New Humanism Channel on Current

http://current.com/groups/humanism

"Man is the measure of all things"  Protagoras

"Faith means not wanting to know what is true"  Nietzsche  

What is Humanism?

Humanism is an optimistic stance that entails self determination and the dignity and worth of all people. More than a negation of the supernatural, Humanism is a process by which truth and morality is sought through human investigation. 

Tools of the investigation are reason, science, and the scientific method. Humanism rejects tradition, revelation, and/or mysticism (the supernatural) as appropriate or legitimate tools for determining what is true and moral. Our quest is for the good; our questions revolve around the nature of the good life. 

The ultimate goal is human flourishing: making life better for all humans; promoting concern for the welfare of other sentient beings and the planet as a whole. The focus is on doing good and living well in the here and now, and leaving the world a better place for those who come after.

Humanism on Current

As a channel we will investigate the human condition where politics and religion intersect. Informed by science, inspired by art, and motivated by compassion, our task is to question the world in pursuit of the good, for one and all.

With an eye towards human and civil rights, church and state, oppression and discrimination, life and death; the Humanism channel will explore all manner of intolerance, bigotry, and injustice. Our task is to explore and expose inhumanity, while promoting the humane, the just, the wise.

Current is a unique and beautiful experiment in virtual community.  As members of the Current community we are social pioneers, participating in a bold new adventure made possible by intellect and reason, science and technology.  As pioneers we have a responsibility to future generations.  We must make this work.  We must practice tolerance and civility.  We must learn to disagree without being disagreeable.  We must strive to be good to one another.

The Humanism channel is a big tent. Feel free to tag "Humanism" to any post that deals with the human condition, with man's inhumanity to man, with the clash between sacred and profane.  Issues both national and international are welcome. Misogyny, homophobia, and persecution of any kind are all humanist concerns.  Any issue where human dignity and human worth comes into question is a Humanist issue.

Ultimately our journey is a philosophical investigation.  Let us proceed in love as we move towards wisdom.

Peace,

unimatrix0  

Jesus license plates in Florida

 Check out the proposed new religious license plates for the state of Florida: The "Trinity" plate proposed by Sen. Gary Siplin, D-Orlando, (see above).

Jesus is to be mass-produced, imprinted on metal, given a reflective coat and sold for money. His crown of thorns will lie just beneath the "FLORIDA" across the top of the plate; his outstretched arms will be truncated to the left and right by the tag numbers, so that one does not actually see the cross, the nails, the wounds — no, we would not have that! The words "SUNSHINE STATE" will be stamped across his unscathed, unlashed torso.

And yet, if even this censored Passion is still too strong for one's taste, the Legislature is producing an alternative "faith" plate as well, that one with a stained-glass window, a prettied-up cross and the slogan, "I Believe."

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Is this a good idea? Is this freedom of religion?  Is this state endorsed religion?  Is this just tacky?

Meet the Brights

What is a bright?

A bright is a person who has a naturalistic worldview
A bright's worldview is free of supernatural and mystical elements
The ethics and actions of a bright are based on a naturalistic worldview
Is Your Worldview Naturalistic?
Think about your own worldview to decide if it is free of supernatural or mystical deities, forces, and entities. If you decide that you fit the description above, then you are, by definition, a bright!

On this website, you can simply say so and, by doing so, join with other brights from all over the world in an extraordinary effort to change the thinking of society—the Brights movement.

Reason and Purpose
Currently the naturalistic worldview is insufficiently expressed within most cultures, even politically/socially repressed. To be a Bright is to participate in a movement to address the situation. (Note: the upper case Bright signifies someone who fits the definition and registers on this Web site.)

There is a great diversity of persons who have a naturalistic worldview (free of supernatural and mystical elements). Some are members of existing organizations that foster a supernatural-free perspective. Far more individuals are not associated with any formal group or label. Under the broad umbrella of the naturalistic worldview, the constituency of Brights can undertake social and civic actions designed to influence a society otherwise permeated with supernaturalism.

The movement's three major aims are:

Promote the civic understanding and acknowledgment of the naturalistic worldview, which is free of supernatural and mystical elements.
Gain public recognition that persons who hold such a worldview can bring principled actions to bear on matters of civic importance.
Educate society toward accepting the full and equitable civic participation of all such individuals.