Topic outline of humanism

Humanism is a broad category of active ethical philosophies that affirm the dignity and worth of all people, based on the ability to determine "right and wrong" by appeal to universal human qualities—particularly rationalism. Humanists endorse universal morality based on the commonality of human nature, suggesting that solutions to our social and cultural problems cannot be parochial.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and introduction to humanism:

Essence of humanism

: "Main article: Humanism"Humanism entails a commitment to the search for truth and morality through human means in support of human interests. In focusing on the capacity for self-determination, humanism rejects transcendental justifications, such as a dependence on faith, the supernatural, or divinely revealed texts. Humanism...

Supports:

* applying logic to the evidence
* scientific skepticism
* scientific method

Rejects:

* blindly accepting unsupported beliefs
* revelation
* mysticism
* tradition
* authoritarianism
* extreme skepticism
* faith

Manifestos and statements setting out humanist viewpoints

Humanism asserts that knowledge of right and wrong is based on our best understanding of our individual and joint interests, rather than stemming from a transcendental or arbitrarily local source.

* Humanist Manifesto
* Amsterdam Declaration 2002
* A Secular Humanist Declaration

Forms of humanism

* Humanism (the life stance)
* Secular humanism
** Marxist humanism
** New Humanism
** Posthumanism
** Renaissance humanism
** Secular humanism
** Transhumanism
* Religious humanism
** Christian humanism
** Christian existential humanism
** Humanistic Judaism

History of humanism

: "Main article: History of humanism"

* Greek roots
** Democracy
** Free thinking
** Greek philosophy
* Renaissance humanism
* 1853 - Humanistic Religious Association formed in London
* 1929 - First Humanist Society of New York
* 1930 - "" published
* 1933 - "Humanist Manifesto" published
* 1941 - American Humanist Association founded

Basic concepts pertaining to and embraced by Humanism (the life stance)

Agnosticismndash
Artndash
Atheismndash
Common goodndash
Compassionndash
Creativityndash
Ecosphere (global ecosystem)ndash
Empiricismndash
Ethicalndash
Ethicsndash
Evolutionndash
Evolutionary Humanismndash
Experiencendash
Experimentationndash
Freethoughtndash
Human dignityndash
Humanitarianismndash
Human rightsndash
Imaginationndash
Justicendash
Knowledgendash
Life stancendash
Naturendash
Non-theisticndash
Observationndash
Personal libertyndash
Rationalityndash
Rationalismndash
Reasonndash
Scientific methodndash
Scientific skepticismndash
Secularndash
Social responsibility

Organizations

* Humanist International
* Humanist Movement
* Humanist Party
* Institute for Humanist Studies
* International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU)
* Rationalist International
* Freethought Association
* Council for Secular Humanism
* International Humanist and Ethical Union
* Rationalist International
* Institute for Humanist Studies
* American Humanist Association
* British Humanist Association
* Human-Etisk Forbund, the Norwegian Humanist Association
* Humanist Society of Scotland
* Humanist Association of Canada
* Humanist Association of Ireland
* Sidmennt, the Icelandic Ethical Humanist Association"For more organizations see "

Humanism lists

: "Main article: List of humanism topics"

* List of humanists
* List of basic transhumanism topics

Humanists

Leaders in humanism

Some people who have made a major impact on the development or advancement of humanism:

* Charles Francis Potter
* Julian Huxley
* John Dewey
* Albert Einstein
* Thomas Mann
* F.C.S. Schiller
* Raymond B. Bragg
* Roy Wood Sellars
* Isaac Asimov
* Kurt Vonnegut

Other notable humanists

Philip Adamsndash
Steve Allenndash
Sir Arthur C. Clarkendash
Richard Dawkinsndash
Gareth Evansndash
Richard Feynmanndash
Tim Flannery ndash
E. M. Forster (see in particular "What I believe")ndash
William Haydenndash
Julian Huxleyndash
Thomas Jeffersonndash
Paul Kurtzndash
Philip Nitschke ndash
Philip Pullmanndash
Gene Roddenberryndash
Bertrand Russell ndash
Carl Saganndash
John Ralston Saul –
Michael Shermerndash
Peter Singer ndash
Barbara Smokerndash
Ibn Warraqndash
Robyn Williamsndash
E. O. Wilson

See also

* Antihumanism
* Humanistic psychology
* Social psychology
* Religious freedom — freedom of religion "and" belief

Related philosophies

* Empiricism
* Extropianism
* Freethought
* Infinitism
* Objectivism
* Philosophical naturalism
* Pragmatism
* Rationalism
* Rationalist movement
* Secularism

External links

Introductions to humanism

* [http://www.sterlingharwood.com] www.sterlingharwood.com and Sterling Harwood, "Why Be Moral: A Definition and Defense of Humanism," in Sterling Harwood, ed., Business as Ethical and Business as Usual (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Co., 2000), pp. 84-85.
* [http://www.jcn.com/humanism.html "What Is Humanism?"] from the American Humanist Association
* [http://MHEC.humanists.net/HUMNISM.HTM Humanism: Why, What, and What For, In 882 Words]
* [http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/humanism-civic/ Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry on Civic Humanism]
* [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07538b.htm Catholic Encyclopedia article on Renaissance Humanism]

Humanist manifestos and declarations

* [http://www.americanhumanist.org/about/manifesto1.html Humanist Manifesto I] (1933)
* [http://www.americanhumanist.org/about/manifesto2.html Humanist Manifesto II] (1973)
* [http://www.secularhumanism.org/index.php?section=main&page=declaration A Secular Humanist Declaration] (1980)
* [http://www.iheu.org/modules/wfsection/article.php?page=1&articleid=281#globalethics A Declaration of Interdependence] (1988)
* [http://www.iheu.org/modules/wfsection/article.php?page=1&articleid=6 IHEU Minimum Statement on Humanism] (1996)
* [http://MHEC.humanists.net/HUMNISM.HTM HUMANISM: Why, What, and What For, In 882 Words] (1996)
* [http://www.secularhumanism.org/manifesto/index.htm Humanist Manifesto 2000: A Call for a New Planetary Humanism] (2000) condensed version
* [http://www.secularhumanism.org/index.php?section=main&page=affirmations The Affirmations of Humanism: A Statement of Principles]
* Amsterdam Declaration 2002 (July, 2002) - the official defining statement of World Humanism, as endorsed by the IHEU
* [http://www.americanhumanist.org/3/HumandItsAspirations.htm Humanist Manifesto III (Humanism And Its Aspirations)] (2003)

Organizations

* [http://www.americanhumanist.org/ American Humanist Association]
* [http://www.humanism.org.uk British Humanist Association]
* [http://www.humanism-scotland.org.uk Humanist Society of Scotland]
* [http://www.centerforinquiry.net Center for Inquiry International]
* [http://www.humanistcenterofcultures.org/wiki/wiki.cgi Chicago humanist wiki pages]
* [http://www.secularhumanism.org Council for Secular Humanism]
* [http://www.spiritualhumanism.org/ The Church of Spiritual Humanism]
* [http://www.humaniststudies.org/ Institute for Humanist Studies]
* [http://mb.humanists.ca Humanist Association of Manitoba]
* [http://canada.humanists.net Humanist Association of Canada]
* [http://www.humanisteurope.org/ Humanist Movement — Europe]
* [http://www.neuer-humanismus.de/ Humanist Movement — German]
* [http://www.umanisti.it/ Humanist Movement — Italy]
* [http://www.humanist-net.org Humanist n.e.t. — German/ English]
* [http://nireland.humanists.net/ Humanist Association of N. Ireland]
* [http://humanismo.zip.net Virtual Sociedade Humanista Mineira]
* [http://www.irish-humanists.org/ Humanist Association of Ireland]
* [http://www.huumanists.org/ HUUmanists, Unitarian Universalist publishers of the journal "Religious Humanism"]
* [http://www.iheu.org International Humanist and Ethical Union]
* [http://www.iheyo.org/ International Humanist and Ethical Youth Organisation]
* [http://www.human.no/ Norwegian Humanist Association]
* [http://www.rationalistinternational.net Rationalist International]
* [http://www.humanism.ro Romanian association Solidarity for Freedom of Conscience — Romanian/ English]
* [http://www.freethoughtassociation.org/ Freethought Association of West Michigan]

Web articles

* [http://www.sterlingharwood.com Sterling Harwood, "Why Be Moral? A Definition and Defense of Humanism."]
* [http://www.newhumanist.org.uk/ "New Humanist"] British magazine from the Rationalist Press Association (RPA)
* [http://www.TheSystemHasYou.com/ Nanovirus — A humanist perspective on politics, technology and culture]

Web books

* [http://www.humanisteurope.org/ European Region of the Humanist International] and , , , and , four Parts of a Wikibook.

Web directories

* [http://dmoz.org/Society/Religion_and_Spirituality/Humanism/ Open Directory Project — Humanism] directory category
* [http://dir.yahoo.com/Arts/Humanities/Philosophy/Humanism/ Yahoo — Humanism] directory category