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Welcome to the videos where you join me, Domino as we explore and build the Humanist life stance.
Today we're asking ourselves: why would someone take on the label of Humanism?
Why take on any label at all after the mistakes we have seen other types of life stance, like religion, make?
The world is full of labels. One of those labels, those identities, is "Humanist". So what is a Humanist?
"humanist" uncapitalized can refer to scholars of the humanities (the social sciences, arts, and so on).
We're getting warmer and warmer if we use "humanist" to mean the intellectuals of the enlightenment
But when I say "Humanism" I mean secular humanism. I mean... a religion? No: think stronger - stronger because it is wiser and more committed to understanding the universe.
Humanism is a meaning system. A philosophy. A life stance.
We drop the "secular"; just like the International Humanist and Ethical union does (IHEU), and just like the American Humanist Association (AHA) does.
The AHA: I think they get the main beliefs right in their Humanist Manifesto 3; it's a concise list.
From Kurt Vonnegut to Albert Einstein, secular people call ourselves Humanists when we resonate with several key ideas.
Our path to truth is the philosophy of science; freethought, observation, skepticism...
That means Humanists will not just understand, but admire politicians when they can make and change their minds according to new considerations.
Nature deserves to be understood on its own terms, and according to the theory of evolution, we are a part of that nature.
Now for every plausible sounding idea, there is an opposite, equally good idea. Hard earned facts need to help us make up our minds.
This can be extremely difficult, and the facts can be ugly, but we persevere because nature is always more amazing than we could have imagined.
We talk in terms of naturalistic ethics, which means we don't need the permission of the universe to use reason and love to pursue the interests of the living.
For example we might question whether we should be cruel to "criminals", when a "criminal" turns out to be a child who suffered from...[see list]
It's just that when the child gets bigger, we call it a criminal.
Humanists believe that we can live a life of inspiration and purpose, pursuing these human ideals. There is an increasingly rich heritage of art and culture to enjoy during these lives - the only lives that we get.
Relationships are crucial to a good life. The science of happiness, positive psychology, finds this over and over again. It is one more reason to find your 'tribe'.
We pursue equality, and believe great individual happiness comes from this pursuit.
We respect differing views, so long as they are humane, because we want an open, secular, democratic society. Environmentally sustainable too.
It's a nice list. That's what people mean when they say their life stance is Humanist. But then, we might wonder...
In many ways, Humanism is different from the belief systems humankind had when it was younger: Our label does not promise someone will escape death. No, we believe death is real.
Humanism is not a group with the support of ghosts, gods, or other magical forces that have every power in our imagination.
Calling yourself a Humanist will not make you permanently happy. Not in any sense of the word. Life is tough that way – often we just have to soldier on.
So your life is limited, there's no supernatural backup, and you can't spend every moment happy.
But there is a strategy behind taking on a title.
A reason that we might want to do more than fit a definition, but define ourselves. And say, "I am a humanist", out loud, to others but also – importantly – to ourselves.
It's a chance to become a part of something bigger - more than one human.
I think you should represent this belief system; post up that happy human logo, or wear it on you, because you want to join an ongoing movement.
Life's happinesses - the simple pleasures, captivating activities, love, purpose, accomplishments –
those happiness's are not permanent upgrades, but we can stumble on more of those moments if we work together.
"Magic is never on our side"? Well, that wasn't the full story either.
Because what we call "magic" today is what we earn the right to call "technology" and "normal" tomorrow.
When people unite over a shared vision, we can discover the real magic: the magic of reality.
Now until we find a solution for every single form of death,
and until we stop having kids and growing the population exponentially,
or until we find a way for ideas to truly evolve without needing new generations...
Well, life means death. We have to go back to where we came from.
One thing that scares the hell out of us is the idea of ever looking back and realizing we didn't live life. The idea of regret.
And when people regret. Do you know what we are thinking about? As we're dying?
You should, because we've asked our dying.
We regret that we didn't jump for every dream, every time.
That we got caught in daily acts of trivia and that we didn't express our feelings.
That we didn't chase more moments of joy, or enjoy more connections with the universe and the people who live in it.
As I see it, we're regretting that we didn't join a good movement.
The kind of thing that keeps your eyes on the important things in life and gives you some perspective.
The kind of thing that gives you allies.
So we've seen what humanists believe, and don't believe
We've also see why we might want to take on a label and join a movement.
It comes down to decay.
Decay is not a force of its own, it is the absence of growth.
People who value spreading love and joy, value curiosity, value hard work... those people doing nothing together is like those people not existing at all.
So why do we take on a label?
Why do we join a movement and represent a life stance like Humanism?
Maybe it's time that you start answering those questions.