1
Secular humanism is a vital force
in the contemporary world. It is now under unwarranted and
intemperate attack from various quarters. This declaration
defends only that form of secular humanism which is
explicitly committed to democracy. It is opposed to all
varieties of belief that seek supernatural sanction for
their values or espouse rule by dictatorship.
Democratic secular humanism has
been a powerful force in world culture. Its ideals can be
traced to the philosophers, scientists, and poets of
classical Greece and Rome, to ancient Chinese Confucian
society, to the Carvaka movement of India, and to other
distinguished intellectual and moral traditions.
Secularism and humanism were eclipsed in Europe during the
Dark Ages, when religious piety eroded humankind's
confidence in its own powers to solve human problems. They
reappeared in force during the Renaissance with the
reassertion of secular and humanist values in literature
and the arts, again in the sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries with the development of modern science and a
naturalistic view of the universe, and their influence can
be found in the eighteenth century in the Age of Reason
and the Enlightenment.
Democratic secular humanism has
creatively flowered in modern times with the growth of
freedom and democracy. Countless millions of thoughtful
persons have espoused secular humanist ideals, have lived
significant lives, and have contributed to the building of
a more humane and democratic world. The modern secular
humanist outlook has led to the application of science and
technology to the improvement of the human condition. This
has had a positive effect on reducing poverty, suffering,
and disease in various parts of the world, in extending
longevity, on improving transportation and communication,
and in making the good life possible for more and more
people. It has led to the emancipation of hundreds of
millions of people from the exercise of blind faith and
fears of superstition and has contributed to their
education and the enrichment of their lives.
Secular humanism has provided an
impetus for humans to solve their problems with
intelligence and perseverance, to conquer geographic and
social frontiers, and to extend the range of human
exploration and adventure. Regrettably, we are today faced
with a variety of antisecularist trends: the reappearance
of dogmatic authoritarian religions; fundamentalist,
literalist, and doctrinaire Christianity; a rapidly
growing and uncompromising Moslem clericalism in the
Middle East and Asia; the reassertion of orthodox
authority by the Roman Catholic papal hierarchy;
nationalistic religious Judaism; and the reversion to
obscurantist religions in Asia.
New cults of unreason as well as
bizarre paranormal and occult beliefs, such as belief in
astrology, reincarnation, and the mysterious power of
alleged psychics, are growing in many Western societies.
These disturbing developments follow in the wake of the
emergence in the earlier part of the twentieth century of
intolerant messianic and totalitarian quasi religious
movements, such as fascism and communism. These religious
activists not only are responsible for much of the terror
and violence in the world today but stand in the way of
solutions to the world's most serious problems.
Paradoxically, some of the
critics of secular humanism maintain that it is a
dangerous philosophy. Some assert that it is "morally
corrupting" because it is committed to individual freedom,
others that it condones "injustice" because it defends
democratic due process. We who support democratic secular
humanism deny such charges, which are based upon
misunderstanding and misinterpretation, and we seek to
outline a set of principles that most of us share.
Secular humanism is not a dogma
or a creed. There are wide differences of opinion among
secular humanists on many issues. Nevertheless, there is a
loose consensus with respect to several propositions. We
are apprehensive that modern civilization is threatened by
forces antithetical to reason, democracy, and freedom.
Many religious believers will no doubt share with us a
belief in many secular humanist and democratic values, and
we welcome their joining with us in the defense of these
ideals.
Free Inquiry
The first principle of
democratic secular humanism is its commitment to free
inquiry. We oppose any tyranny over the mind of man, any
efforts by ecclesiastical, political, ideological, or
social institutions to shackle free thought. In the
past, such tyrannies have been directed by churches and
states attempting to enforce the edicts of religious
bigots. In the long struggle in the history of ideas,
established institutions, both public and private, have
attempted to censor inquiry, to impose orthodoxy on
beliefs and values, and to excommunicate heretics and
extirpate unbelievers. Today, the struggle for free
inquiry has assumed new forms. Sectarian ideologies have
become the new theologies that use political parties and
governments in their mission to crush dissident opinion.
Free inquiry entails recognition of civil liberties as
integral to its pursuit, that is, a free press, freedom
of communication, the right to organize opposition
parties and to join voluntary associations, and freedom
to cultivate and publish the fruits of scientific,
philosophical, artistic, literary, moral and religious
freedom. Free inquiry requires that we tolerate
diversity of opinion and that we respect the right of
individuals to express their beliefs, however unpopular
they may be, without social or legal prohibition or fear
of sanctions. Though we may tolerate contrasting points
of view, this does not mean that they are immune to
critical scrutiny. The guiding premise of those who
believe in free inquiry is that truth is more likely to
be discovered if the opportunity exists for the free
exchange of opposing opinions; the process of
interchange is frequently as important as the result.
This applies not only to science and to everyday life,
but to politics, economics, morality, and religion.
Separation Of Church And State
Because of their commitment to
freedom, secular humanists believe in the principle of
the separation of church and state. The lessons of
history are clear: wherever one religion or ideology is
established and given a dominant position in the state,
minority opinions are in jeopardy. A pluralistic, open
democratic society allows all points of view to be
heard. Any effort to impose an exclusive conception of
Truth, Piety, Virtue, or Justice upon the whole of
society is a violation of free inquiry. Clerical
authorities should not be permitted to legislate their
own parochial views - whether moral, philosophical,
political, educational. or social - for the rest of
society. Nor should tax revenues be exacted for the
benefit or support of sectarian religious institutions.
Individuals and voluntary associations should be free to
accept or not to accept any belief and to support these
convictions with whatever resources they may have,
without being compelled by taxation to contribute to
those religious faiths with which they do not agree.
Similarly, church properties should share in the burden
of public revenues and should not be exempt from
taxation. Compulsory religious oaths and prayers in
public institutions (political or educational) are also
a violation of the separation principle. Today,
nontheistic as well as theistic religions compete for
attention. Regrettably, in communist countries, the
power of the state is being used to impose an
ideological doctrine on the society, without tolerating
the expression of dissenting or heretical views. Here we
see a modern secular version of the violation of the
separation principle.
The
Ideal Of Freedom
There are many forms of
totalitarianism in the modern world - secular and
nonsecular - all of which we vigorously oppose. As
democratic secularists, we consistently defend the ideal
of freedom, not only freedom of conscience and belief
from those ecclesiastical, political, and economic
interests that seek to repress them, but genuine
political liberty, democratic decision making based upon
majority rule, and respect for minority rights and the
rule of law. We stand not only for freedom from
religious control but for freedom from jingoistic
government control as well. We are for the defense of
basic human rights, including the right to protect life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In our view, a
free society should also encourage some measure of
economic freedom, subject only to such restrictions as
are necessary in the public interest. This means that
individuals and groups should be able to compete in the
marketplace, organize free trade unions, and carry on
their occupations and careers without undue interference
by centralized political control. The right to private
property is a human right without which other rights are
nugatory. Where it is necessary to limit any of these
rights in a democracy, the limitation should be
justified in terms of its consequences in strengthening
the entire structure of human rights.
Ethics Based On Critical Intelligence
The moral views of secular
humanism have been subjected to criticism by religious
fundamentalist theists. The secular humanist recognizes
the central role of morality in human life; indeed,
ethics was developed as a branch of human knowledge long
before religionists proclaimed their moral systems based
upon divine authority. The field of ethics has had a
distinguished list of thinkers contributing to its
development: from Socrates, Democritus, Aristotle,
Epicurus, and Epictetus, to Spinoza, Erasmus, Hume,
Voltaire, Kant, Bentham, Mill, G. E. Moore, Bertrand
Russell, John Dewey, and others. There is an influential
philosophical tradition that maintains that ethics is an
autonomous field of inquiry, that ethical judgments can
be formulated independently of revealed religion, and
that human beings can cultivate practical reason and
wisdom and, by its application, achieve lives of virtue
and excellence. Moreover, philosophers have emphasized
the need to cultivate an appreciation for the
requirements of social justice and for an individual's
obligations and responsibilities toward others. Thus,
secularists deny that morality needs to be deduced from
religious belief or that those who do not espouse a
religious doctrine are immoral. For secular humanists,
ethical conduct is, or should be, judged by critical
reason, and their goal is to develop autonomous and
responsible individuals, capable of making their own
choices in life based upon an understanding of human
behavior. Morality that is not God-based need not be
antisocial, subjective, or promiscuous, nor need it lead
to the breakdown of moral standards. Although we believe
in tolerating diverse lifestyles and social manners, we
do not think they are immune to criticism. Nor do we
believe that any one church should impose its views of
moral virtue and sin, sexual conduct, marriage, divorce,
birth control, or abortion, or legislate them for the
rest of society. As secular humanists we believe in the
central importance of the value of human happiness here
and now. We are opposed to absolutist morality, yet we
maintain that objective standards emerge, and ethical
values and principles may be discovered, in the course
of ethical deliberation. Secular humanist ethics
maintains that it is possible for human beings to lead
meaningful and wholesome lives for themselves and in
service to their fellow human beings without the need of
religious commandments or the benefit of clergy. There
have been any number of distinguished secularists and
humanists who have demonstrated moral principles in
their personal lives and works: Protagoras, Lucretius,
Epicurus, Spinoza, Hume, Thomas Paine, Diderot, Mark
Twain, George Eliot, John Stuart Mill, Ernest Renan,
Charles Darwin, Thomas Edison, Clarence Darrow, Robert
Ingersoll, Gilbert Murray, Albert Schweitzer, Albert
Einstein, Max Born, Margaret Sanger, and Bertrand
Russell, among others.
Moral
Education
We believe that moral
development should be cultivated in children and young
adults. We do not believe that any particular sect can
claim important values as their exclusive property;
hence it is the duty of public education to deal with
these values. Accordingly, we support moral education in
the schools that is designed to develop an appreciation
for moral virtues, intelligence, and the building of
character. We wish to encourage wherever possible the
growth of moral awareness and the capacity for free
choice and an understanding of the consequences thereof.
We do not think it is moral to baptize infants, to
confirm adolescents, or to impose a religious creed on
young people before they are able to consent. Although
children should learn about the history of religious
moral practices, these young minds should not be
indoctrinated in a faith before they are mature enough
to evaluate the merits for themselves. It should be
noted that secular humanism is not so much a specific
morality as it is a method for the explanation and
discovery of rational moral principles.
Religious Skepticism
As secular humanists, we are
generally skeptical about supernatural claims. We
recognize the importance of religious experience: that
experience that redirects and gives meaning to the lives
of human beings. We deny, however, that such experiences
have anything to do with the supernatural. We are
doubtful of traditional views of God and divinity.
Symbolic and mythological interpretations of religion
often serve as rationalizations for a sophisticated
minority, leaving the bulk of mankind to flounder in
theological confusion. We consider the universe to be a
dynamic scene of natural forces that are most
effectively understood by scientific inquiry. We are
always open to the discovery of new possibilities and
phenomena in nature. However. we find that traditional
views of the existence of God either are meaningless,
have not yet been demonstrated to be true, or are
tyrannically exploitative. Secular humanists may be
agnostics, atheists, rationalists, or skeptics, but they
find insufficient evidence for the claim that some
divine purpose exists for the universe. They reject the
idea that God has intervened miraculously in history or
revealed himself to a chosen few or that he can save or
redeem sinners. They believe that men and women are free
and are responsible for their own destinies and that
they cannot look toward some transcendent Being for
salvation. We reject the divinity of Jesus, the divine
mission of Moses, Mohammed, and other latter day
prophets and saints of the various sects and
denominations. We do not accept as true the literal
interpretation of the Old and New Testaments, the Koran,
or other allegedly sacred religious documents, however
important they may be as literature. Religions are
pervasive sociological phenomena, and religious myths
have long persisted in human history. In spite of the
fact that human beings have found religions to be
uplifting and a source of solace, we do not find their
theological claims to be true. Religions have made
negative as well as positive contributions toward the
development of human civilization. Although they have
helped to build hospitals and schools and, at their
best, have encouraged the spirit of love and charity,
many have also caused human suffering by being
intolerant of those who did not accept their dogmas or
creeds. Some religions have been fanatical and
repressive, narrowing human hopes, limiting aspirations,
and precipitating religious wars and violence. While
religions have no doubt offered comfort to the bereaved
and dying by holding forth the promise of an immortal
life, they have also aroused morbid fear and dread. We
have found no convincing evidence that there is a
separable "soul" or that it exists before birth or
survives death. We must therefore conclude that the
ethical life can be lived without the illusions of
immortality or reincarnation. Human beings can develop
the self confidence necessary to ameliorate the human
condition and to lead meaningful, productive lives.
Reason
We view with concern the
current attack by nonsecularists on reason and science.
We are committed to the use of the rational methods of
inquiry, logic, and evidence in developing knowledge and
testing claims to truth. Since human beings are prone to
err, we are open to the modification of all principles,
including those governing inquiry, believing that they
may be in need of constant correction. Although not so
naive as to believe that reason and science can easily
solve all human problems, we nonetheless contend that
they can make a major contribution to human knowledge
and can be of benefit to humankind. We know of no better
substitute for the cultivation of human intelligence.
Science And Technology
We believe the scientific
method, though imperfect, is still the most reliable way
of understanding the world. Hence, we look to the
natural, biological, social, and behavioral sciences for
knowledge of the universe and man's place within it.
Modern astronomy and physics have opened up exciting new
dimensions of the universe: they have enabled humankind
to explore the universe by means of space travel.
Biology and the social and behavioral sciences have
expanded our understanding of human behavior. We are
thus opposed in principle to any efforts to censor or
limit scientific research without an overriding reason
to do so. While we are aware of, and oppose, the abuses
of misapplied technology and its possible harmful
consequences for the natural ecology of the human
environment, we urge resistance to unthinking efforts to
limit technological or scientific advances. We
appreciate the great benefits that science and
technology (especially basic and applied research) can
bring to humankind, but we also recognize the need to
balance scientific and technological advances with
cultural explorations in art, music, and literature.
Evolution
Today the theory of evolution
is again under heavy attack by religious
fundamentalists. Although the theory of evolution cannot
be said to have reached its final formulation, or to be
an infallible principle of science, it is nonetheless
supported impressively by the findings of many sciences.
There may be some significant differences among
scientists concerning the mechanics of evolution; yet
the evolution of the species is supported so strongly by
the weight of evidence that it is difficult to reject
it. Accordingly, we deplore the efforts by
fundamentalists (especially in the United States) to
invade the science classrooms, requiring that
creationist theory be taught to students and requiring
that it be included in biology textbooks. This is a
serious threat both to academic freedom and to the
integrity of the educational process. We believe that
creationists surely should have the freedom to express
their viewpoint in society. Moreover, we do not deny the
value of examining theories of creation in educational
courses on religion and the history of ideas; but it is
a sham to mask an article of religious faith as a
scientific truth and to inflict that doctrine on the
scientific curriculum. If successful, creationists may
seriously undermine the credibility of science itself.
Education
In our view, education should
be the essential method of building humane, free, and
democratic societies. The aims of education are many:
the transmission of knowledge; training for occupations,
careers, and democratic citizenship; and the
encouragement of moral growth. Among its vital purposes
should also be an attempt to develop the capacity for
critical intelligence in both the individual and the
community. Unfortunately, the schools are today being
increasingly replaced by the mass media as the primary
institutions of public information and education.
Although the electronic media provide unparalleled
opportunities for extending cultural enrichment and
enjoyment, and powerful learning opportunities, there
has been a serious misdirection of their purposes. In
totalitarian societies, the media serve as the vehicle
of propaganda and indoctrination. In democratic
societies television, radio, films, and mass publishing
too often cater to the lowest common denominator and
have become banal wastelands. There is a pressing need
to elevate standards of taste and appreciation. Of
special concern to secularists is the fact that the
media (particularly in the United States) are
inordinately dominated by a pro religious bias. The
views of preachers, faith healers, and religious
hucksters go largely unchallenged, and the secular
outlook is not given an opportunity for a fair hearing.
We believe that television directors and producers have
an obligation to redress the balance and revise their
programming. Indeed, there is a broader task that all
those who believe in democratic secular humanist values
will recognize, namely, the need to embark upon a long
term program of public education and enlightenment
concerning the relevance of the secular outlook to the
human condition.
Conclusion
Democratic secular humanism is
too important for human civilization to abandon.
Reasonable persons will surely recognize its profound
contributions to human welfare. We are nevertheless
surrounded by doomsday prophets of disaster, always
wishing to turn the clock back - they are anti science,
anti freedom, anti human. In contrast, the secular
humanistic outlook is basically melioristic, looking
forward with hope rather than backward with despair. We
are committed to extending the ideals of reason, freedom,
individual and collective opportunity, and democracy
throughout the world community. The problems that
humankind will face in the future, as in the past, will no
doubt be complex and difficult. However, if it is to
prevail, it can only do so by enlisting resourcefulness
and courage. Secular humanism places trust in human
intelligence rather than in divine guidance. Skeptical of
theories of redemption, damnation, and reincarnation,
secular humanists attempt to approach the human situation
in realistic terms: human beings are responsible for their
own destinies. We believe that it is possible to bring
about a more humane world, one based upon the methods of
reason and the principles of tolerance, compromise, and
the negotiations of difference.
We recognize the need for
intellectual modesty and the willingness to revise beliefs
in the light of criticism. Thus consensus is sometimes
attainable. While emotions are important, we need not
resort to the panaceas of salvation, to escape through
illusion, or to some desperate leap toward passion and
violence. We deplore the growth of intolerant sectarian
creeds that foster hatred. In a world engulfed by
obscurantism and irrationalism it is vital that the ideals
of the secular city not be lost.
A Secular Humanist Declaration
was drafted by
Paul Kurtz,
Editor,
Free Inquiry.
A Secular Humanist Declaration
has been endorsed by the following individuals:
(Although we who endorse this
declaration may not agree with all its specific
provisions, we nevertheless support its general purposes
and direction and believe that it is important that they
be enunciated and implemented. We call upon all men and
women of good will who agree with us to join in helping to
keep alive the commitment to the principles of free
inquiry and the secular humanist outlook. We submit that
the decline of these values could have ominous
implications for the future of civilization on this
planet.)
United States Of America
- George Abell (professor of
astronomy, UCLA)
- John Anton (professor of
philosophy, Emory University)
- Khoren Arisian (minister,
First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis)
- Isaac Asimov (science
fiction author)
- Paul Beattie (minister, All
Souls Unitarian Church; president, Fellowship of
Religious Humanism)
- H. James Birx (professor of
anthropology and sociology, Canisius College)
- Brand Blanshard (professor
emeritus of philosophy, Yale)
- Joseph L. Blau (Profelsor
Emeritus of Religion, Columbia)
- Francis Crick (Nobel Prize
Laureate, Salk Institute)
- Arthur Danto (professor of
philosophy, Columbia University)
- Albert Ellis (executive
director, Institute for Rational Emotive Therapy)
- Roy Fairfield (former
professor of social science, Antioch)
- Herbert Feigl (professor
emeritus of philosophy, University of Minnesota)
- Joseph Fletcher
(theologian, University of Virginia Medical School)
- Sidney Hook (professor
emeritus of philosophy, NYU, fellow at Hoover Institute)
- George Hourani (professor
of philosophy, State University of New York at Buffalo)
- Walter Kaufmann (professor
of philosophy, Princeton)
- Marvin Kohl (professor of
philosophy, medical ethics, State University of New York
at Fredonia)
- Richard Kostelanetz
(writer, artist, critic)
- Paul Kurtz (Professor of
Philosophy, State University of New York at Buffalo)
- Joseph Margolis (professor
of philosophy, Temple University)
- Floyd Matson (professor of
American Studies, University of Hawaii)
- Ernest Nagel (professor
emeritus of philosophy, Columbia)
- Lee Nisbet (associate
professor of philosophy, Medaille)
- George Olincy (lawyer)
- Virginia Olincy
- W. V. Quine (professor of
philosophy, Harvard University)
- Robert Rimmer (novelist)
- Herbert Schapiro (Freedom
from Religion Foundation)
- Herbert Schneider
(professor emeritus of philosophy, Claremont College)
- B. F. Skinner (professor
emeritus of psychology, Harvard)
- Gordon Stein (editor, The
American Rationalist)
- George Tomashevich
(professor of anthropology, Buffalo State University
College)
- Valentin Turchin (Russian
dissident; computer scientist, City College, City
University of New York)
- Sherwin Wine (rabbi,
Birmingham Temple, founder, Society for Humanistic
Judaism)
- Marvin Zimmerman (professor
of philosophy, State University of New York at Buffalo)
Canada
- Henry Morgentaler
(physician, Montreal)
- Kai Nielsen (professor of
philosophy, University of Calgary)
France
- Yves Galifret (executive
director, Union Rationaliste)
- Jean Claude Pecker
(professor of astrophysics, College de France, Academie
des Sciences)
Great Britain
- Sir A.J. Ayer (professor of
philosophy, Oxford University)
- H.J. Blackham (former
chairman, Social Morality Council and British Humanist
Association)
- Bernard Crick (professor of
politics, Birkbeck College, London University)
- Sir Raymond Firth
(professor emeritus of anthropology, University of
London)
- James Herrick (editor, The
Free Thinker)
- Zheres A. Medvedev (Russian
dissident; Medical Research Council)
- Dora Russell (Mrs. Bertrand
Russell) (author)
- Lord Ritchie Calder
(president, Rationalist Press Association)
- Harry Stopes-Roe (senior
lecturer in science studies, University of Birmingham;
chairman, British Humanist Association)
- Nicholas Walter (editor,
New Humanist)
- Baroness Barbara Wootton
(Deputy Speaker, House of Lords)
India
- B. Shah (president, Indian
Secular Society; director, Institute for the Study of
Indian Traditions)
- V. M. Tarkunde (Supreme
Court Judge, chairman, Indian Radical Humanist
Association)
Israel
- Shulamit Aloni (lawyer,
member of Knesset, head of Citizens Rights Movement)
Norway
- Alastair Hannay (professor
of philosophy, University of Trondheim)
Yugoslavia
- Milovan Djilas (author,
former vice president of Yugoslavia)
- M. Markovic (professor of
philosophy, Serbian Academy of Sciences & Arts and
University of Belgrade)
- Svet. Stojanovic (professor
of philosophy, University of Belgrade)
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