ervice. Activities of the association are undertaken with respect for, and a desire to secure the survival of, all forms of life which inhabit planet Earth. The operation of the association is democratic, nonpartisan, and free of all authoritarian doctrines.
- A positive, secular, scientific, evolutionary, naturalistic philosophy and concept of humanity and the universe.
- The negative aspect of that philosophy and concept: No belief in, reliance upon, or subservience to supposedly supernatural powers or their effluvia, such as a god or gods, a soul separate from the body, immortality, sin, answered prayer, or divine revelation.
- Commitment to individual and social ethics that are based on changing human experience, compassion for other human beings, and concern for the related world of humankind and Earth - rather than on supposedly divine injunctions, church pronouncements, divine rewards and punishments in this or a future life, and so forth.
- The solution of individual and social problems by the methods of science, democracy, reason, and freedom, rather than by dependence on visions (divinely inspired or drug-induced), pseudoscience, or political, religious, or economic power- dictates.
These four principles may be expressed in more concise form as a two-sided statement with which few, if any, Humanists (capital H) would disagree -
- A naturalistic, scientific, secular philosophy or concept of humanity and the universe that precludes any belief in or reliance upon supposedly supernatural powers.
- An ethics or way of life based on human experience and imbued with compassion for other human beings that calls for commitment to betterment of humanity through the methods of science, democracy, and reason, without any limitations by political, ecclesiastical, or other dictates.
This is an updated text of the late Harvey Lebrun's essay, "Humanism With A Capital H," which first appeared as a longer paper in the August 1973 issue of Progressive World, and then, in 1977, was published in this shorter form as a brochure of the American Humanist Association. Mr. Lebrun was the founder of the Chapter Assembly of the American Humanist Association and the Fund for Chapter Expansion. He also chaired the AHA's Committee on Democratization, revising the association's bylaws.
© Copyright 1994 and 1977 by the American Humanist Association © Copyright 1973 by Harvey Lebrun
Permission to reproduce this material in toto in electronic or printout form is hereby granted free of charge by the copyright holder. Free permission to reprint the essay is granted to nonprofit Humanist and Freethought publications. All others must secure advance permission of the author through the American Humanist Association.