Humanist Thought of the Week

Realistic Optimism

Humanists are optimists.

We may seem cock-eyed at times, but that is deceptive.

Our optimism is tempered by our reason.

We are firmly grounded in reality and take extraordinary measures to make sure we stay grounded.

Despite that grounding, our heads are in the clouds.

Always thinking about what might be or could be.

The nice thing about realistic optimism is that when a realist dreams, their dreams, because they are based in reality, are achievable. 

My optimism helps me to stay motivated despite it all and my acceptance of the hardships of reality helps ensure that my plans have a good chance of success.

Don’t think of realism and optimism as opposites. 

They are powerful compliments to each other.

The Real Truth

What is real really matters.

Humanists are concerned with reality. 

Ours is a secular philosophy.

We don’t spend time worrying about the supernatural.

We understand our problems have natural causes and we therefore must seek natural solutions to them.

In order to be successful we need to know what is objectively real vs. what is imagined to be real.

What is the difference?

Objective reality can be verified by others.

It is only by subjecting our beliefs to the scrutiny of others that we can find out what is really true and avoid making costly mistakes.

Zombie Apocalypse

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately.

What is or should be the Humanist response to a Zombie Apocalypse? 

Read the rest of this entry »

Hierarchy of Needs

Abraham Maslow, the Humanistic Psychologist, proposed that we are motivated by a hierarchy of needs. 

Read the rest of this entry »

The cost of rejecting reality

One of the most powerful aspects of the Humanist philosophy is that it encourages us to take a reality based approach to problem solving.

To Humanists, accepting reality is not negotiable.

Read the rest of this entry »