Secular Humanist Declaration

by Paul Kurtz

A Secular Humanist Declaration, the sequel to Humanist Manifesto I and II, is a significant statement setting forth the views of prominent scholars and writers in defense of free inquiry, science, reason, and democracy. At a time when religious fundamentalism is gaining adherents worldwide, the Declaration defends the separation of church and state, skepticism about supernatural claims, and the conviction that ethics can be developed independently of belief in God.Its publication, reported on the front page of the New York Times and featured in newspapers and magazines throughout the world, has provoked intense controversy and debate.Some first principle of democratic secular humanism is its commitment tofree inquiry . . .Countless millions of thoughtful persons have espoused secular humanistideals . . . and have contributed to the building of a more humane anddemocratic world . . .We deplore the growth of intolerant sectarian creeds that foster hatred . . .We do not believe that any one church should impose its views on moral virtue and sin, sexual conduct, marriage, divorce, birth control, or abortion, or legislate them for the rest of society . . .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 . . .We deplore the efforts by fundamentalists . . . to invade the science classrooms, requiring that creationist theory be taught to students . . .The media . . . are inordinately dominated by a pro-religious bias. The views of preachers, faith healers, and religious hucksters go largely unchallenged . . .

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

29 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Dr. Paul W. Kurtz was a prominent American skeptic and secular humanist. Before his retirement, he was Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the State University of New York at Buffalo, having previously also taught at Vassar, Trinity, and Union colleges, and the New School for Social Research.

Reviews

[J.C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading the Humanist manifestos, I was given this, as a follow up. It says mostly the same things, and of course is signed by a bunch of important people, but I thought one part of it was new to me, which I think is pretty important:

"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" (page 11). In other words, people should be a right to believe what they want to believe, just not force it on others, something I strongly believe in. I didn't get this kind of idea from the manifestos, the previous Humanist book I read, but now I feel like we're on the same page.


In short, this was a quick read, a nice little summation of what Humanism is all about and what they generally believe in. As it also says not all do agree on every little thing, which is fine because what Humanism is all about is the freedom for individual thought, etceteras.

[Del Herman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 1973 Humanist Manifesto- outlining beliefs in free inquiry, human rights, secularism, and more. A truly wonderful document and an embodiment of an important movement to keep the mission of the Enlightenment alive.

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE 1980 DOCUMENT OUTLINING A "SET OF PRINCIPLES"

Humanists, you might say, like to write "Manifestos" [see 'Humanist Manifestos I and II')]; the first was written in 1933, and the second in 1973. The third was written in 2003, and in-between this had been this 1980 "Declaration," the 1988 "A Declaration of Interdependence," the 1996 "IHEU Minimum Statement on Humanism," the Humanist Manifesto 2000: A Call for New Planetary Humanism, and the 2002 "Amsterdam Declaration."

Paul Kurtz (1925-2012; author of Manifesto II and Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the State University of New York at Buffalo) again drafted this document, and said in the Introduction, "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... We who support democratic secular humanism deny such charges... and we seek to outline a set of principles that most of us share... 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." (Pg. 10)

The Declaration is divided into sections on Free Inquiry ("We oppose any tyranny over the mind of man, any efforts by ecclesiastical, political, ideological, or social institutions to shackle free thought"; pg. 10); Separation of Church and State ("wherever one religion or ideology is established and given a dominant position in the state, minority opinions are in jeopardy"; pg. 12); The Ideal of Freedom ("we consistently defend... genuine political liberty, democratic decision-making based upon majority rule"; pg. 13); Ethics Based on Critical Intelligence ("their goal is to develop autonomous and responsible individuals, capable of making their own choices in life"; pg. 15); Moral Education ("secular humanism is not such much a specific morality as it is a method for the explanation and discovery of rational moral principles"; pg. 17); Religious Skepticism ("traditional views of the existence of God either are meaningless, have not yet been demonstrated to be true, or are tyrannically exploitative"; pg. 18); Reason ("We are committed to the uses of rational methods of inquiry, logic, and evidence in developing knowledge and testing claims to truth"; pg. 19); Science and Technology ("the scientific method, though imperfect, is still the most reliable way of understanding the world"; pg. 20); Evolution ("the evolution of the species is supported so strongly by the weight of evidence that it is difficult to reject it"; pg. 21); and Education ("Among its vital purposes should also be an attempt to develop the capacity for critical intelligence"; pg. 22).

They conclude on the note, "In a world engulfed by obscurantism and irrationalism it is vital that the ideals of the secular city not be lost." (Pg. 24)

Whether one agrees/disagrees with all/some/none of this document, it is a historically-important document for anyone studying the Humanist movement.

[Chad Jahnel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!