World View
This section of the web site will contain quotes that express ideas and points of view that are coincident with my personal world view. The following Statement of Principles and Core Ethical Principles of secular humanism provide an excellent foundation.
The Affirmation of Humanism: A Statement of Principles
By Paul Kurtz in Free Inquiry magazine.
We are committed to the application of reason and science to the understanding of the universe and to the solving of human problems.
We deplore efforts to denigrate intelligence, to seek to explain the world in supernatural terms, and to look outside nature for salvation.
We believe that scientific discovery and technology can contribute to the betterment of human life.
We believe in an open and pluralistic society and that democracy is the best guarantee of protecting human rights from authoritarian elites and repressive majorities.
We are committed to the principle of the separation of church and state.
We cultivate the arts of negotiation and compromise as a means of resolving differences and achieving mutual understanding.
We are concerned with securing justice and fairness in society and with eliminating discrimination and intolerance.
We believe in supporting the disadvantaged and the handicapped so that they will be able to help themselves.
We attempt to transcend divisive parochial loyalties based on race, religion, gender, nationality, creed, class, sexual orientation, or ethnicity, and strive to work together for the common good of humanity.
We want to protect and enhance the earth, to preserve it for future generations, and to avoid inflicting needless suffering on other species.
We believe in enjoying life here and now and in developing our creative talents to their fullest.
We believe in the cultivation of moral excellence.
We respect the right to privacy. Mature adults should be allowed to fulfill their aspirations, to express their sexual preferences, to exercise reproductive freedom, to have access to comprehensive and informed health-care, and to die with dignity.
We believe in the common moral decencies: altruism, integrity, honesty, truthfulness, responsibility. Humanist ethics is amenable to critical, rational guidance. There are normative standards that we discover together. Moral principles are tested by their consequences.
We are deeply concerned with the moral education of our children. We want to nourish reason and compassion.
We are engaged by the arts no less than by the sciences.
We are citizens of the universe and are excited by discoveries still to be made in the cosmos.
We are skeptical of untested claims to knowledge, and we are open to novel ideas and seek new departures in our thinking.
We affirm humanism as a realistic alternative to theologies of despair and ideologies of violence and as a source of rich personal significance and genuine satisfaction in the service of others.
We believe in optimism rather than pessimism, hope rather than despair, learning in the place of dogma, truth instead of ignorance, joy rather than guilt or sin, tolerance in the place of fear, love instead of hatred, compassion over selfishness, beauty instead of ugliness, and reason rather than blind faith or irrationality.
We believe in the fullest realization of the best and noblest that we are capable of as human beings.
Secular Humanism: Core Ethical Principles
By Paul Kurtz in Free Inquiry magazine, February/March 2009, Page 6.
We are interested in cultivating the scientific outlook and are committed to the use of scientific methods, reason, and critical thinking in evaluating truth claims without reference to any transcendental source.
Our goal is to realize the good life: creativity, joy, and exuberance for every person. This means a maximization of individual freedom and autonomy, so long as the rights of others are not impinged.
We are aware of our responsibilities to others, the need for empathy and altruism, and the expression of goodwill.
We consider every person in the planetary community as equal in dignity and value.
We believe in the "right to privacy." This includes freedom of conscience and belief; sexual preference and lifestyle, reproductive rights, contraception, and abortion; euthanasia and death with dignity.
We believe in the civic virtues of democracy, the tolerance of individual diversity, allowing each person to make his or her own choices.
We are committed to the negotiation of differences by rational compromise and peaceful adjudication.
We believe in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which includes the satisfaction of a person's basic needs; the right to work; the right to health care; the right of every child and adolescent to education; and the right of adults to cultural enrichment.
We are against discrimination based on gender, race, creed, or national origin, and we support equal opportunity for women, gays, transgender persons, and racial, religious, and ethical minorities.
We maintain that the principles of fairness and justice should apply in our dealings with other human beings.
Implicit in this is the right of every person to live in a peaceful, healthy, productive, and prosperous world.
We recognize the need to preserve the natural ecosystem and protect the biosphere and environment from destruction, coupled with the elimination, where possible, of disease and poverty.