to read "Humanism and Its Aspirations," the third Humanist Manifesto, click below. you'll also find links to the AHA site and the UN World Food Programme's FreeRice game.
feel free to submit posts or questions at any time! this blog is a safe zone.
Idealism, Cynicism, Humanism
Of course absolutes of both extremes, idealism and cynicism, are just naïveté. Idealism should be tempered by prudence, cynicism by trust. Recognizing this, though, which view of humanity would you rather promote, as good or evil? We must constantly strive to promote humanity’s inherent goodness, and also to combat the potential for evil that still lurks. An atmosphere of cynical distrust discourages acts of altruism and kindness. If we ever want the fighting to stop, we need to learn to trust each other, to help each other, to love each other. If we want humans to be good, we need to believe that they can be good. This, my friends, is Humanism.
Esoteric: I am a Humanist (and so is The Doctor).
I am a humanist. I love humans, and despite how stupid, naïve, and self-concerned we often are as a species, I have an indestructible faith that - at our core - most of us have an honest desire to see that most everyone, including those not within our species, should lead a happy life. Nobody knows that quite like The Doctor. So in the comments are some of his musings about humanity.
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“I love humans - always seeing patterns in things that aren’t there.”
“But that’s what you do, the human race: make sense out of chaos, marking it out with weddings and Christmas and calendars. This whole process [of life and the Universe] is beautiful, but only if it’s being observed.”
“You humans, and your sciences… you’ve got a lot to unlearn.”
“Revenge is a very human emotion.”
“Your ancestors have a talent for self-destruction that borders on genius.”
“The secret to human creativity is inefficiency.”
“The human race… For such an intelligent lot, you aren’t half susceptible. Give anyone a chance to take control, and you submit just like that. Sometimes I think you like it - easy life.”
“Humans! You grab whatever’s nearest and bleed it dry!”
“The future pivots around you. Here. Now. So do good. For humanity. And for Earth.”
The Doctor on Neil Armstrong: “The human race will spread out among the stars. You just watch them fly! Billions and billions of them for billions and billions of years and every single one of them, at some point in their lives, will look back at this man taking that very first step and they will never ever forget it.”
“Facing death is part of being human; you can’t change that.”
“Guns, terrible inventions. Do you dare me to shoot you, to defend myself, or to seek revenge, or to gain power? Well guess what, I never would. Have you got that? I… never… would. When you [live your life]… remember that. Make the foundation of this society a man who never would!”
“Have a go at this: I have a pet elephant named Nellie. Now let’s assume, for the sake of argument, all elephants are pink, despite their appearances. Nellie is an elephant; therefore Nellie is pink. Logical? Perfectly! You know what a human would say? ‘Elephants aren’t PINK!’ Part of the beauty of humans is their ability to be completely illogical.”
“Look at these people, these human beings. Consider their potential! From the day they arrive on the planet, blinking, step into the sun, there is more to see than can ever be seen, more to do than—no, hold on. Sorry, that’s The Lion King. But the point still stands!”
The Doctor on the nature of human accomplishment: “So when it comes right down to it. Why did you come here? Why did you that? Why? I’ll tell you why.Because it was there. Human beings. You are amazing!”
THIS POST IS WONDERFUL. Yes! The Doctor is so one of my humanist heroes!
Intelligence over dogma. Science over religion.
