Setting Captives Free

Notable 20th Century Secular Humanists

by Kathy Brown on May 20th, 2009 | 3 comments

1.  Margaret Sanger--Founder of Planned Parenthood.  A eugenist.  A socialist.  Humanist of the Year 1957.

2.  Alan F. Guttmacher--second president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America.  Founder of Guttmacher Institute, the research arm of Planned Parenthood.  The Guttmacher Institute is the sex education directional tool used by public school.  Signer of the Humanist Manifesto II.

3.  Faye Wattleton--Third president of Planned Parenthood.  Humanist of the Year 1986.

4.  Norman Fleishman--Executive vice president, Planned Parenthood World Population, Los Angeles.  Signer of the Manifesto II.

5.  Mary S. Calderone--Former medical director of Planned Parenthood.  Actively promoted sex education in the public schools.  Helped establish SIECUS (Sex Information Educational Council of the United States.)  Humanist of the Year 1974.

6.  Lester Kirkendall--Educator and promoter of a humanistic approach to human sexuality in public education.  Author of numerous articles and pamphlets pertaining to sex education.  Signer of the Humanist Manifesto II.  Humanist of the Year 1983.

7.  John Dewey--"Father of American Education".  First president of the American Humanist Society.  A socialist.

8.  Sir Julian Huxley--Former head of UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), Great Britain.  Signer of the Humanist Manifesto II.  Humanist of the Year 1962.

9.  Carl Rogers--Psychotherapist.  Founder of "Human Potential Movement"/ affective (feeling-based) education.  Inspired public school's "values clarification".  Humanist of the Year 1964.

10. Abraham Maslow--Co-worker with Carl Rogers (above.) A psychologist.  Humanist of the Year 1967.

11. Lawrence Kohlberg--A Harvard psychologist influential in educational psychology.  Proposed autonomous reason as a basis for ethics and utilized the "dilemma approach" (bomb shelter surviver dilemma/see *) to develop moral reasoning.  Contributor to the Humanist Magazine.

12. B.F. Skinner--A Harvard professor noted for behaviorist psychology.  Promoted concept of programmed learning through teaching machines and reinforcement by reward.  (The Outcome Based Education type model used by many public schools, such as in Minnesota.)  Humanist of the Year 1972.

13. Lawrence Lader--Chairman, National Association for Repeal of Abortion Laws.  Signer of the Humanist Manifesto II.

14. Betty Friedan--Founder of National Organization of Women.  Humanist of the Year 1975.

*If there is an impending nuclear bomb and the shelter can house only three people, who should be allowed in out of four people:  eighty year old man, ingenious scientist, handicapped child or alcoholic woman?  This scenerio is uses utilitarianism as its value system.

Tags: Humanist Manifesto and public education

Is Secular Humanism Really a Religion?

by Kathy Brown on May 18th, 2009 | 2 comments

Suppose you agree that public schools, by default, have educated a generation of children with the secular humanist worldview.  Perhaps you are not convinced that secular humanism is a religion or that there is a "Bible" for the Secular Humanist. .  Here are some excerpts from the "Humanist Manifesto I (appearing in "The New Humanist", May/June 1933):

1. "Religious humanists regard the universe as self-existing and not created."
2. "Humanism believes that man is a part of nature and that he has emerged as the result of a continuous process."
3. "Holding an organic view of life, humanists find that the traditional dualism of mind and body must be rejected."
4. "Humanism recognizes that man's religious culture and civilization, as clearly depicted by anthropology and history, are the product of a gradual development. . ."
5. "Humanism asserts that the nature of the universe depicted by modern science makes unacceptable any supernatural or cosmic guarantees of human values."
6. "We are convinced that the time has passed for theism, deism, modernism . . ."
7. "Religion consists of those activities, purposes, and experiences which are humanly significant.  Nothing human is alien to the religious.  It includes labor, art, science, philosophy, love friendship, recreation. . .the distinction between the sacred and the secular can no longer be maintained."
8. ". . .Reasonable and manly attitudes will be fostered by education and supported by custom."
9. "The intelligent evaluation, transformation, control and direction of such associations and institutions with a view to the enhancement of human life is the purpose and program of humanism."
10. "The humanists are firmly convinced that existing acquisitive and profit-motivated society has shown itself to be inadequate and that a radical change in methods, controls, and motives must be instituted. A socialized and cooperative economic order must be established to the end that the equitable distributions of the means of life be possible."
11.  "So stand the thesis of religious humanism."

Some think ticklers: 

Why does it matter that John Dewey signed this Manifesto?

Where would a good "church" be for this religion?

Would a Secular Humanist be likely to teach evolution or creationism or both?

Would a Secular Humanist include Christianity as a possible Truth or not?

Would a Secular Humanist believe man is the best ape form or different from the ape line?

How would a Secular Humanist view competition as a viable economic/social pattern?

(The "Manifesto II" To Follow)

Tags: Humanist Manifesto