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An open-ended quest As this introduction shows, humanism seeks to provide answers to life’s questions based on the best available knowledge and philosophy. But sometimes the best available knowledge still leaves a lot of unanswered questions! From this continuing search emerges a humanism which is an open-ended lifestance: humanist views are open to change and are [...]

Self-determination There is another political and social area where humanists generally find themselves united behind common goals in opposition to many other groups and lifestances. This is the area of individual autonomy and freedom. Across the world one encounters laws that limit sexual freedom, that restrict freedom in health and medical choices, that deny individual [...]

The open society The fundamental concepts of humanism have given rise to a diversity of shared positions and goals among humanists. For example, humanism’s ethical dimension means that humanists have a commitment to building a society that enables more people to fulfill their potential. And the commitment to the scientific method means that humanists try [...]

Meaning and purpose in life A central question addressed by many lifestances is the purpose or meaning of life. Humanists ponder this question too, but they are not persuaded that human life was intentionally created to serve a specific purpose. In fact, humanists do not see reason to believe life was created at all; they [...]

Manifestoes and other statements of humanism People accustomed to creedal religions that proclaim a core doctrine often assume that humanism, likewise, must include statements of “dogma” which bind its followers to certain beliefs. They conclude that the various humanist manifestos and declarations published over the years are proclamations of faith that all humanists must adhere [...]

The fundamentals of humanism One way to understand the humanist lifestance is to look at its answers to three broad and fundamental questions: How do we gain knowledge and understanding of our world? What do we know about the world and humanity’s place in it? How should we live our lives? All lifestances seek to answer [...]

Lifestance explored “Lifestance” is itself an unfamiliar term to most people, but over the past two decades it has become increasingly common — initially in Britain, but now also in Europe and the whole of the English-speaking world — as a term that is inclusive of religion and non-religious world-views. A “lifestance” is, at best, [...]

The Contemporary Humanist Philosophy: Lifestance Humanism The word “humanism” has been used in many different senses over the years.  It has referred to the educational program of Renaissance scholars, as well as to movements in art, literature, psychology, architecture, and other cultural fields.  While these senses differ, they all share a central focus on humanity, [...]