The Affirmations of Humanism:
A Statement of Principles
- We are committed to the application of reason and science to the understanding of the
universe and to the solving of human problems.
- We deplore efforts to denigrate human intelligence, to seek to explain the world in
supernatural terms, and to look outside nature for salvation.
- We believe that scientific discovery and technology can contribute to the betterment of
human life.
- We believe in an open and pluralistic society and that democracy is the best guarantee
of protecting human rights from authoritarian elites and repressive majorities.
- We are committed to the principle of the separation of church and state.
- We cultivate the arts of negotiation and compromise as a means of resolving differences
and achieving mutual understanding.
- We are concerned with securing justice and fairness in society and with eliminating
discrimination and intolerance.
- We believe in supporting the disadvantaged and the handicapped so that they will be able
to help themselves.
- We attempt to transcend divisive parochial loyalties based on race, religion, gender,
nationality, creed, class, sexual orientation, or ethnicity, and strive to work together
for the common good of humanity.
- We want to protect and enhance the earth, to preserve it for future generations, and to
avoid inflicting needless suffering on other species.
- We believe in enjoying life here and now and in developing our creative talents to their
fullest.
- We believe in the cultivation of moral excellence.
- We respect the right to privacy. Mature adults should be allowed to fulfill their
aspirations, to express their sexual preferences, to exercise reproductive freedom, to
have access to comprehensive and informed health-care, and to die with dignity.
- We believe in the common moral decencies: altruism, integrity, honesty, truthfulness,
responsibility. Humanist ethics is amenable to critical, rational guidance. There are
normative standards that we discover together. Moral principles are tested by their
consequences.
- We are deeply concerned with the moral education of our children. We want to nourish
reason and compassion.
- We are engaged by the arts no less than by the sciences.
- We are citizens of the universe and are excited by discoveries still to be made in the
cosmos.
- We are skeptical of untested claims to knowledge, and we are open to novel ideas and
seek new departures in our thinking.
- We affirm humanism as a realistic alternative to theologies of despair and ideologies of
violence and as a source of rich personal significance and genuine satisfaction in the
service to others.
- We believe in optimism rather than pessimism, hope rather than despair, learning in the
place of dogma, truth instead of ignorance, joy rather than guilt or sin, tolerance in the
place of fear, love instead of hatred, compassion over selfishness, beauty instead of
ugliness, and reason rather than blind faith or irrationality.
- We believe in the fullest realization of the best and noblest that we are capable of as
human beings.
You can purchase your own copy of the Affirmations of Humanism on parchment, suitable for framing, for just $4.95.
