Humanism Manifesto & Philosophy

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HumanismManifesto Philosophy
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Humanism

• Humanism is a rational philosophy informed by
  science, inspired by art, and motivated by
  compassion. Affirming the dignity of each human
  being, it supports the maximization of individual
  liberty and opportunity consonant with social and
  planetary responsibility. It advocates the
  extension of participatory democracy and the
  expansion of the open society, standing for human
  rights and social justice. Free of
  supernaturalism, it recognizes human beings as
  part of nature and holds that values be they
  religious, ethical, social, or political have
  their source in human nature, experience, and
  culture. Humanism thus derives the goals of life
  from human need and interest rather than from
  theological or ideological abstractions and
  asserts that humanity must take responsibility
  for its own destiny.
• Definition from The Humanist,
  a publication of the American Humanist Association

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Humanism

• In 1928 the Humanist Fellowship was organized.
• It was made up mostly of students at the
  University of Chicago.
  
• In April 1928 the fellowship began publication of
  a journal entitled the New Humanist.
  
• A few years later, in 1933, some members of the
  fellowship suggested that Roy Wood Sellers (a
  philosophy professor at the University of
  Michigan) draft A Humanist Manifesto. He did
  so, and passed the draft to Curtis W. Reese,
  Raymond Bragg, Edwin H. Wilson, and others, who
  revised and edited it for publication in the
  journal.
• The opening statements of the Manifesto made
  clear that the time was past for revision of
  traditional religious beliefs.
  
• The humanists offered their Manifesto so that
  religious humanism may be better understood.
  
• The Manifesto contained fifteen short theses.

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Humanism

• Religious humanists regard the universe as
  self-existing and not created.
  
• Of course, this is an attack on traditional
  theism if the universe is eternal, there is no
  need for a Creator or a First Cause there is no
  empirical evidence for a Necessary Being, nor
  does the universe reveal any teleological plan.

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Humanism

• Humanism believes that man is part of nature and
  that he has emerged as the result of a continuous
  process.
  
• This repudiation of any doctrine of the special
  creation of humans affirms belief in the theory
  of evolution, in which humanists considered a
  well-established theory although they admitted
  some of the details needed to be worked out.

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Humanism

• Holding an organic view of life, humanists find
  that the traditional dualism of mind and body
  must be rejected.
  
• The intent is to deny any belief in personal
  immortality. Humanists held to the belief that
  consciousness is a function of the brain when
  the brain is destroyed, consciousness is also, so
  it is impossible for consciousness to continue
  beyond the death of the organism.

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Humanism

• Humanism recognizes that mans religious culture
  and civilization, as clearly depicted by
  anthropology and history, are the product of a
  gradual development due to the interaction with
  his natural environment and with his social
  heritage. The individual born into a particular
  culture is largely molded by that culture.
• When social situations change, religion evolves
  accordingly.

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Humanism

• Humanism asserts that the nature of the universe
  depicted by modern science makes unacceptable any
  supernatural or cosmic guarantees of human
  values. Obviously humanism does not deny the
  possibilities of realities as yet undiscovered,
  but it does insist that the way to determine the
  existence and value of any all realities is by
  means of intelligent inquiry and by the
  assessment of their relations to human needs.
  Religion must formulate its hopes and plans in
  light of the scientific spirit and method.
• This thesis denies the doctrine that God has
  revealed his will to humans and that good is what
  God commands and evil is disobedience to his
  will. On the contrary, humans create values and
  they must create a world in which people live by
  values. If good predominates in the world, it is
  because people have created good, and if evil
  predominates, people have also created it.
  Virtue is its own reward, for we are not good to
  please God or to gain heaven.

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Humanism

• We are convinced that the time has passed for the
  theism, deism, modernism and the several
  varieties of new thought.
  
• The humanists believed that new interpretations
  of Christianity had moved so far away from the
  original faith, in order to save it, that
  misunderstanding and deception had crept in. To
  avoid this problem, they advocated discarding the
  old faith entirely and developing a new one based
  on a naturalistic understanding of the universe
  and the place of humans within it.

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Humanism

• Religion consists of those actions, purposes, and
  experiences which are humanly significant.
  Nothing human is alien to the religious. It
  includes labor, art, science, philosophy, love,
  friendship, recreation all that is in its
  degree expressive of intelligently satisfying
  human living. The distinction between the sacred
  and the secular can no longer be maintained.
• This statement simply denies a dichotomy between
  the secular and the religious.

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Humanism

• Religious Humanism considers the complete
  realization of human personality to be the end of
  mans life and seeks its development and seeks
  its development and fulfillment in the here and
  now. This is the explanation of the humanists
  social passion.
• In contrast to the Christian churches, which
  often interpret their missions as saving people
  for a future life in heaven, humanists sought to
  create a world in which all individuals could
  develop and live the best lives they are capable
  of living.

12
Humanism

• In place of the old attitudes involved in worship
  and prayer the humanist finds his religious
  emotions expressed in a heightened sense of
  personal life and in a cooperative effort to
  promote social well-being.

13
Humanism

• It follows that there will be no uniquely
  religious emotions and attitudes of the kind
  hitherto associated with belief in the
  Supernatural.
• Theses nine and ten were taken together and said
  their importance lies in altering the framework
  and outward character of religion. They propose
  a shift from supernaturalism to naturalism, from
  heaven to earth.

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Humanism

• The remaining theses state social concerns
• Man will learn to face the crises of life in
  terms of his knowledge of their naturalness and
  probability.
  
• Believing that religion must work increasingly
  for joy in living, religious humanists aim to
  foster the creative in man and to encourage
  achievements that add to the satisfactions of
  life.
• Religious humanism maintains that all association
  and institutions exist for the fulfillment of
  human life.
  
• The humanists are firmly convinced that existing
  acquisitive and profit-motivated society has
  shown itself to be inadequate and that radical
  change in methods, controls, and motives must be
  instituted.

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Humanism

• We assert that humanism will
• Affirm life rather than deny it
• Seek to elicit the possibilities of life, not
  flee from it
  
• Endeavor to establish the conditions of a
  satisfactory life for all, not just a few. By
  this positive morale and intention humanism will
  be guided, and from this perspective and
  alignment the techniques and efforts of humanism
  will flow.

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Humanism

• Those who signed the Manifesto (total of 34
  signers)
  
• Mostly professors, writers, and ministers
• The most renowned signer was John Dewey,
  philosophy professor at Columbia University.
  
• Other important professors were J. A. C.
  Fagginger Auer of the Harvard Divinity School
  Eustace Haydon, comparative religions professor
  at the University of Chicago Edwin Burtt,
  philosophy professor at Cornell John Randall,
  philosophy professor at Columbia.
• One Reformed Jewish Rabbi, Jacob Weinstein
  signed
  
• Most of the ministers (15 UU ministers) who
  signed had a Unitarian affiliation among them
  were John Dietrich, Curtis Reese and Charles
  Potter

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Humanism

• To the humanists, the Jewish-Christian past was
  evidence of the evolutionary character of
  religion it was not a norm for guiding the
  present, which should be guided by contemporary
  norms.

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Humanism
Humanist Manifesto III
www.americanhunanist.org

• Quotes from UU World concerning Humanist
  Manifesto III
  
• Even UUs who identify with Christianity or
  Buddhism essentially endorse much or all of the
  humanist position
  
• Thats why its important to have a statement
  like this, so people can see how the statement is
  foundational for a lot of liberal religion.
  
• Quote from The Humanist magazine
• We hope Humanism and its Aspirations will be a
  tool to aid Humanists who to convey Humanisms
  positive message and counter prevailing
  misunderstandings.