Bold Contemplations

Very interesting; alot to absorb and think about in one reading. This subject matter is excellent for discussion and meditation.

It was interesting reading through wiki's description of Humanism.. and it struck me how much of what it focuses on was similar to the Unitarian church I used to attend some years back. Not terribly surprising to see UU's population stats surveyed as:

Humanist - 54%
Agnostic - 33%
Earth-centered - 31%
Atheist - 18%
Buddhist - 16.5%
Christian - 13.1%
Pagan - 13.1%

More than half felt Humanist described their beliefs.. whereas I hadn't really heard the term used before.

I think a great deal of the core of Humanism I agree with.. in the areas I don't, it's difficult for me to describe why the distinction matters to me... but it does. It's important to me to not reject the notion of God outright, because It's a thing I don't believe we can know. The approach to life and people and society as a whole.. all great.. and it's truly nice to see.

I agree, Loki. I have been questioning my beliefs lately and it was encouraging for me to see that many of the humanistic tennets fit my own beliefs. I have to admit that I have not done any in-depth research into the topic as of yet, so can't say for certain how much of a match the view is for me. But at first glance, it seems close.

What else did you disagree with besides the rejection of the existence of God? What I did not like about wiki's description was the fact that it stated that humanism is a form of speciesism. I don't believe that humans are of greater importance than our animal counterparts. But, I didn't get the same impression of humanism (speciesism) when I read the section describing humanistic principles on the Modern Humanist site.

Hmm. You may've read that part differently than I did.. I think they tried to show how it could be [incorrectly] confused with Speciesism, since it sounds like it's all about a specific focus on humans-only... leaving some room to infer the rest.

As to other things I [dis]agree with.. there wasn't much else there I would question at all, truthfully.. but I wonder if it was a complete-enough description to really make a full judgement on it, you know?

Is it something I wish everyone would/could embrace as Truth? It'd certainly be interesting to see the collective money/time of the world's citizens put to use on the rest of the world's citizens to promote, educate, strengthen the lives of every one of us. The sheer volume of resources spent on intelligence and military programs, in every country, is pretty ridiculous... focused elsewhere on medical research, education, food, etc... some pretty huge things could be accomplished.

And it sounds nice.

But not everyone would subscribe. Those that did not, would need to be somehow "handled" by those that did. I think it'd be pretty difficult to find a time when that cycle actually first began.. but it's certainly in full swing now. The road back is a long one.

And in some sense, the money's already gone. The $10,000 that might help feed countless families, has instead paid for a bolt on one tail-fin of a cruise missile destined for the face of an unnamed mountain, eventually only moving loose rocks from one spot to another as we continue to miss our target over there.

But. I do think it'd be nice.

Thanks forthe great write up, I hope everyone can come by and join in the discussion even if they don't agree(or especially, since disagreement helps everyone understand)

Humanism has gone thorugh a number of changes over the years and has found itself associated with many different facents. Like you mention speciesism as well as religious humanism and many others.

That's why we are designating ourselves as Modern Humanism. Akin to secular humanism but also will the desire and intention to be not only a philosophy but a world view and way of life.

All Modern Humanism seeks to do is benefit humankind. Because the earth and environment and almost everything in it is part of the lifecycle and global community of humans whether for utility or simple enjoyment.

The designation of Humanism from the Modern Humanist perspective is not about choosing humans over other creatures, but rather a recognition and reliance on humanity for inspiration and answers rather than a supernatural power or deity.

Plants and animals are not only a part of the earth, but they are an inspiration for art, philosophy and literature - thus to be a speciesist to me is to reject the core tenents of humanism.

Thanks again for the kind words and thank you to all who have visited or intend to visit.

I always think that I am an agnostic/humanist because I disqualify any supernatural intervention from the Big Bang on...that being said I suspect that I am open to anything pre the Beginning other than "well the universe has always existed"...that seems like such a letdown even if it is true.
There is no ism like humanism and it seems perfectly reasonable.

I know that it is the ultimate SIN to make man the measure of all things and certainly Vanity would be our Achilles Heel...but really, there isn't any real hard historical proof to measure any THING against us? We got to where we are just like all of the other organisms..trial and error.

You don't know and I don't either.