Humanist Thought of the Week

Reason Enough

So, yeah – Humanists are big on reason. We feel it is important to think rationally. As much as humanly possible anyway. Why? Because it helps us better get through life. Being rational helps you solve problems. It helps you figure out what is real and what isn’t. And that’s kind of important. Leading to this very important conclusion. Being reasonable is reason enough to be rational.

Indulgence

Don’t get me wrong. Delayed gratification is important. Most of the time it is better to not indulge your impulses so that you can get a greater reward later. This ability to delay your gratification is the hallmark of mature reasoning. But that doesn’t mean that you should never indulge. After all, all work and no play makes us all pretty dull indeed. The trick is to choose your indulgences wisely. And for god’s sake - don’t ruin a perfectly good indulgence with guilt. If you’re going to do it - you may as well enjoy it.

Consensus

We Humanist don’t agree on very much. Which is a bit surprising considering that we do agree that the basis of good moral reasoning is compassion. That we should use Freethought, skepticism and critical thinking in equal measure. And that we should be trying to make the world a better place. Beyond that though, we rarely agree on matters of public policy. Which is fine. Everyone has different experiences and knowledge and so differences of opinion are to be expected. However, in those rare instances where Humanists do find consensus on matters of public policy, It’s probably a good idea to find out why.

A Fool's Bet

I wish I had a penny for every time someone presented faith to me as a fool’s bet. Here’s their basic argument: If you believe and there is no god, there is no negative consequence But if you don’t believe and it turns out there is a god you are going to hell. When presented like this - belief seems to make sense. Of course, this assumes that believing things that aren’t true is harmless. And that’s a pretty big assumption. Because, let’s face it: it ain’t the stuff we know that gets us into trouble. It’s the stuff we know that just ain’t so that causes all the mischief.

Acts of God

Tsunamis used to be considered Acts of God. We now know that they are actually a natural disaster. The difference in choice of words isn’t just artistic preference. If you believe that the disaster that has just befallen you is because god got mad, You are likely to spend your time and money trying to appease that god so it doesn’t happen again. If, on the other hand, you believe that the disaster was natural in origin, You are much more likely to spend your time and money planning how to cope with such disasters. While some people dislike the idea that natural disasters are, well, natural and therefore beyond human control. The fact is that people who accept this reality are going to be better prepared for the next disaster.