Humanist Thought of the Week

Overcoming Societal Norms

We humans are herd animals.

Our desires to fit in means that we tend to adopt the behavioral norms of the crowd we are in. This is why the bystander effect occurs.

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Which comes first?

Is courage more important to ethical development? Or is compassion? Or perhaps critical thinking? The answer: None of the above. They are all equally important.

As a Humanist parent, I hope my child will grow into an ethically courageous adult.

I know that compassion is important to my son’s growing sense of moral courage.

I also know that in order to be courageous he needs to be able to think for himself.

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The 3 C’s of Humanism

The idea behind this is not to provide a perfect definition of Humanism, but rather to help Humanists consider a different aspect of the philosophy in a new way.

Humanism is a deceptively simple philosophies.

Yet, it is really hard to describe well because once you start getting into the details, there is all the nuance and balance that is required to do it well.

Regardless, here is yet another attempt by me to describe and define Humanism in a simple way that is nothing but simple.

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Self-Control is a Virtue

One of the major differences between religion and Humanism.

While most religions preach the concept of personal responsibility, based on how their most ardent supporters act, you would think they don’t truly understand the concept.

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Positive Perseverance

Don’t assume that just because you can’t see the impact you are having that you aren’t impacting anyone.

Change isn’t easy.

If we want to progress or create progress, we have to work at it.

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