Local humanists defend social justice, welcome all faiths and idealistic atheists

We welcome people of all religious faiths. And we welcome those who do not believe in God or in gods.

You will be in good company. Renowned humanists include author Kurt Vonnegut, Apple co-founder and philanthropist Steve Wozniak, LGBTQ activist and journalist Dan Savage, Young Turks founder Cenk Uygur, physicist Albert Einstein, rock legend John Lennon, the feminist pioneer Gloria Steinem, architect Frank Lloyd Wright, science fiction pioneer Isaac Asimov, biologist Richard Dawkins, astronomer Carl Sagan, novelist Margaret Atwood (“The Handmaid’s Tale”), American patriot Thomas Paine and Shakespeare.

For those who wish to learn more about humanism, the CDHS is organizing a speaker, via Zoom, on Sunday 12 December at 1 p.m. The presentation is titled “Positive Humanism: An Introduction”,

The speaker is Bo Bennett, social psychologist, author and popular speaker. The program is free and open to the public. In an age when facts are under attack and conspiracy theories disseminated by powerful political and media forces, Bennett sets himself these goals: “To expose an irrational belief; keep a person rational for a day. Expose irrational thinking; keep a rational person all their life.

Anyone wishing to participate can send an email request for the link to: Webmaster@humanistsociety.org.

Please send your request several days before the event. Or. you can access our Meetup page at https://www.meetup.com/Capital-District-Humanist-Society/

Click on “Join” then “Participate” and the link will be available for you. By signing up, you will also automatically receive monthly announcements from all future programs.

Humanism is a philosophy that emphasizes personal, professional and societal development. As a secular philosophy, there is no dependence on the supernatural, the magical or the mystical. Philosophy is based on reason and critical thinking. It is based on science, and therefore devoid of unsubstantiated or exaggerated claims in the self-help genre.

The philosophy is based on positive psychology, which is the study of the side of the mental health spectrum that encourages human development and intellectual growth.

In this era of COVID, Dr. Jonas Salk, inventor of mankind’s first polio vaccine, offers a freshly relevant example of someone who has lived by their humanistic beliefs. He refused to acquire a patent for his vaccine. He told reporters that a life-saving vaccine that could prevent massive grief and pain from being within everyone’s reach.

“Could you patent the sun? He asked rhetorically.