Outline of humanism

See also: Outline of transhumanism

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

Humanism – 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.

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.

Supports

• logic
• scientific skepticism
• scientific method
• rationalism
• empiricism
• humanitarianism
• human rights
• Naturalism (philosophy)
• secularism

Rejects

• blindly accepting unsupported beliefs
• revelation
• mysticism
• divinity
• 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

• 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 - Humanism: A New Religion published
• 1933 - Humanist Manifesto published
• 1941 - American Humanist Association founded

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

Agnosticism – Art – Atheism – Common good – Compassion – Creativity – Ecosphere (global ecosystem) – Empiricism – Ethical – Ethics – Evolution – Evolutionary Humanism – Experience – Experimentation – Freethought – Human dignity – Humanitarianism – Human rights – Imagination – Justice – Knowledge – Life stance – Nature – Non-theistic – Observation – Personal liberty – Rationality – Rationalism – Reason – Scientific method – Scientific skepticism – Secular – 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 Category:Humanist associations

Humanism lists

Main article: List of humanism topics

• List of humanists
• Outline of transhumanism

Humanists

Main article: List of 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

Phillip Adams – Steve Allen – Sir Arthur C. Clarke – Richard Dawkins – Gareth Evans – Richard Feynman – Tim Flannery  – E. M. Forster (see in particular "What I believe") – William Hayden – Thomas Jefferson – Paul Kurtz – Philip Nitschke  – Philip Pullman – Gene Roddenberry – Bertrand Russell  – Carl Sagan – John Ralston Saul – Michael Shermer – Peter Singer  – Barbara Smoker – Ibn Warraq – Robyn Williams – E. O. Wilson

See also

• Antihumanism
• Humanistic psychology
• Social psychology
• Religious freedom — freedom of religion and belief
• Humanist officiant
• Humanist baby naming

Related philosophies

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

External links