Welcome to the official site of the SD Humanist Fellowship!
Board of Directors
Names, positions, responsibilities
Executive Team:
- Lena Nechet, President - media, public image, organization, web design;
- John Palmer, Treasurer - finance, membership list, mail;
- Douglas Wright, Secretary - legal documents, inventory;
- Michael McCarron, Vice-President - equipment storage.
Non-Executive Directors
- Debbie Allen - AHA contact;
- Wilfredo Perez - book club, locations.
The new President, Treasurer, and Secretary were elected at the Board Meeting on March 18.
Humanism Definitions
Dictionary definition of modern humanism:
hu·man·ism /ˈ(h)yo͞oməˌnizəm/ - noun
an outlook or system of thought attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters. Humanist beliefs stress the potential value and goodness of human beings, emphasize common human needs, and seek solely rational ways of solving human problems.
From Wikipedia:
In modern times, humanist movements are typically non-religious movements aligned with secularism, and today humanism typically refers to a nontheistic life stance centred on human agency and looking to science rather than revelation from a supernatural source to understand the world.
Secular Humanism Definition
Paul Kurtz (1925 – 2012), founder of the Council for Secular Humanism:
“Who are the secular humanists? Perhaps everyone who believes in the principles of free inquiry, ethics based upon reason, and a commitment to science, democracy, and freedom. Perhaps even you.”
From Free Inquiry:
Secular humanism emerges as a comprehensive nonreligious life stance that incorporates a naturalistic philosophy, a cosmic outlook rooted in science, and a consequentialist ethical system.
Amsterdam Declaration in English, Spanish, Tagalog, Chinese
The 50th anniversary World Humanist Congress in 2002, again meeting in the Netherlands, unanimously passed a resolution known as The Amsterdam Declaration 2002. Following the Congress, this updated declaration was adopted unanimously by the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) General Assembly, and thus became the official defining statement of World Humanism.
English, Spanish, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Chinese are the main languages of San Diego county (source). Please expand this article to read the Declaration in all these languages except Vietnamese: in Spanish, Tagalog, and Chinese.
In English:
Humanism is the outcome of a long tradition of free thought that has inspired many of the world’s great thinkers and creative artists and gave rise to science itself.
The fundamentals of modern Humanism are as follows:
- Humanism is ethical. It affirms the worth, dignity and autonomy of the individual and the right of every human being to the greatest possible freedom compatible with the rights of others. Humanists have a duty of care to all of humanity including future generations. Humanists believe that morality is an intrinsic part of human nature based on understanding and a concern for others, needing no external sanction.
- Humanism is rational. It seeks to use science creatively, not destructively. Humanists believe that the solutions to the world’s problems lie in human thought and action rather than divine intervention. Humanism advocates the application of the methods of science and free inquiry to the problems of human welfare. But Humanists also believe that the application of science and technology must be tempered by human values. Science gives us the means but human values must propose the ends.
- Humanism supports democracy and human rights. Humanism aims at the fullest possible development of every human being. It holds that democracy and human development are matters of right. The principles of democracy and human rights can be applied to many human relationships and are not restricted to methods of government.
- Humanism insists that personal liberty must be combined with social responsibility. Humanism ventures to build a world on the idea of the free person responsible to society, and recognises our dependence on and responsibility for the natural world. Humanism is undogmatic, imposing no creed upon its adherents. It is thus committed to education free from indoctrination.
- Humanism is a response to the widespread demand for an alternative to dogmatic religion. The world’s major religions claim to be based on revelations fixed for all time, and many seek to impose their world-views on all of humanity. Humanism recognises that reliable knowledge of the world and ourselves arises through a continuing process of observation, evaluation and revision.
- Humanism values artistic creativity and imagination and recognises the transforming power of art. Humanism affirms the importance of literature, music, and the visual and performing arts for personal development and fulfilment.
- Humanism is a lifestance aiming at the maximum possible fulfilment through the cultivation of ethical and creative living and offers an ethical and rational means of addressing the challenges of our times. Humanism can be a way of life for everyone everywhere.
Our primary task is to make human beings aware in the simplest terms of what Humanism can mean to them and what it commits them to. By utilising free inquiry, the power of science and creative imagination for the furtherance of peace and in the service of compassion, we have confidence that we have the means to solve the problems that confront us all. We call upon all who share this conviction to associate themselves with us in this endeavour.
Membership
Join our Fellowship: paypal.me/HFSD/25 - the HFSD annual membership fee is $25.
Lifetime membership, $500: paypal.me/hfsd/500
