Humanism is simply an ethical and philosophical viewpoint that sees individuals having the freedom to choose their own values and goals. Humanism emphasizes common human needs and seeks rational ways of solving human problems. Humanism carries with it a responsibility for living in a manner that is considerate towards others. A.C. Grayling, in The God Argument: The Case Against Religion and for Humanism, writes:
“As a broad ethical outlook, humanism involves no sectarian divisions or strife, no supernaturalism, no taboos, no food and dress codes, no restrictive sexual morality other than what is implicit in the demand to treat others with respect, consideration and kindness.”
The definition of humanism provided by the The Humanist Magazine is:
“Humanism is a rational philosophy informed by science, inspired by art, and motivated by compassion. Affirming the dignity of each human being, it supports the maximization of individual liberty and opportunity consonant with social and planetary responsibility.”
The roots of humanism in the Western World can be traced back to the Greek philosophers Thales of Miletus and Xenophanes of Colophon in the sixth-century BCE who felt that the world could be explained in terms of human reason. Xenophanes, for example, points out that the rainbow is a special result of cloud formation and not a sign from Zeus. He pointed out that there were no sun and moon gods and no mysterious infernal regions. Alexander Mourelatos, in his entry on Xenophanes in The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy, writes:
“Traditional religion reflects regional biases (blond gods for the northerners; black gods for the Africans). Indeed, anthropomorphic gods reflect the ultimate bias, that of the human viewpoint.”
During the French Revolution in the late 1700s, a number of philosophers—Jacques Hébert, Pierre Gaspard Chaumette, and others—devised the Cult of Reason as an atheistic religion. The Cult of Reason was envisioned as a replacement for Christianity and had as its goal the perfection of humanity through the attainment of truth and liberty. Reason was seen as its guiding principle.
In the 1850s, Positivism, a “religion of humanity” was founded by sociologist Auguste Comte. According to Positivism, humans receive information through their senses, then interpret it through reason and logic. Verified information received through the senses was empirical evidence. Valid knowledge is thus based on empirical evidence. According to Comte, the three pillars of this new religion were: altruism, order, and progress.
During the late nineteenth century and the early twentieth century, the idea of religious humanism grew out of the liberal Christian churches. By 1933, philosopher Roy Wood Sellars, Unitarian minister Raymond Bragg, and others drafted a Humanist Manifesto which was signed by thirty-three Unitarian ministers and philosopher John Dewey. According to this manifesto:
“The time has come for widespread recognition of the radical changes in religious beliefs throughout the modern world. The time is past for mere revision of traditional attitudes. Science and economic change have disrupted the old beliefs.”
The manifesto lists fifteen affirmations and concludes:
“So stand the theses of religious humanism. Though we consider the religious forms and ideas of our fathers no longer adequate, the quest for the good life is still the central task for mankind. Man is at last becoming aware that he alone is responsible for the realization of the world of his dreams, that he has within himself the power for its achievement. He must set intelligence and will to the task.”
In 1941, the religious humanists formed the American Humanist Association. This association seeks to bring about a society in which being good without god is an accepted way of life.
In 1980, philosopher Paul Kurtz and others organized the Council for Democratic and Secular Humanism (CODESH) and in 1996 this became the Council for Secular Humanism.
According to the Council for Secular Humanism, Secular Humanism is: (1) a naturalistic philosophy; (2) a cosmic outlook rooted in science; and (3) a consequential ethical system. As a naturalistic philosophy, Secular Humanism holds that reliable knowledge is best obtained through scientifically-based investigation.
With regard to ethics, Secular Humanism holds that rational ethics are based on human experience and that ethical choices should be judged by their results. Ethical principles are based on science, reason, and experience. The goals of ethics are human happiness and social justice. The 2003 Humanist Manifesto states:
“Ethical values are derived from human need and interest as tested by experience. Humanists ground values in human welfare shaped by human circumstances, interests, and concerns and extended to the global ecosystem and beyond.”
The humanistic idea that it is possible for people to be good, for people to have an ethical system, is opposed by those who feel that morality is only possible when dogmatic, rigid ethical rules can be attributed to a deity who will punish people for not following these rules and who can instill fear within people.