Pathways to Humanism

The recent American Humanist Association brochure series vividly illustrates that many religious traditions share principles and values that form the basis of humanism. Indeed, many people find humanism through many paths.

The American Humanist Association seeks to build bridges between secular humanists and religious humanists of all faiths. Our goal is to find common cause with humanists on issues affecting the quality of our civilization, regardless of what words they use to identify themselves. Productive dialogue begins when philosophical humanists from a variety of faith backgrounds seek to understand and communicate with each other.

Humanists are committed to democracy as a way to ensure social justice. We are also committed to applying science to understand human nature and to ethics in personal and community living. We view religious humanists as people who identify with any faith but share our commitment to science and reason over doctrine and dogma when they conflict about the natural world and humanity’s role within it.

If you want to learn more about the essence of humanism, we have many resources to share in “Exploring the Idea of Humanism.”

As we indicate, whether you’re doing research, exploring a personal philosophy, or simply curious about humanism, the resources here are a great place to start. Here you will find articles and essays of various lengths explaining the worldview and lifestance of humanism on these topics: Living the Humanist Life, Humanism and Traditional Religion, The History of Humanism, Philosophical Questions, and Ideas for Advancing Humanism, as well as links to video presentations and online media. If you have any questions and would like to learn more about the humanist way of life, please join us!