Looking around our world today, I see an appalling mess created by humanity.  The old threats of spreading war and pandemics have been joined by the new ones of climate change and  unregulated tech expansion.  Unless there is change, life for all beings on earth is going to get progressively worse. 

I’m glad no-one’s yet asked me “What do humanists think about all this?” because I have no answer.   As humanists, we pride ourselves on applying our rationality to difficult subjects, yet I’ve seen little evidence of this happening in relation to the crises humankind is facing.   Of course, humanists are involved in vital work fighting the effects of religious bigotry, creating spaces for people persecuted by religion and  promoting free thought and  expression.  But all these values are under threat as long as global issues are left unsolved.  And how many people will  be interested in a movement with such a parochial and  backward-looking agenda? 

Humanists internationally welcome the waning influence of religion across the world, but this  change has  left a gap.  Few non-religious organisations have an overall world view which provides a basis for forming one’s own opinions.  So do we simply leave this to Meta, Tik-Tok and  Telegraph to fill?  I believe humanism has not only a role but a duty to contribute to the search for a rational, ethical way through & beyond the global issues which face us. 

But how are we to play our part?  

Firstly, like all organisations and  institutions, we need to think about and  discuss our own response, producing policies within our organisations and  ensuring our own affairs are in order.  Regularly updated, these should be widely available, via our websites, on social media & other outlets and  as a subject for discussion. 

Secondly, we can make our concern about these enormous challenges clear, widening our focus from the important but limited issues which are the traditional domain of humanism to include the new ones. Any organisation with a commitment to free speech must be concerned about the serious effect of misinformation spread via social media, on us as individuals and  on all societies.  The use of AI “deep fakes” takes the danger even further - surely the potential loss of our ability to distinguish truth from lies must be something on which humanists should be prepared to make a stand?  The escalating climate crisis is already affecting people’s livelihoods and lives and is going to get worse, increasing inequality, the pressure on the basics of life and  producing further triggers for conflict.  Humanism needs a clear analysis of the situation.  These matters should be an integral part of the concerns we voice, spreading the facts, suggesting ways to look at them and  discussing ways forward.  We need to broaden our concept of relevant news and  publicise our thoughts on events as they unfold -  not taking a position, but sharing our thoughts, allowing others to reach their own conclusions.  

Finally, it is not our role to become campaigners and that's not what I am advocating.  There are NGOs in all these areas of concern who have decades of experience and  skills so why would we?  But there are also forums where interested parties come together to debate and plan.  I would like to see Humanism, on local, national and  international levels, attending these sessions to contribute to the debate from a humanist perspective, as religious bodies have always brought theirs.  And many humanists are involved in these campaigning organisations, which could benefit both parties by spreading the ideas of humanism to an audience of like-minded people. 

The world has never been in such danger from so many directions. The decline of religion has left a vacuum.   Can humanists continue to ignore the necessity and  the opportunity?  My vision for the future is Humanism as the positive secular alternative, playing a major role in bringing a fresh perspective to this new, problematic world we’re facing and  spreading our approach wherever we can.

4 March 2024