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Are you a humanist or what?

Any topics that are primarily about humanism or other non-religious life stances fit in here.
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draykorinee
Posts: 245
Joined: September 21st, 2013, 11:10 am

Re: Are you a humanist or what?

#441 Post by draykorinee » September 23rd, 2013, 3:33 pm

Latest post of the previous page:

Nick wrote:
draykorinee wrote: ....there are charities whos foundations are in the churches/mosques, the red cross/crescent etc, but these can exist outside of religion, it is not the religion that makes them charitable.
Just a small point: I think the Red Cross's red cross was based on (an invertion of) the Swiss Flag, not on a notion of Christian charity, as such. Of course, that did not fail to upset the Muslims, who thought otherwise, hence the Red Crescent.
Well thanks for that, i had a good read on the red cross and yes you're right, formed in Switzerland hence the cross, good to know.
sanctimonious
ˌsaŋ(k)tɪˈməʊnɪəs/Submit
adjectivederogatory
1.
making a show of being morally superior to other people.

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Alan H
Posts: 24067
Joined: July 3rd, 2007, 10:26 pm

Re: Are you a humanist or what?

#442 Post by Alan H » September 23rd, 2013, 8:04 pm

draykorinee wrote:Well thanks for that, i had a good read on the red cross and yes you're right, formed in Switzerland hence the cross, good to know.
But it's a lot more than that. One of the seven fundamental principles that all staff and volunteers of the Red Cross worldwide have to abide by is impartiality:
Impartiality
It makes no discrimination as to nationality, race, religious beliefs, class or political opinions. It endeavours to relieve the suffering of individuals, being guided solely by their needs, and to give priority to the most urgent cases of distress.
It is these principles that allow the Red Cross movement to do the work it does and what gives it the universal respect it deserves.
Alan Henness

There are three fundamental questions for anyone advocating Brexit:

1. What, precisely, are the significant and tangible benefits of leaving the EU?
2. What damage to the UK and its citizens is an acceptable price to pay for those benefits?
3. Which ruling of the ECJ is most persuasive of the need to leave its jurisdiction?

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animist
Posts: 6522
Joined: July 30th, 2010, 11:36 pm

Re: Are you a humanist or what?

#443 Post by animist » September 23rd, 2013, 9:03 pm

Nick wrote:
draykorinee wrote: ....there are charities whos foundations are in the churches/mosques, the red cross/crescent etc, but these can exist outside of religion, it is not the religion that makes them charitable.
Just a small point: I think the Red Cross's red cross was based on (an invertion of) the Swiss Flag, not on a notion of Christian charity, as such. Of course, that did not fail to upset the Muslims, who thought otherwise, hence the Red Crescent.
but in fact the Swiss flag's derivation itself, unsurprisingly, goes back to a Christian theme:
http://official-name-abbreviations-mean ... mbols.html
In view of the long hostility between the two religions, the Crusades and later European conquests of Muslim lands, it's not surprising that the Muslim countries did not want a flag based on the cross

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Alan H
Posts: 24067
Joined: July 3rd, 2007, 10:26 pm

Re: Are you a humanist or what?

#444 Post by Alan H » September 23rd, 2013, 9:25 pm

At the time of it's adoption as the symbol of the Red Cross, Switzerland had been known for a very long time as being neutral. It was created by Henri Dunant's Committee of Five, who all had to be Swiss nationals.
Alan Henness

There are three fundamental questions for anyone advocating Brexit:

1. What, precisely, are the significant and tangible benefits of leaving the EU?
2. What damage to the UK and its citizens is an acceptable price to pay for those benefits?
3. Which ruling of the ECJ is most persuasive of the need to leave its jurisdiction?

aristarkosis
Posts: 3
Joined: April 4th, 2014, 4:46 pm

Re: Are you a humanist or what?

#445 Post by aristarkosis » April 4th, 2014, 5:45 pm

I am a Spiritual Naturalist because I follow science, discount the supernatural, and embrace my deep emotional side to some degree.

I am a Deistic Agnostic.

I am a Unitarian Universalist.

I am believer in Love Ethics and like what I read about the IHEU (International Humanist and Ethical Union).

QUESTION
I find that I have a great deal in common with Humanists. I like how Humanism seems to be more non-theistic than Unitarian Universalism. I would embrace the title, but my only hesitation is that the word seems a bit Speciesist. It's not that I think Humanists are Speciesist in practice. The opposite seems true. And it's not that I myself don't mostly focus on human endeavors. It just that in the universal big picture, I like to raise the flag for all reasonably benevolent life. Can you offer another perspective on this?

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Dave B
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Joined: May 17th, 2010, 9:15 pm

Re: Are you a humanist or what?

#446 Post by Dave B » April 4th, 2014, 5:47 pm

Greetings, aristarkosis.

Might have to do some research to figure just where you are on the "spectrum"! :D

But welcome anyway, hope you enjoy the forum and can offer some insights.
"Look forward; yesterday was a lesson, if you did not learn from it you wasted it."
Me, 2015

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Alan H
Posts: 24067
Joined: July 3rd, 2007, 10:26 pm

Re: Are you a humanist or what?

#447 Post by Alan H » April 4th, 2014, 5:56 pm

Hi aristarkosis and :welcome:
Alan Henness

There are three fundamental questions for anyone advocating Brexit:

1. What, precisely, are the significant and tangible benefits of leaving the EU?
2. What damage to the UK and its citizens is an acceptable price to pay for those benefits?
3. Which ruling of the ECJ is most persuasive of the need to leave its jurisdiction?

Nick
Posts: 11027
Joined: July 4th, 2007, 10:10 am

Re: Are you a humanist or what?

#448 Post by Nick » April 4th, 2014, 6:05 pm

Hi aristarkosis! And welcome to the forum!

I think you have raised a fair queston, so I'll have a stab at an answer.
Humanism is a very wide description, and some don't like the label much more than you do. (Are they the a-labellists...?) For myself, humanism is just the belief that there is no supreme being, but that life, the universe and everything, should be looked at in a positive way, as opposed to a nihilistic way. In other words, we are here, the world and the universe are here; how do we make the best of it?

That is sufficiently wide to accomodate almost every humanist, I'd say. (Or maybe too wide to have any meaning... ) But while I, as a self-described humanist, think we should, for example, care in some way about animals, I can only do that as a human, with human eyes. I'm inclined to think that humans are pretty special, but that doesn't mean I care not a fig for anything else. For much of the time, my perspective is about human affairs though, especially as it contrasts with other, religious, perspectives, because I am a human.

I'd also query why you are concerned about using "humanism" as a term, because you think it may be too restrictive a label, while you seem happy to describe yourself as a "deistic agnostic" and a "unitarian universalist".... Labels are only ever a shorthand anyway, so it is perfectly possible to adopt different ones, as and when the need arises.

Does that help at all? :)

aristarkosis
Posts: 3
Joined: April 4th, 2014, 4:46 pm

Re: Are you a humanist or what?

#449 Post by aristarkosis » April 4th, 2014, 6:46 pm

Thanks for the welcome.

Nick, your response is helpful. Of course, no title is perfectly descriptive of a person. And the other titles I embrace are no exception. It's just that I understand the pitfalls of those other titles, and feel well prepared to explain myself in relation to them ... like you are probably well prepared to explain yourself in relation to "Humanism" ... not only using a text-book definition, but also considering a wide variety of people's takes on the word. I think conversation is the best way to get to that point with titles like these. They can be complex when you dig into their details from many angles.

I think it's pretty safe to say that I am a Humanist, but I want to learn more. In some ways I like Naturalism and Humanism titles more than Atheist, Agnostic, or Deist because they don't focus as much on the God issue. To me the arguments between Atheists, Agnostics, and Deists about God seem insignificant from a practical perspective. Naturalist and Humanist are positive alternative titles for those leaning toward Apatheism like me.

lewist
Posts: 4402
Joined: July 4th, 2007, 8:53 pm

Re: Are you a humanist or what?

#450 Post by lewist » April 4th, 2014, 9:01 pm

Welcome, aristarkosis! :)
Carpe diem. Savour every moment.

aristarkosis
Posts: 3
Joined: April 4th, 2014, 4:46 pm

Re: Are you a humanist or what?

#451 Post by aristarkosis » April 7th, 2014, 6:04 pm

Thanks.

I got 83% on the Humanist quiz.

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YouCanCallMeDave
Posts: 112
Joined: November 4th, 2014, 10:35 pm

Re: Are you a humanist or what?

#452 Post by YouCanCallMeDave » November 13th, 2014, 5:26 pm

Bryn wrote:This is the obligatory thread asking people what particular label they prefer to stick on themselves. I decided against making it a poll but I'll suggest some possiblities below and people can pick more than one.

The first label I choose for myself is atheist because, unlike humanist, people know what it means. I am a humanist, I think, and I am certainly a secularist and, I hope, a freethinker. So here's a list of possibilities:


Atheist
Agnostic
Humanist
Secularist
Freethinker
Naturalist
Bright
Theist
Deist
Pantheist
Religious
Spiritual

Any others?
Yes. Profession of a label based on what is personally philosophically appealing to Oneself and his/her lifestyle choices regardless of where the scientific evidence points .

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Altfish
Posts: 1821
Joined: March 26th, 2012, 8:46 am

Re: Are you a humanist or what?

#453 Post by Altfish » November 13th, 2014, 5:38 pm

YouCanCallMeDave wrote:
Bryn wrote:This is the obligatory thread asking people what particular label they prefer to stick on themselves. I decided against making it a poll but I'll suggest some possiblities below and people can pick more than one.

The first label I choose for myself is atheist because, unlike humanist, people know what it means. I am a humanist, I think, and I am certainly a secularist and, I hope, a freethinker. So here's a list of possibilities:


Atheist
Agnostic
Humanist
Secularist
Freethinker
Naturalist
Bright
Theist
Deist
Pantheist
Religious
Spiritual

Any others?
Yes. Profession of a label based on what is personally philosophically appealing to Oneself and his/her lifestyle choices regardless of where the scientific evidence points .
What would you describe yourself as "Dave"?

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Dave B
Posts: 17809
Joined: May 17th, 2010, 9:15 pm

Re: Are you a humanist or what?

#454 Post by Dave B » November 13th, 2014, 5:45 pm

:popcorn:
"Look forward; yesterday was a lesson, if you did not learn from it you wasted it."
Me, 2015

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Altfish
Posts: 1821
Joined: March 26th, 2012, 8:46 am

Re: Are you a humanist or what?

#455 Post by Altfish » November 13th, 2014, 5:50 pm

Dave B wrote::popcorn:
:pointlaugh:

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Dave B
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Joined: May 17th, 2010, 9:15 pm

Re: Are you a humanist or what?

#456 Post by Dave B » November 13th, 2014, 6:16 pm

Altfish wrote:
Dave B wrote::popcorn:
:pointlaugh:
Thought I might need some sustenance whilst "Dave" works out an answer to that one. :D
"Look forward; yesterday was a lesson, if you did not learn from it you wasted it."
Me, 2015

Nick
Posts: 11027
Joined: July 4th, 2007, 10:10 am

Re: Are you a humanist or what?

#457 Post by Nick » November 14th, 2014, 3:03 pm

YouCanCallMeDave wrote: Yes. Profession of a label based on what is personally philosophically appealing to Oneself and his/her lifestyle choices regardless of where the scientific evidence points .
And where does the scientific evidence point, YCCMDave?

Any spare popcorn, (Other) Dave...?

:popcorn:

Ah! Thanks very much. :D

Manel
Posts: 68
Joined: September 11th, 2016, 5:46 am

Re: Are you a humanist or what?

#458 Post by Manel » September 25th, 2016, 1:43 pm

I identify with

Atheist
Agnostic
Humanist
Secularist
Freethinker
Naturalist
Bright

But I prefer to use the humanist label because it's more positive and people appreciate this a lot, at least the people I know.

Thanks

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