A.C. Grayling explores the idea of Humanism informed by Science
Humanism is a positive view of life that roots itself in the natural world and celebrates freedom, cooperation, understanding, creativity and compassion. It is a philosophy that allows people to affirm that they are responsible, ethical members of society, and justify it in a way that is compatible with modern science.
Most Humanists today are also Atheists. We do reject supernatural explanations for everything, including the most puzzling and seemingly unexplainable phenomena. We don't however dismiss that some things that have traditionally been in the realm of theology deserve an explanation. Some of these important things include: The origins of the universe, ethics and morality, consciousness, emotion, and purpose. The project that is Humanism is to assemble natural explanations for all of these things into a view of the world that is logical, defensible, and most importantly: awe inspiring.
"Take no one's word for it"
One of the most core values of modern day Humanism is that it advocates the use of critical thinking and the scientific method in every aspect of a person's life. Doubt is a feeling that is cherished by a Humanist because it has proven to be the great engine of innovation and progress.
Many say that one of the most important discoveries ever made by humanity was the scientific method. Since it has been adopted, the human species has been lifted out of millenia of dark ages and stagnation, and into a brand new world of understanding and discovery.
The scientific method is a self correcting process used for uncovering the nature of our world. Humanists believe that we are far from understanding the anything in it's entireity, and only by subjecting all of our ideas to deep scrutiny and experiment will we ever get any closer. To a Humanist, nothing is beyond scrutiny and inquiry, not even the principles of Humanism! The fact that we are always open to being wrong, or not quite right is what allows us to move forward and grow.
"Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner."
Take a moment, and try to imagine your life as a hermit with absolutely no interaction with other human beings on a day to day basis. Think of everything that you would be responsible for, and think of how barren a life in isolation would be emotionally. It is a dark thought, but on the bright side, it would be next to impossible to realize in our modern day world.
There are billions of humans on this planet, and millenia ago we had the collective realization that it would be much better for everyone if we organized ourselves and cooperated in societies. Today we have no choice but to play a contributory role in this massive human adventure. Humanists not only accept this fact but realize that respecting our roles as members of society is crucial in maintaining and bettering it.
Unfortunately we have not yet been able to level the playing field for everyone born into this world, and to do so is a mammoth yet extremely admirable goal to which we strive. Humanists value systems of organization and government that encourage peace, freedom, prosperity, diversity, and sustainability.
"If you're talking about a set of worked-out rules on what we are supposed to do then, yes, it is a human product."
Sam Harris examines the idea of an objective morality that can be supported by science.
It is clear that our human moral promptings come from places other than religious holy books. Many separated societies have seemed to converge upon similar rules for behaviour throughout history meaning that they are self evident with experience.
Many religions have their list of rules that one is to conduct themselves by. Many also tend to include contingencies for dealing with those that break the rules with varying degrees on punishment. While Humanists certainly agree that these rules should exist by being codified in law that applies to all members of society equally and that these laws always be subject to scrutiny and change, we do not agree that there should be codified rules for how people live their personal lives.
Instead of personal rules, Humanists root their ethics and morality in the desire to reduce suffering. If no one or nothing is sufferring or will be suffering, Humanists do not see the issue as a moral one. Anything that induces suffering is considered a moral issue of concern.
"Find something bigger than yourself, and dedicate your life to it."
Humanists don't believe there there is any overarching external purpose that humans exist to fufill other than our own survival which is intrinsic and common to all forms of life. We do believe that each of us has a responsibility to find our own way to bring purpose to our lives whether that be: contributing to the overall library of human knowledge and experience for the betterment of generations to come, or caring for others close to us that need our help and guidance.
At a gathering of the General Assembly of the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) at the 50th anniversary World Humanist Congress in 2002, the following 12 principles of Humanism were declared: