What is Humanism?
This is a brief primer for those who may have heard about humanism but are not quite sure what it means or how to connect with other humanists. It is written from my own (Canadian) experience and perspective with the help of some sources listed at the end of the article.
Humanist thought is likely as old as humanity itself. Certainly, Chinese, Indian, Roman and Greek philosophers were expressing humanist ideas as long ago as 500 B.C., suggesting that humankind alone is responsible for human welfare and that morality arises out of the need to live together harmoniously.⁷ Many religious scholars of the Middle Ages and Renaissance were essentially humanists who explored what it means to be human. Their writings have contributed to what has evolved today to be the modern secular philosophy of humanism.¹ This increasingly popular world view looks to respect for human dignity and capabilities as the means for understanding the world, solving problems and finding fulfilment in our lives.
In 1952, a group of humanists from around the world met in Amsterdam for the first World Humanist Congress. By the end of the meeting, they had agreed on a statement of the fundamental principles of modern Humanism. They called it “The Amsterdam Declaration”. The International Humanist and Ethical Union (now Humanists International) was born, formed to connect people around the world with a similar world view. The “minimum” definition of “Humanism” found on the website of Humanists International is as follows:
Humanism is a democratic and ethical lifestance which affirms that human beings have the right and responsibility to give meaning and shape to their own lives. It stands for the building of a more humane society through an ethics based on human and other natural values in a spirit of reason and free inquiry through human capabilities. It is not theistic, and it does not accept supernatural views of reality.⁶
The Amsterdam Declaration was updated in 2002 and again in 2022. The newest iteration contains a number of statements under four headings:
1. Humanists strive to be ethical.
2. Humanists strive to be rational.
3. Humanists strive for fulfillment in their lives.
4. Humanism meets the widespread demand for a source of meaning and purpose to stand as an alternative to dogmatic religion, authoritarian nationalism, tribal sectarianism, and selfish nihilism.⁶
People come to humanism from many different life experiences. This effects how they engage with other humanists. Some were raised in highly authoritarian, fundamentalist religions and may need support in dealing with the emotional turmoil of leaving such a religion, especially if family and friends remain believers. They may be so traumatized by a focus on strict adherence to rules and punishment for disobedience in this upbringing that they shun anything resembling church or religious ritual. Others, while they have stopped believing, may revel in the social connection and ritual that their childhood religion had offered, and look for the same in humanism. Some may have grown up with liberal religious traditions that share many humanistic values, and just find that a deity no longer needs to play a role in their life. Humanism may be a natural progression for them and they may also appreciate the opportunity it provides for social service, connection and ritual. It is becoming more common for people to be raised in households that are religious in name only, vaguely familiar with the tenets of a particular denomination, but not really observant. When introduced to humanism, they find it reflects their own world view very well. Then there are those who were raised entirely without any religion and have not given it much thought at all, but are looking for a positive philosophy to guide them in their lives and for a connection to others with a similar lifestance.
Five Guiding Principles for a Humanist
Many people are humanists and don’t even know it. How a humanist views the world can be summed up by five basic guiding principles:
1. Humanists seek natural (rather than supernatural) explanations for the phenomena they experience.
Reliable knowledge of the world and ourselves arises through a continuing process of observation, evaluation and revision. Humanists are curious and embrace science, free inquiry and critical thinking. Humanists value both education — learning from, and teaching, others — and experience — observing and interacting with the world, and always testing theories.
2. Humanists know that they can be good without God.
In the humanist view, we are not born into sin from which we need saving. We do need loving caregivers and a healthy society to nurture our goodness and to show us how to get along with others. All the major religions share the goal of nurturing goodness, which recognizes that goodness is innate to humans. Humanists believe that humans can encourage morality and ethical behaviour in each other, that we cannot rely on a higher power for that. At the same time, humanists understand that some people find comfort in belief in a God, or in following the teachings of certain prophets. Humanists respect this and only ask that these people, in turn, respect their non-belief. They might get a little irritated by attempts to convert them to religious beliefs. They welcome open, respectful debate on these issues, but stand firmly against hate or disrespect of others because of their beliefs, or non-beliefs.
3. Humanists solve problems and seek fulfilment by exercising their human capacity for reason, compassion and creativity.
Just as we can’t rely on higher powers for moral guidance, as humans we have to solve our own problems ourselves, and, we have the ability to do so, when we put our minds and hearts to it. As important as scientific investigation and rational thinking are, so too are our imagination, intuition and capacity for empathy. Using these human traits to address the challenges of our times fosters personal growth and fulfilment and creates culture. Humanists know that Art — literature, music, theatre, dance, image-making, architecture — are not frills, but what makes us essentially human. Democracy, too, is fundamentally based on humanist principles. People can govern themselves, relying on human capacities, not on a higher authority (whether a king, dictator or god) to tell them what to do. Humanist democracy means dividing uncertainty about the future equally, sharing the responsibility to manage the purpose and direction of society, learning from our mistakes, and having the freedom to do (as posited by Professor Sofia Näsström of Uppsala University.)⁹
4. Humanists understand that they are part of nature, and that all things in the natural world are connected.
The science of ecology has shown this to be true. Humankind is not separate from or above nature. Interconnectedness may be the root of our ability to respond sympathetically to each other and to cultivate morality. Humanists believe in the inherent dignity of all beings and that all of nature is worthy of our respect. One cannot be truly well unless all are well, and our actions affect the balance of the ecosystem and the health of society. Humanists strive for a fair, ethical and equitable society and stand for human rights, social justice, humane treatment of animals and care for the environment.
5. Humanists find meaning, wonder and joy in their relationships with fellow humans, other animals, the natural world and the universe.
Humanists seek to make the most of life, to live wisely and well, to take care of the current world and its people, rather than hold out hope for an afterlife in paradise. They may be extroverts who are energized by endless conversations with many friends, or they may be introverts who prefer quieter interactions and walking in the woods or gazing at the stars. They may be adventurists who are awed by the view from a mountaintop or who delight in the food and music of a far-off land, or they may be scholars who prefer to indulge in reading and writing about great thinkers. But they all know that they matter to others and to the world, and that the world matters to them. In the words of the novelist E.M. Forster:
Humanism could be better honoured by reciting a list of things one has enjoyed or found interesting, of the people who have helped one, and of the people whom one has loved and tried to help.¹
And American author Zora Neale Hurston:
Why fear? The stuff of my being is matter, ever changing, ever moving, but never lost; so what need of denominations and creed to deny myself the comfort of all my fellow men? The wide belt of the universe has no need for finger-rings. I am one with the infinite and need no other assurance.¹
How Humanists Connect
The joy in relationships with other people is one reason why humanists seek to engage with other humanists. At times, creating groups of humanists can be like herding cats, since at their core they reject dogma. Some see any kind of organization as problematic and simply want to connect in loose, informal alliances. It seems they have always found ways to do this, and nowadays this can be facilitated by modern communications technology, in formats such as Reddit, Meetup, Facebook, Twitter (X), Mastodon, Youtube, Discord, and so on. Some look for a more tangible form of organization where, in addition to social connections and forums for intellectual discussion, they can find educational resources, coalitions for activism and advocacy for human rights and social justice, and even rituals for celebration of the passages of life and the seasons. Humanist associations have formed all over the world for this, and in some places, for example Belgium, Norway and The Netherlands, have become integral components of the countries’ social service networks.
As noted above, the organization now known as Humanists International (HI) was created in 1952; although at the time it was called the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU). The organization was renamed to Humanist International in 2019 as part of creating a “fresh look,” as many had felt for some time the old name “was too long and sounds old-fashioned.”⁶ Currently, HI lists 122 member and associate member organizations, including nine from Canada, of which Humanists Canada is the national representative association.
Humanist Canada (HC) had its roots in the Humanist Fellowship of Montreal, founded in 1954. The group became national in 1968. Registered as a non-profit charity, HC has a specific mission: “To promote the separation of religion from public policy and foster the development of reason, compassion and critical thinking for all Canadians through secular education and community support.” It also provides encouragement and support for local humanist and secular groups and certifies officiants to provide non-religious ceremonies, such as weddings, funerals and baby-naming.
Humanism has been recognized by the Province of Ontario under its very vague definition of “religion” for the purpose of being able to license officiants to perform and certify marriages (the ceremonies humanist officiants perform are, however, most definitely not religious). This is not the case, yet, in other provinces, partly because some provinces have a non-religious option in the form of “marriage commissioners” licensed by the government. HC also now has a program for training and accreditation of humanist chaplains, who are increasingly finding placements in institutions such as hospitals, universities, prisons and the military. From the HC website: “Humanist chaplains promote spiritual, emotional health, and ethical decision-marking in a manner that is grounded in compassion, secular philosophy, and rational thought. . . They must also be able to provide care and support to all, regardless of faith.”⁵ “Spiritual” is not a comfortable concept for some humanists, but in order to “be invited to take a seat at the table” with faith-based chaplains, the Humanist Chaplain Accreditation Program needed to adopt some common language as follows: “All humans are spiritual beings insofar as they yearn for meaning, purpose, and connectedness in the world, and must contend with moral and ethical challenges and existential hardships related to death and loss.”
Humanist groups in Canada to date do not seem to have been very effective in engaging youth and children. Not so in Scandinavian countries, where teens can choose to participate in a Humanist Confirmation ceremony. They prepare for this through courses designed to encourage reflection and critical thinking about issues such as friendship, identity, ethics, social responsibility and human rights. Canadian humanist groups likely will play a larger role in developing ethics and social responsibility in youth in the future. Humanist Canada does sponsor an essay contest for high school and university youth aged 17 to 25, with cash prizes for essays about humanist topics such as society and well-being. The organization also has Public Humanities Courses for all ages currently under development. In the United States, Camp Quest, established in 1996 has humanist summer camps for kids aged 5–17 available in eleven states. One way in which youth could be more engaged might be in celebrations such as winter solstice, Human Light (related to the winter solstice but celebrated more as an alternative and closer to traditional Christmas, on December 23), Human Rights Day (December 10), Darwin Day (February 12, Charles Darwin’s birthday) the advent of spring, and summer solstice (which has been declared World Humanist Day).
Local humanist, free-thought and skeptics groups throughout the country are a good way to connect in-person with other humanists. For example, where I currently reside near Barrie, Ontario, the Central Ontario Humanists Association (COHA) has been bringing humanists together to discuss interesting topics since 2006, around the vision statement:
Humanism is a world view that says reason and science are the best ways to understand the world around us, and dignity and compassion should be the basis for how we act toward others.⁴
The group has met in various venues over the years including the Barrie Public Library, Loblaws (now Zehrs) Community Room and now in space provided by Murdoch Travel. The list of speakers and topics over the years is wide-ranging and fascinating, including (just a sampling): Brian Opdenkelder on “Restorative Justice”; Vincent di Norcia on “The Mind, Morals and the Brain”; Paul Basset on “String Theory”; Dr. Tony Chartrand-Burke, York University Professor of Religious Studies, on “Jesus and the ‘Lost Gospels’”; University of Toronto biology professor Dr. Monika Havelka, a few times, on subjects such as “Evo-Devo” and abiogenesis; Dr. Reeshma Hajia bout her research on “A Quest Toward Interreligious Harmony”; Christopher DiCarlo, on “The Five Big Questions”; Don French on “How Science Affects Religion — One Priest’s Perspective”; masters student Angie Knowlton on “First Nations, Metis and Inuit Issues”; Amanda Fellows of Catholic Family Services of Simcoe County on access to mental health services; Ellen Newman on “Green Burials”; and, the first speaker after the COVID-19 hiatus, in September 2023, Arkady Spivak from Talk is Free Theatre on “How the arts add value to the community.”
COHA is re-building after nearly three years of isolation imposed by the pandemic and looking forward again to thought-provoking and entertaining presentations. For more informal social connection, pub-nights are held once a month and, in October 2023, the Simcoe Skeptics Breakfast was initiated. This year, for the first time, COHA will be hosting a winter solstice event on the evening of December 21, to celebrate the return of longer hours of daylight. In keeping with the notion of knowledge as “enlightenment”, participants will decorate a tree with copies of the covers of some of their favourite books.⁸
In closing, the above discussion is aptly summarized by a quote from the introduction to the 2020 book, The Little Book of Humanism by Andrew Copson and Alice Roberts:
Here’s a secret that more and more people are discovering: you don’t need religion to live a good life. The natural world is wonderful enough, without having to imagine a supernatural or divine dimension to it. And our natural human capacities for reason, kindness and love are all we need to live well and with meaning. . . There are more humanists today than ever before, as the influence of religion wanes around the world. And many religious people are finding humanist ideas appealing — and religions themselves are changing as a result.³
Sources:
1. Bakewell, Sarah, Humanly Possible: Seven Hundred Years of Humanist Freethinking, Inquiry and Hope, Alfred A. Knopf, Toronto, Canada, 2023.
2. Buckman, Robert, Can We Be Good Without God? Behaviour, Belonging and the Need to Believe, Penguin Books Canada Ltd., Toronto, 2000.
3. Copson, Andrew and Roberts, Alice, The Little Book of Humanism, Piatkus, Great Britain, 2020.
4. Central Ontario Humanists Association
7. Humanists UK/humanism/the humanist tradition
8. Meetup: Central Ontario Humanist Association
9. Näsström, Sofia, Threats to Democracy, presented at the World Humanist Congress 2023, Copenhagen.
