics are solely
concerned with meeting human needs and answering human problems--for
both the individual and society--and devote no attention to the
satisfaction of the desires of supposed supernatural entities.
HUMANISM is a realistic philosophy. Humanists recognize the existence
of moral dilemmas and the need for careful consideration of immediate
and future consequences in ethical decision making.
HUMANISM is in tune with the science of today. Humanists therefore
recognize that we live in a natural universe of great size and age,
that we evolved on this planet over a long period of time, that there
is no compelling evidence for a separable "soul," and that human
beings have certain built-in needs that effectively form the basis
for any human-oriented value system.
HUMANISM is in tune with today's enlightened social thought.
Humanists are committed to civil liberties, human rights,
church-state separation, the extension of participatory democracy not
only in government but in the workplace and education, an expansion
of global consciousness and exchange of products and ideas
internationally, and an open-ended approach to solving social
problems, an approach that allows for the testing of new
alternatives.
About this document
The statements of our philosophy have been taken from various
Humanist expressions, especially those associated with the American
Humanist Association. It is approved by the board of HALA, and was put
into brochure form by Lisa Jo and John Singletary.
