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Secularism and Humanism

This document discusses secularism and humanism. Secularism rejects supernatural or divine views of reality and includes atheism and naturalism. Humanism emphasizes human values over religious doctrine, with modern humanism being synonymous with secularism. It proposes that life is natural without supernatural aspects and we can act to find meaning and help others. Secular humanism denies supernatural authority and places human well-being at the center of morality, deriving moral rules from human experience and need/reason without reference to God or scripture. It is analyzed as not being able to account for objective morality or the special nature and dignity of humans.

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348 views

Secularism and Humanism

This document discusses secularism and humanism. Secularism rejects supernatural or divine views of reality and includes atheism and naturalism. Humanism emphasizes human values over religious doctrine, with modern humanism being synonymous with secularism. It proposes that life is natural without supernatural aspects and we can act to find meaning and help others. Secular humanism denies supernatural authority and places human well-being at the center of morality, deriving moral rules from human experience and need/reason without reference to God or scripture. It is analyzed as not being able to account for objective morality or the special nature and dignity of humans.

Uploaded by

nash last
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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SECULARISM

and
HUMANISM
SECULARISM

– Secularism is basically a non-theistic belief system or a worldview which


does not acknowledge supernatural or divine views of reality.
– It includes atheism, agnosticism, naturalism, materialism, scientism,
Darwinism and other ideologies that reject all spiritual explanations of the
world.
HUMANISM

– Humanism is a system of thought which gives emphasis to the value of human


beings and favors man’s thought over faith or religious doctrine.
– The word “humanist” is derived from the olden Italian term “umanista” which
pertains to a teacher or scholar of classical Greek and Latin literature.
– Humanism does not necessarily imply non-theism
– As an ethical perspective, humanism refers to a belief in human-based morality.
– Nowadays, humanism has become essentially synonymous with secularism. It
proposes, among others, that universe is a natural phenomenon without
supernatural aspect, that this earthly life is the only life we have, and in the absence
of an after-life and any pre-determined purpose to the universe, we can act to give
meaning to our respective lives by seeking happiness in this life and helping others to
do the same.
– Rejecting any supernatural authority, it submits that we can live ethical and fulfilling
lives by placing human well-being, interests, and happiness at the center of our moral
decision making.
– Denying supernatural and religious views as basis of morality and decision-making,
secular humanism affirms some notions of a human nature-human experience,
human need and human reason-as ethical foundations.
Human Experience as Moral Basis

– Secular humanism explains that moral rules are derived from human experience.
– From experiential knowledge, a rule like this allegedly emerged: “Let no one do these
things we can live in peace and realize the human good we need.” Secular humanists
aver that there is every reason people have come up with rules without to be told by
God that these are legitimate moral laws.
Human Need and Reason

– Secular humanists admit that Ethics is conventional, but it has a natural


basis. For them, its natural basis is not the so-called natural law written
in man’s heart or in Scriptures. The natural basis of ethics, they assert, is
none less than human need and human reason.
An Analysis of Secularism and Humanism

– It affirms that the rules of morality were just fabricated by human beings.
– We cannot praise brotherhood, equality or love. –only regarded as practical/beneficial
– It cannot account for the objectivity of morality
– If there is no God who made humans in his image, so then what’s so special about human beings. If we are
only materials beings, why do we have moral obligation and dignity
– Humans are products of valueless, physical ang chemical process
– Without God, it is so hard to think that human beings have non material properties like consciousness,
reasoning power, personhood, moral sense and values.
– Mankind is essentially nothing in a purposeless universe doomed to perish soon
– People are typically materialists and naturalists who regard man as a purely animal organism. But if man has
no immaterial aspect to his being, then he is not quantitively different from other animal species.

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