u/ambiverbal

Humanism focuses on blending science-based reason with compassion.

Internally, that often includes discussions of leaving religion, atheism, and naturalism (science-based epistemology). That's our inside voice.

Externally, Humanism endeavors to reduce human suffering, to end governmental and cultural oppression of women and minorities, and generally to make the world a better place, all without expecting a reward in an afterlife. That's our outside voice.

Which of these, inside voice or outside voice, most attracts (or attracted) you to Humanism, which do you use most, and of course, why?

Here's the summary of my own notes from Ottawa's World Humanist Congress.

The theme was "HUMANISM AS RESISTANCE."

I'm a little late getting these up, and they're a bit long. So I'll post the Saturday summary here first. Look for the Sunday summary upcoming.

Saturday, August 8 Session:

(A) Saturday’s session began with a keynote by sociological researcher Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme on “Challenging Misinformation & Narratives of Polarization as Forms of Nonreligious Resistance.”

Her premise, documented with a variety of surveys & statistical data, was that humans in general have been for several decades undergoing a “secular transition,” one that appears to be unabated & happening in all the continents on earth. The process appears to occur when the younger generation does not learn about religion as children.

She noted also that surveys indicate that polarization is not so pronounced as news reports have suggested.

(B) Next was a panel discussion of “What Are We Resisting?”

Represented were delegates from Canada, Ghana, Peru, & USA.

Each noted some of the issues that were unique to their own countries.

Most striking among them was Ghana’s increasingly draconian ant-LGBTQ laws, returns to female genital mutilation, and polygamy (which disempowers women).

The Peruvian delegate indicated that critical thinking was “opening doors to anti humanistic ideas. (Time & his accent prevented me from fully understanding that issue.)

(C) Then Prof. Francesca Klug gave a presentation on “Human Rights as Resistance.”

Her core premise was that resistance was always at the core of increasing human rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights inspired people to resist when their governments oppress their own citizens. Paramount now is that human rights need to be defended against the idea that majority rule can subsume universal human rights.

(D) Next we heard from a variety of Humanist legislators from Norway, UK, Iceland, & Canada.

In general, each had reasons for optimism in their own countries, as well as areas where struggles remain.

(E) Finally we heard from a pair of Humanist Chaplains, Greg Epstein from Harvard & MIT, and James Croft from the University of Sussex, UK. They spoke primarily about the one-on-one relationships they built with students and the communities they help build on campus constructed around helping underserved communities (locally & internationally).

First Post from the World Humanist Congress in Ottawa:

Today, as Humanists from around the world convened in Ottawa, a hefty number of early arrivals joined in the fringe event organized by Humanist Canada.

Attendees had several different workshops to choose from in 4 break-out sessions. Personally I joined

(a) "Building Bridges Beyond Belief" (essentially compassionate street epistemology);

(b) "Leaving Religion" (a description of personal experiences, & no two of us were from the same country);

(c) "Religious Nationalism" (identifying, confronting, & recovering from primarily Christian Nationalism, although Muslim Nationalism & Hindu Nationalism are problematic in countries outside of Europe & North America); and

(d) a singing workshop (admittedly, this was a bit of self-indulgence on my part).

In addition, we had an hour sitting together for lunch, where we talked about Humanist organizations in each country (Norway has the largest in the world), and how national government policies can restrict, allow, or promote development of Humanism and Humanist chaplaincy (military, colleges, hospitals, & hospices) and rites of passage (confirmation, weddings, & memorials/funerals).

That's a thumbnail sketch of my day. Feel free to ask questions, but it may take me a bit of time to respond.

Howdy Humanists!

I'm attending the World Humanist Congress in about 10 days. 😁

I plan to post updates and personal reflections here as the conference progresses, but perhaps also chat with folks in RL from the subreddit.

Don't Massachusetts pedestrians learn the rules for walking on a roadway?

You should never trust that a driver coming up behind you sees you! Therefore, pedestrians on streets & roadways should walk on the left, not the right.

That way you can see the driver's eyes, move to the side if necessary, and because you're traveling in opposite directions, the driver need not speed up to pass you, the pedestrian(s).

BTW, this rule does not apply to bicyclists. If they need to use the roadway, they are to stay to the right.

(Good grief, driving around town in summer here is terrifying! I never know that a pedestrian, many wearing earphones, even knows I'm behind them.)

😢

2026 is a political year in many countries (as if there were ever a non-political year).

Humanist values appear (to me) to align with the political Left. These include egalitarianism, lifting up those disadvantaged by social structures and bigotry, and reducing the influence of corporate & religious institutions in politics.

Right-wing politics seems to oppose these ideas. Their adherents consider a stratified society as natural and seek to protect traditional economic, social, & religious institutions.

And of course, such dichotomies are always problematic, in that they ignore nuance, individual taste, and "the excluded middle."

But I wonder... What elements of what might be thought of as Right-wing policies might align (a bit) with Humanist values?

(I'll include my possible suggestions in the comments below.)

It may not be true of all of us, but for me, growing up in a pastor's household felt like living in a glass house. Exploring or expressing my human nature felt constrained by fear of bringing shame on the family and thus hampering my dad's calling, mission, and career. (For example, my parents refused to eat in any restaurant that served any kind of alcohol.)

Turning to secular Humanism therefore felt particularly liberating. So, I pose this question to see if other "PKs" share similar experience and perhaps invite some discussion of how growing up with clergy parents effects perception and practice of Humanism.

I'm growing weary of Overcast's deleting & redownloading episodes that have been on my iPhone for a day or more. (Plus let me mention the failure to download episodes in background.)

Today it deleted an episode I was listening to, and had simply paused to talk with someone while walking my dog!

These bugs have been around for at least several months.

AM I doing something wrong, or is Overcast's functioning wavering?

(FYI: I have an iPhone 16-Pro, 512 GB storage, with 242 GB still free. It's running iOS 26.5.)

I am attending Ottawa's World Humanist Congress in August. I'm trying to prepare myself for meeting fellow Humanists from around the globe, and my relatively naïve take is that that there are various "flavors" of Humanism, depending on the country where such groups exist.

What elements of Humanism get more or less emphasis within your borders, languages, dominant religious traditions, and socioeconomic factors?

Are you aware of differences with others?

Do the differences impede building bridges with Humanist groups in other regions?