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Principles
Definitions and
principles of Humanism. What is Humanism and how is it applied to
daily life?
Humanism With A Capital H,
by Harvey Lebrun
This is an updated
text of the late Harvey Lebrun's essay, "Humanism With A Capital H,"
which first appeared as a longer paper in the August 1973 issue of
Progressive World, and then, in 1977, was published in this shorter
form as a brochure of the American Humanist Association. Mr. Lebrun
was the founder of the Chapter Assembly of the American Humanist
Association and the Fund for Chapter Expansion. He also chaired the AHA's Committee on Democratization, revising the association's
bylaws.
The indiscriminate
use of the term "humanist" for anyone considered to be working for
the good of humanity once led Paul Kurtz to ask in The Humanist
magazine: "Has 'humanism,' like 'motherhood,' peace,' 'brotherhood,'
and 'democracy,' become so honorific a term that it is avowed even
by those who do not believe in it? And, in being co-opted, will it
then be undermined?"
One way to avoid the
possible degeneration of the term Humanist into meaninglessness is
to insist upon the distinction between Humanism (capital H), as
developed by the organized Humanist movement, and humanism (small
h), as professed by individuals and organizations outside of that
movement, which include (in Paul Kurtz's words) "even those who
officially downgrade the importance of the welfare of individuals in
their earthly existence." (For example, Pope Paul VI referred to
himself as a "humanist.")
The distinction has
practical implications: Who is the sort of Humanist, or potential
Humanist, sought by the organized Humanist movement to help promote
its philosophy, ethics, social concerns, and way of life?
Of definitions of
Humanism, there is no lack. They vary from the overly simplistic,
such as "Humanism is the belief that, together, humans have what it
takes to build a satisfying life on earth," to the overly detailed
definitions in the Humanist Manifestos.
A good place to look
for what constitutes a valid criterion by which to measure different
definitions of Humanism is the Statement of Purpose preamble to the
Bylaws of the American Humanist Association, which declares the
philosophy of Humanism to be —
a nontheistic world
view that rejects all forms of supernaturalism and is in accord with
the spirit and discoveries of science. In promoting confidence in
the ability of humans to solve their problems through the use of
free inquiry, reason, and imagination, the association provides its
members with opportunities to advance human welfare through
fellowship, study, and service. Activities of the association are
undertaken with respect for, and a desire to secure the survival of,
all forms of life which inhabit planet Earth. The operation of the
association is democratic, nonpartisan, and free of all
authoritarian doctrines.
Implicit here are
four basic principles, the raison d'etre of the American Humanist
Association:
·
A positive, secular,
scientific, evolutionary, naturalistic philosophy and concept of
humanity and the universe.
·
The negative aspect of
that philosophy and concept: No belief in, reliance upon, or
subservience to supposedly supernatural powers or their effluvia,
such as a god or gods, a soul separate from the body, immortality,
sin, answered prayer, or divine revelation.
·
Commitment to individual
and social ethics that are based on changing human experience,
compassion for other human beings, and concern for the related world
of humankind and Earth — rather than on supposedly divine
injunctions, church pronouncements, divine rewards and punishments
in this or a future life, and so forth.
·
The solution of
individual and social problems by the methods of science, democracy,
reason, and freedom, rather than by dependence on visions (divinely
inspired or drug-induced), pseudoscience, or political, religious,
or economic power- dictates.
A feature of modern
Humanism that differentiates it sharply from authoritarian
religions, such as the Roman Catholic Church or Protestant bodies
holding the Bible inviolate, is that Humanism supports unending
questioning of assumptions in every field of thought and action —
including those of Humanism itself. Humanism affirms free inquiry,
in the light of evidence and reason, into all aspects of the human
condition and the cosmos, without any external limitations imposed
by religious, political, economic, or other authorities. And this
includes the freedom to apply the principles of Humanism according
to one's own lights.
These four principles
may be expressed in more concise form as a two-sided statement with
which few, if any, Humanists (capital H) would disagree —
Humanism is:
·
A naturalistic,
scientific, secular philosophy or concept of humanity and the
universe that precludes any belief in or reliance upon supposedly
supernatural powers.
·
An ethics or way of life
based on human experience and imbued with compassion for other human
beings that calls for commitment to betterment of humanity through
the methods of science, democracy, and reason, without any
limitations by political, ecclesiastical, or other dictates.
Individuals and
organizations that subscribe to one but not the other of these two
basic principles, or to a part but not all of either one, may be
said to be humanistically inclined — but they are not advocates of
Humanism in the modern sense of the term. Those called Humanists
(with a capital H) proclaim both items as intrinsic elements in
their philosophy, way of life, religion, or whatever they choose to
call their deepest affirmations.
© Copyright 1994 and
1977 by the
American Humanist Association
© Copyright 1973 by Harvey Lebrun.
Permission to reproduce this material in toto in electronic or
printout form is hereby granted free of charge by the copyright
holder. Free permission to reprint the essay is granted to nonprofit
Humanist and Freethought publications. All others must secure
advance permission of the author through the American Humanist
Association. |
