Humanism and Social Policy

 

1. As humanists who cherish free inquiry and recognize the importance of social structures that maintain liberty, we support the growth of personal autonomy.
In this regard, we back rights and freedoms like religious freedom, the separation of church and state, freedom of speech and the press, freedom of association (including sexual freedom, the right to marriage and divorce, and the right to alternative family structures), a right to contraception and abortion, and a right to voluntarily assisted suicide. 

2. As humanists who recognize that people are social creatures who require the safeguards and constraints offered by good social organization, we support the rules that defend the innocent, deal with offenders in a fair manner, and ensure the survival of the poor.
The goals of penalization should take into account deterrent, restoration, and rehabilitation. We want a system of criminal justice that is quick and fair, neglecting neither the offender nor the victim.
But not all crimes or conflicts between people need to be resolved in court.
We also propose an alternative strategy involving conflict mediation, in which the opposing sides reach an understanding. 

3. As humanists who believe in the potential of individuals at all societal levels, we support the expansion of participatory democracy so that decision-making is more distributed and inclusive.
We anticipate broad engagement in decision-making across a variety of contexts, including the home, the workplace, institutions, and government.
Prejudice on the grounds of race, nationality, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, political opinion, religion, or philosophy has no place in this situation, in our opinion.
Furthermore, the case for promoting equal opportunity in the workplace and through universal education is clear. 

4. We support the current movement toward greater global consciousness because we are humanists and understand that all people have similar needs in an identical planetary environment.
We are aware that international cooperation is necessary for successful environmental activities.
We are aware that the only way to render the world safe from the threat of nuclear or biological conflict is through international diplomacy toward armaments reduction.
We see the need for global education on population growth control as a way to ensure that everyone has a comfortable place to live.
And we see the benefit in the sharing of information and ideas on a global scale, whether those ideas and opinions are related to politics, ideologies, science, technology, culture, or the arts. 

5. As humanists who appreciate human creativity and reason and who have seen the advantages of science and technology, we are unquestionably willing to participate in the latest advancements in these fields.
Regarding biotechnology, alternative energy, and information technology, we are hopeful rather than scared, and we understand that efforts to oppose these advancements or to prevent their widespread adoption won't halt them.
These initiatives will just give them to other people or nations to be exploited.
We must participate in these revolutions as they happen if we want to have a moral impact on new technology and be heard. 

6. As humanists who view life and human history as a grand adventure, we look for new worlds to discover, facts to learn, ways to express ourselves artistically, answers to long-standing issues, and sentiments to feel.
Sometimes we feel compelled to pursue our goals, and it is this pursuit that gives our lives purpose and opens the door to useful discoveries.
As a species, we have no set objectives.
We shall never be without a purpose as a result. 

Humanists start with human ways of understanding the world and the intention of satisfying human needs when approaching life from a human perspective.
These result in speculative judgments concerning the state of the world and pertinent social policies.
Human decisions must alter because situations change frequently, human knowledge must be updated from time to time, and human knowledge itself must evolve.
As a result, the humanist philosophy's contemporary social policy stances are its most adaptive aspect.
Because of this, most humanists find it simpler to agree on fundamental ideas than on speculative worldviews, but simpler to agree on both than on social policies.
Clarity on this subject will dispel many common misconceptions about humanism.