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Dr. John Dewey (1859–1952), Dr. Roy Wood Sellars (1880-1973), Humanist Manifesto (1933), Minister Edwin Henry Wilson (1898–1993), Minister Raymond Bennett Bragg (1902–1979)
LUMPENPROLETARIAT—In a recent interview, eminent sociologist Dr. Immanuel Wallerstein cited a relatively obscure theorist named Dr. Ilya Prigogine. Who? A cursory scan of Dr. Prigogine’s biography reveals him to be one of the Nobel laureate signatories to the most recent of the Humanist Manifestos published in 2003 by the American Humanist Association (AHA). The Humanist Manifestos? What’s that?
You may have heard of the Communist Manifesto. But you probably haven’t heard of the Humanist Manifesto, which stakes out a set of principles along slightly different lines. (Although, those two manifestos do not appear to be necessarily incompatible.) In the case of the latter, various humanists have endeavoured to formally articulate their particular ideals, or unifying principles, since the drafting of the original Humanist Manifesto in 1933, whose signatories included academic and civic leaders, such as Dr. John Dewey, the eminent American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer, whose ideas have been influential in education and social reform. The establishment of unifying principles is always helpful for mutual understanding in any society, and especially for galvanising relevant political clout. Since 1933, various variants have valiantly vied for voicing the vital virtues of humanism. For example, consider this reasonable variant from 1980:
- Free Inquiry
- Separation of Church and State
- The Ideal of Freedom
- Ethics Based on Critical Intelligence
- Moral Education
- Religious Skepticism
- Reason
- Science and Technology
- Evolution
- Education
Messina
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WIKIPEDIA—[accessed 19 APR 2017] Humanist Manifesto is the title of three manifestos laying out a Humanist worldview. They are the original Humanist Manifesto (1933, often referred to as Humanist Manifesto I), the Humanist Manifesto II (1973), and Humanism and Its Aspirations (2003, a.k.a. Humanist Manifesto III). The Manifesto originally arose from religious Humanism, though secular Humanists also signed.
The central theme of all three manifestos is the elaboration of a philosophy and value system which does not necessarily include belief in any personal deity or “higher power”, although the three differ considerably in their tone, form, and ambition. Each has been signed at its launch by various prominent members of academia and others who are in general agreement with its principles.
In addition, there is a similar document entitled A Secular Humanist Declaration published in 1980 by the Council for Secular Humanism.
The first manifesto, entitled simply A Humanist Manifesto, was written in 1933 primarily by Dr. Roy Wood Sellars and Unitarian Minister Raymond Bragg and was published with 34 signatories including philosopher Dr. John Dewey. Unlike the later ones, the first Manifesto talked of a new “religion”, and referred to Humanism as a religious movement to transcend and replace previous religions based on allegations of supernatural revelation. The document outlines a fifteen-point belief system, which, in addition to a secular outlook, opposes “acquisitive and profit-motivated society” and outlines a worldwide egalitarian society based on voluntary mutual cooperation, language which was considerably softened by the Humanists’ board, owners of the document, twenty years later.
The title “A Humanist Manifesto”—rather than “The Humanist Manifesto”—was intentional, predictive of later Manifestos to follow, as indeed has been the case. Unlike the creeds of major organised religions, the setting out of Humanist ideals in these Manifestos is an ongoing process. Indeed, in some communities of Humanists the compilation of personal Manifestos is actively encouraged, and throughout the Humanist movement it is accepted that the Humanist Manifestos are not permanent or authoritative dogmas but are to be subject to ongoing critique.
The second Manifesto was written in 1973 by Dr. Paul Kurtz and Minister Edwin H. Wilson, and was intended to update and replace the previous one. It begins with a statement that the excesses of Nazism and World War II had made the first seem “far too optimistic” and indicated a more hardheaded and realistic approach in its seventeen-point statement, which was much longer and more elaborate than the previous version. Nevertheless, much of the unbridled optimism of the first remained, with hopes stated that war would become obsolete and poverty would be eliminated.
Many of the proposals in the document, such as opposition to racism and weapons of mass destruction and support of strong human rights, are fairly uncontroversial; and its prescriptions, that divorce and birth control should be legal and that technology can improve life, are widely accepted today in much of the Western world. Furthermore, its proposal of an international court has since been implemented. However, in addition to its rejection of supernaturalism, various controversial stances are strongly supported, notably the right to abortion.
Initially published with a small number of signatures, the document was circulated and gained thousands more, and indeed the AHA website encourages visitors to add their own name. A provision at the end noted that signators do “not necessarily endors[e] every detail” of the document.
Among the oft-quoted lines from this 1973 Manifesto are, “No deity will save us; we must save ourselves,” and “We are responsible for what we are and for what we will be,” both of which may present difficulties for members of certain Christian, Jewish, and Muslim sects, or other believers in doctrines of submission to the will of an all-powerful God.
Expanding upon the role the public education establishment should play to bring about the goals described in the Humanist Manifesto II, John Dunphy wrote:
I am convinced that the battle for humankind’s future must be waged and won in the public school classroom by teachers that correctly perceive their role as proselytizers of a new faith: a religion of humanity that recognizes and respects the spark of what theologians call divinity in every human being… The classroom must and will become an arena of conflict between the old and new—the rotting corpse of Christianity, together with all its adjacent evils and misery, and the new faith of humanism, resplendent with the promise of a world in which the never-realized Christian ideal of ‘love thy neighbor’ will finally be achieved.”
Humanism and Its Aspirations, subtitled Humanist Manifesto III, a successor to the Humanist Manifesto of 1933, was published in 2003 by the AHA, and was written by committee. Signatories included 21 Nobel laureates. The new document is the successor to the previous ones, and the name “Humanist Manifesto” is the property of the American Humanist Association.
The newest manifesto is deliberately much shorter, listing seven primary themes, which echo those from its predecessors:
- Knowledge of the world is derived by observation, experimentation, and rational analysis. (See empiricism.)
- Humans are an integral part of nature, the result of evolutionary change, an unguided process.
- Ethical values are derived from human need and interest as tested by experience. (See ethical naturalism.)
- Life’s fulfillment emerges from individual participation in the service of humane ideals.
- Humans are social by nature and find meaning in relationships.
- Working to benefit society maximizes individual happiness.
- Respect for differing yet humane views in an open, secular, democratic, environmentally sustainable society
Other Manifestos for Humanism
Aside from the official Humanist Manifestos of the American Humanist Association, there have been other similar documents. “Humanist Manifesto” is a trademark of the AHA. Formulation of new statements in emulation of the three Humanist Manifestos is encouraged, and examples follow.
A Secular Humanist Declaration
In 1980, the Council for Secular Humanism, founded by Dr. Paul Kurtz, which is typically more detailed in its discussions regarding the function of Humanism than the AHA, published what is in effect its manifesto, entitled A Secular Humanist Declaration. It has as its main points:
- Free Inquiry
- Separation of Church and State
- The Ideal of Freedom
- Ethics Based on Critical Intelligence
- Moral Education
- Religious Skepticism
- Reason
- Science and Technology
- Evolution
- Education
A Secular Humanist Declaration was an argument for and statement of support for democratic secular humanism. The document was issued in 1980 by the Council for Democratic and Secular Humanism (“CODESH”), now the Council for Secular Humanism (“CSH”). Compiled by Paul Kurtz, it is largely a restatement of the content of the American Humanist Association‘s 1973 Humanist Manifesto II, of which he was co-author with Edwin H. Wilson. Both Wilson and Kurtz had served as editors of The Humanist, from which Kurtz departed in 1979 and thereafter set about establishing his own movement and his own periodical. His Secular Humanist Declaration was the starting point for these enterprises.
Humanist Manifesto 2000
Humanist Manifesto 2000: A Call for New Planetary Humanism is a book by Dr. Paul Kurtz published in 2000. It differs from the other three in that it is a full-length book rather than essay-length, and was published not by the American Humanist Association but by the Council for Secular Humanism. In it, Dr. Kurtz argues for many of the points already formulated in Humanist Manifesto 2, of which he had been co-author in 1973.
The Amsterdam Declaration 2002 is a statement of the fundamental principles of modern humanism passed unanimously by the General Assembly of the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) at the 50th anniversary World Humanist Congress in 2002. According to the IHEU, the declaration “is the official statement of World Humanism.”
It is officially supported by all member organisations of the IHEU including:
- American Humanist Association
- British Humanist Association
- Humanist Canada
- Council of Australian Humanist Societies
- Council for Secular Humanism
- Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association
- Human-Etisk Forbund, the Norwegian Humanist Association
- Humanist Association of Ireland
- Indian Humanist Union
- Philippine Atheists and Agnostics Society (PATAS)
A complete list of signatories can be found on the IHEU page (see references).
This declaration makes exclusive use of capitalized Humanist and Humanism, which is consistent with IHEU’s general practice and recommendations for promoting a unified Humanist identity. To further promote Humanist identity, these words are also free of any adjectives, as recommended by prominent members of IHEU. Such usage is not universal among IHEU member organizations, though most of them do observe these conventions.
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Learn more at WIKIPEDIA.
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[19 APR 2017]
[Last modified at 16:20 PST on 20 APR 2017]
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