Our work focuses on those rights that are threatened, abused or undermined by harmful traditional, cultural and religious practices. We have a specific concentration on freedom of expression, freedom of religion or belief, the rights of women, LGBTI equality and the rights of the child.

Humanists Logo Toggle Navigation Join Be a part of the humanist movement — as an individual or an organization. The democratic, defining statement of world humanism, from Humanists International. Our answers to your frequently asked questions about the humanist worldview.

Are you a humanist? Learn more about the rational, ethical worldview that is humanism. Discover a world of humanism: find your nearest group or national organization. Meet the staff, representatives and Board of Humanists International.

Young Humanists International is our youth section, for 18 to year-olds. Humanist International has a strategic focus on a range of issues in our advocacy and campaigns work. The phrase has been used since at least the s by Anglican priests, and in , the then Archbishop of Canterbury, William Temple, was reported as warning that the "Christian tradition See full list on en.

Historical use of the term humanism reflected in some current academic usage , is related to the writings of pre-Socratic philosophers. These writings were lost to European societies until Renaissance scholars rediscovered them through Muslim sources and translated them from Arabic into European languages.

Humanists have put together various Humanist Manifestos, in attempts to unify the Humanist identity. The original signers of the first Humanist Manifesto of , declared themselves to be religious humanists. Because, in their view, traditional religions were failing to meet the needs of their day, the signers of declared it a necessity to establish a religion that was a dynamic force to meet the needs of the day. However, this "religion" did not profess a belief in any god.

Since then two additional Manifestos were written to replace the first. Wilsonassert that faith and knowledge are required for a hopeful vision for the future. Manifesto II references a section on Religion and states traditional religion renders a disservice to humanity.

Manifesto II recognizes the following groups to be part of their naturalistic philosophy: "scientific", "ethical", "democratic", "religious", and "Marxis In the 20th and 21st centuries, members of Humanist organizations have disagreed as to whether Humanism is a religion. They categorize themselves in one of three ways. Religious or ethical humanism , in the tradition of the earliest humanist organizations in the UK and US, attempts to fulfil the traditional social role of religion.

Contemporary use of the word "religious" did not have the same connotations as its today. Secular humanism considers all forms of religion, including religious humanism , to be superseded. However, distinctions between "ethical" and "secular" humanists are for the most part historical, and practically meaningless in the present day or to contemporary individuals who identify with humanism.

Since the midth century, the development of new concepts such as the "life stance" which encompasses both humanist views and religious outlooks has defused this conflict. Most humanist organisations identify with " humanism " without a pre-modifier such a "secular" o Secular humanist organizations are found in all parts of the world. Those who call themselves humanists are estimated to number between four and five million people worldwide in 31 countries, but there is uncertainty because of the lack of universal definition throughout censuses.

Humanism is a non-theistic belief system and, as such, it could be a sub-category of "Religion" only if that term is defined to mean "Religion and any belief system". This is the case in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on freedom of religion and beliefs.

Many national censuses contentiously define Humanism as a further sub-category of the sub-category "No Religion", which typically includes atheist, rationalist and agnostic thought. In the US, the decennial census does not inquire about religious af Humanism , as a term which describes a person's non-religious views, comes with no obligation to celebrate or revere specific days in the year as a religion would.

As a result, individual humanists choose of their own accord whether to take part in prevailing national holidays where they live. For example, humanists in Europe and North America typically celebrate holidays, such as Christmas, but as secular holidays rather than Christian festivals.

Anyone who broadly agrees with the above might be described as a humanist, or might identify themselves as a humanist even if they happen to have one or two quibbles. To be a humanist there is no entrance procedure, no necessary rite of passage, and no hierarchy to which you must belong. Humanists are humanists, they do not have to join an organization, or be on a list somewhere!

However, if you are a humanist, or you are just discovering and exploring the idea, then you are welcome to join Humanists International as an Individual Supporter to learn about our work, or as a first step to getting more information about humanism. Some humanists choose to join — or start their own — organizations, such as local groups or a national organization. There are various motivations to do this. For example, they may have a desire for discussion or socialising with like-minded people, to learn from speakers or other group members, or to contribute to campaigns or humanitarian efforts that are close to their hearts.

Humanists International is the umbrella body for humanist and other non-religious organizations. Our members may encompass all the elements of humanism e. They found a new way of understanding some of the values and ethics they brought with them, but in some cases retained some of the communal elements of religion.

However, most Humanist groups today have been founded on a secular, humanist philosophy from the outset. Other such groups were started to do social development work and to care for persons that were abused by their family or society often because of their non-religious views. If you represent a humanist or non-religious organization you can join Humanists International as a Member Organization.

There are several aspects or components of Humanism. There are no gods or ghosts, disembodied spirits or immortal souls. There is no divine realm. This view is also sometimes known philosophically as naturalism. Naturalism usually entails atheism dissent from the existence of a God or gods or at least some form of agnosticism the idea that the existence of gods is unknown or unknowable, or even a meaningless question.

Naturalism readily accepts that we might discover profoundly strange answers to certain questions. For a naturalist, it seems far more arrogant to assert the existence of such things as spirits, gods, or otherworldly realms.

Yes, the universe is often surprising! But when humanity does discover strange new things about the universe we live in, they are usually quite unexpected such as evolution! Such discoveries rarely cohere neatly with supernatural elements of ancient mythology. Humanists agree that we can learn about the world through the use of reason and scientific method, or conjecture tested against logic and empirical evidence.

In other words, the world is amenable to rational investigation. This position is sometimes called rationalism. As rationalists, humanists value free inquiry , in that they reject artificial limits on investigation. Rationalism also embodies freethought : it focuses on knowledge which people can share and test as one community, rather than the acceptance of authority, tradition, or dogma.

Rationalism does not imply that humanists think they know everything. On the contrary rationalism raises the standards for truth-claims: it makes it harder to claim to know everything. Rationalism readily accepts that not all scientific questions yet have satisfactory, explanatory answers.

But it at least resists answers which are logically unsound or contrary to scientific evidence. Rationalism does not imply that any one is capable of being rational all the time in everything they do. Nor does it imply that every proposition worth stating must have a logical basis or that logic and evidence are the only ways we interact with the world. Rationalism does mean that humanists tend to be suspicious of any claim to grand truths based more on myth than on evidence.

Rationalism does mean that humanists are likely to reject any attempt to limit free inquiry by invoking ineffable mysteries. We give our lives meaning and purpose. Living a good life is not the same as unrestrained hedonism, or living a life of unadulterated pleasure or self-interest.