The Institute for Science and Human Values (ISHV) is very sad to announce the passing of our founder and chairman, Dr. Paul Kurtz. He died on Saturday, October 20, 2012 at his home in Amherst, New York. He was 86.
Philosopher, prolific author, publisher, and founder of several secular humanist institutions, Paul was widely heralded as the “father of secular humanism.” With his 40 plus books (many translated into foreign languages around the world), multitudinous media appearances and public lectures, and other vast and seminal accomplishments in the organized skeptic and humanist movements, he was certainly the most important secular voice of the second part of the 20th century. He will be dearly missed.
NEO-HUMANIST STATEMENT
OF SECULAR PRINCIPLES AND VALUES:
PERSONAL, PROGRESSIVE, AND PLANETARY
ABSTRACT:
Preamble:
Our planetary community is facing serious problems that can only be solved by cooperative global action. Fresh thinking is required. Humanity needs to reconstruct human values in the light of scientific knowledge. We introduce the term “Neo-Humanism” to present a daring new approach.
The Next Step Forward:
There are various forms of religious and non-religious beliefs in the world. On the one end of the spectrum are traditional religious beliefs; on the other “the new atheism.” Not enough attention is paid to humanism as an alternative. This Statement advocates non-religious secular Neo-Humanism.
Sixteen recommendations:
Neo-Humanists:
aspire to be more inclusive by appealing to both non-religious and religious humanists and to religious believers who share common goals;
are skeptical of traditional theism;
are best defined by what they are for, not what they are against;
wish to use critical thinking, evidence, and reason to evaluate claims to knowledge;
apply similar considerations to ethics and values;
are committed to a key set of values: happiness, creative actualization, reason in harmony with emotion, quality, and excellence;
emphasize moral growth (particularly for children), empathy, and responsibility;
advocate the right to privacy;
support the democratic way of life, tolerance, and fairness;
recognize the importance of personal morality, good will, and a positive attitude toward life;
accept responsibility for the well-being of society, guaranteeing various rights, including those of women, racial, ethnic, and sexual minorities; and supporting education, health care, gainful employment, and other social benefits;
support a green economy;
advocate population restraint, environmental protection, and the protection of other species;
recognize the need for Neo-Humanists to engage actively in politics;
take progressive positions on the economy; and
hold that humanity needs to move beyond ego-centric individualism and chauvinistic nationalism to develop transnational planetary institutions to cope with global problems—such efforts include a strengthened World Court, an eventual World Parliament, and a Planetary Environmental Monitoring Agency that would set standards for controlling global warming and ecology.
RATIONALIST DEBASHIS 