Today is World Humanist Day

World Humanist Day is celebrated annually around the world on June 21st.

What is humanism?

Humanism is a philosophical movement attributed to those who reject religious and supernatural ideologies. 

Humanists care greatly about human welfare and happiness, working towards the creation of a world where everyone can live a flourishing life. They make ethical decisions based on science, reason and empathy and reject the supernatural and the concept of an afterlife. In doing so, humanists focus on living ethical and fulfilling lives in the here and now and the one life that we have.

A humanist lives their life according to a set of values that prioritise scientific reasoning and empathy for other human beings. 

A humanist is primarily concerned with how human beings relate to the world and believes in ethical principles that prioritise human welfare and happiness.

A humanist believes that the universe is a natural phenomenon with no scientific design behind it and that meaning is something we create ourselves as opposed to being something that is out there for us to find.

Dictionary definitions of humanism vary but the Oxford Companion to Philosophy defines humanism as “An appeal to reason in contrast to revelation or religious authority as a means of finding out about the natural world and destiny of man, and also giving a grounding for morality. Humanist ethics is also distinguished by placing the end of moral action in the welfare of humanity rather than in fulfilling the will of God.”

Humanists UK define a humanist as someone who:

Trusts the scientific method when it comes to understanding how the universe works and rejects the idea of the supernatural and is therefore an atheist or agnostic.

Makes their ethical decisions based on reason, empathy and a concern for human beings and other sentient animals.

Believes that, in the absence of an afterlife and any discernible purpose to the universe, human beings can act to give their own lives meaning by seeking happiness in this life and helping others to do the same.

When did humanism begin?

Humanism is thought to have begun in the late 14th century in Italy and was a major movement of the Renaissance. 

According to research published in Oxford Bibliographies, it spread to the rest of Europe in the mid-15th century and by the 16th century, it was the dominant intellectual movement. Back then, humanism was primarily about reviving classical learning methods and was about literary knowledge and linguistic skills, as opposed to an overarching approach to life.

It became the humanism we now know it to be in the mid-1800s when the word was used by German historian Georg Voigt to describe a philosophy centred on humankind.

Why is World Humanist Day celebrated on the 21st June?

World Humanist Day is celebrated on the Summer Solstice (in the Northern Hemisphere and Winter Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere). This is a date partly chosen to reflect humanity’s deepening scientific understanding of our world, marking an event that, by its nature, is shared globally at the same moment in the calendar.

Science is a hugely important part of the humanist approach, enabling an understanding of the world around us. Although it does not give us certainty - there are scientific questions that we still cannot answer - it has proved incredibly reliable and gives us the best chance of answering these questions. 

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