Archives for May 2025

Coverage of International Humanist Conference 2024

15 May 2025 by

The following articles were written following the International Humanist Conference 2024, hosted by the Humanist Society (Singapore) from 30 Aug to 1 Sep 2024.

“One of the big takeaways was how much research and how many projects exist related to secularism and interfaith harmony. It often seems like atheism and secularism are not interesting topics for study, as religious scholars tend to focus on new ways of understanding spirituality and religiosity. But at this conference, I saw excellent speakers presenting fascinating research on secularism and interfaith projects and sharing real-life experiences. They offered practical, perhaps diplomatic, approaches to handling interfaith projects.”

“Singaporeans are lovely people, especially older people. For some reason, I connect more with older people because I’m always seeking wisdom from those more experienced than me. I had great conversations with Nora and Peter from Humanists International. Nora has been exceptionally kind and helpful, always going out of her way to assist the attendees. Peter, in particular, was very interested in Ghana and how things are going here. I had many enjoyable conversations with both of them. I also met another remarkable woman, Gerda. It’s quite impressive how we are not alone in our activism. Even though we may have different experiences, the underlying principles—equity, empathy, and so on—remain the same. I enjoyed that aspect of my interactions with everyone.”

“Humanist Society (Singapore) did a fantastic job hosting the dozens of delegates who came by preparing six enlightening talks surrounding Interfaith Dialogue and tapping the Ministry of Home Affairs to give us three tours tackling the history of the city’s social diversity. The Society also gave us plenty of time to mingle and befriend one another during several social nights, which my extroverted side (trust me, it’s usually not that active) appreciated!”

“I met people from the Humanist Society (Singapore) without knowing they were staff or in leadership positions. Just meeting them as members of the tour was amazing to me. I emphasize relationality, one of the main frameworks I’m constantly trying to embody, practice, and center in my work and life.

The Humanist Society (Singapore) curated various tours from various organizations. They were ushering us into a world that isn’t my own and listening to how they frame their histories. They live in a relatively young society, yet the design, intentionality, and work that went into building what they have is impressive. That speaks to human creativity and capacity—what can be achieved in what some might call a modern world.

That leads me to the Humanist Society (Singapore) itself. We were able to come in and see the work they’ve done and are still doing, especially in collaboration with Humanists International, to put together this international conference. I’m still reflecting on and cherishing that in my work here and in conversations with peers.”

It was refreshing to be on the road again and to reconnect with fellow humanist friends. The experience may not have been as new or surprising to me as it was for others. Still, I did appreciate the warm Singaporean welcome, generous hospitality, and positive, energetic way of speaking. The honesty in how Malaysians and Singaporeans express themselves resonates with me. The welcome from the humanist community in Singapore was fantastic.

In the lead-up to the conference, there were some concerns about government oversight, surveillance, and their interest in our activities—particularly about speaker visas—which might have conflicted with the human rights values held by many of us. While some concerns did come up, they didn’t overshadow the event. The immigration process was smooth, and the friendliness and dedication of the people immediately struck me.

As for my takeaway, I was particularly pleased that interfaith dialogue and harmony were central themes at this conference. The International Humanist Conference (hosted by Humanists Society Singapore) and the Humanists International General Assembly took place over the long weekend. Interfaith dialogue is a significant aspect of my Humanism and is why I joined the humanist movement. I am a humanist ambassador, someone who engages in dialogue with other faiths and beliefs rather than being inward-looking. Singapore embodies that spirit, and I left with renewed motivation and inspiration to continue my interfaith work. That message truly resonated with me.

“It was quite an experience. It was the first time we hosted such a large conference. We’ve had events like the Asian Humanist Conference, but that was on a smaller scale. That event was back in 2015 and lasted only a few days. But when we bid to host this event, we had our doubts. However, everyone on the committee unanimously said, “Let’s go for it.”

If other countries like Australia and New Zealand can do it, why not us? So, we took the opportunity and won the bid. Initially, it wasn’t very comforting because it was such a challenge. But we eventually came together as a team, and everyone played their part.

For the first time, people from all different countries came together. It was overwhelming, exciting, and yet nerve-wracking because we didn’t want to disappoint anyone. We wanted to ensure that everyone who came to Singapore would have an unforgettable experience. What we learned from organizing such a big event is invaluable. It was a great experience, and we’re glad we did it. It’s a challenge, but you’ll never know what’s possible if you don’t take that first step.”

“The Humanist Society Singapore, whose motto is: “Guided by reason, informed by evidence, and driven by compassion,” were gracious hosts. They started events on Friday, August 30th, with a guided discussion and tour of the nation’s Harmony in Diversity Gallery, where we learned that Singapore is the most religiously diverse country globally but also sees some of the least religiously motivated conflicts. This is no accident. As their presentation showed, they intentionally create shared pluralistic spaces, encouraging engagement between people of differing beliefs and educating about religion and nonbelief to reduce othering and bring people together positively.”

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A Christian among Humanists: A Chat over Easter #3

9 May 2025 by

Over the long Easter weekend, Christians worldwide commemorated the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. On Easter, the Humanist Society (Singapore) also occasionally carries out interviews with a handful of Christians have been regularly attending our events for years. They are independent-minded, well-read, and supportive of many Humanist causes. Their perspectives are valuable as a bridge between Christian and non-religious communities.

Previous interviews are with John Hui (2017) and Mathia Lee (2020) and a summary of both interviews are found at the bottom of this post.

This year, we feature Angela Ow (photo below, first from left), who has been participating in Humanist Society (‘HumanistSG’) events for the past seven years. Her favourite events were the hikes at nature parks, as well as our Humanist Cafe series.

Q: What is your religious faith and what religious services do you attend regularly?

Angela: I identify as a Catholic Christian. My father was an agnostic atheist and my mother was Roman Catholic, so I grew up with a mix but went through Catholic formation from a young age. These days, I go to a non-denominational community church, but I still attend Catholic Masses on many occasions.

Q: When did you start attending Humanist Society events? And what attracted you to our events?

Angela: I can’t remember exactly, but I think it was sometime around late 2018? That’s when I started going to the monthly Humanist Cafés and joined the hikes whenever they were held (I love hiking!). Back then, the Cafés didn’t have set themes, so the conversations just flowed naturally. I remember some interesting discussions on history, astronomy, and science. There was even one on quantum physics that totally went over my head – haha!

Q: What is your first impression of HumanistSG?  What was the biggest surprise to you?

Angela: One of the things that really stood out to me was how intellectual and analytical everyone was! I remember thinking, “Wow, these guys can really discuss very cerebral topics!” It was a little intimidating at first, but I also learnt a lot during the Humanist Café conversations.

Back then, I also noticed that there weren’t many women around – it was mostly a male-dominated space. That was a surprise to me! But it’s been really great to see more women joining Humanist Society events nowadays. It feels more balanced than before, and it’s nice to have a wider mix of perspectives and experiences in the discussions.

Q: How did the humanists, atheists and agnostics etc. react when they learnt you are a Christian? How did you respond to them?

Angela: People are usually surprised when they find out I’m Christian. Some get curious and ask why I’m volunteering with the Humanist Society. Right now, I help out as a Humanist Café facilitator as well as organize bimonthly hikes.

I volunteer because I find these events meaningful – they bring HumanistSG people together and help create a sense of community and friendship. This is especially important since most in the Society do not join religious groups, so they may not have access to the many fellowship and bonding activities that religious groups offer.

Photo above: Angela (standing, 2nd from right) at a HumanistSG hiking event.

Q: Did you feel hurt whenever the Humanist Society releases statements that are critical of religion/religious institutions?

Angela: I don’t think I’ve come across the Humanist Society putting out any statements that were openly critical of religion or religious groups. From what I’ve read, the statement releases have always come across as fair and balanced. What I like is that they highlight the perspectives of non-religious people – views that sometimes get overlooked in our society as Singaporeans with religions still largely outnumber those without.

Q: What is the biggest misunderstanding that many atheists, agnostics, humanists have about Christians?

Angela: I think a lot of non-Christians tend to see Christians as one monolithic group – like everyone believes the same things and acts the same way. To be fair, we all kind of do this sometimes with groups we’re not a part of (I think the term for it is “outgroup homogeneity bias”). It’s common for people to mainly come across Christians who are really active in converting non-believers – whether in public or within their own circles – so it’s easy to assume that all Christians are like that. But that’s not the case. Different Christians choose to live out their faith in different ways, and it’s not a one-size-fits-all thing.

For me, one thing that stood out in the stories of Jesus was how he was always on the lookout for people in the margins of society, people who didn’t fit in, and actively reaching out to them, even if it meant breaking social norms of the time. This aspect of Christianity resonates with me and living out my faith as a Christian means seeking to do the same. That is quite different from seeking the conversion of others, which is often considered by many to be the mainstream or core pursuit of Christianity.

Q: What is the biggest misunderstanding that many Christians have about non-religious people? (atheists, agnostics, humanists etc.)

Angela: I’m not sure if it’s the biggest misunderstanding, but I’ve come across some Christians who think that people without religion don’t have a moral compass – or worse, that they’re amoral and don’t care about doing what’s right.

From what I’ve seen, that’s just not true! Religion and sacred texts can be an important source of guidance, but they’re not the only ones. A person’s sense of right and wrong is also shaped by many other things – their upbringing, the values of society, culture, their lived experiences, and an education that encourages critical, rational and moral thinking.

Take my father, for example. He’s an agnostic atheist, but he’s one of the most honest and considerate people I know – especially for the less abled. Not having a religion won’t make a person less moral or amoral. We all have a conscience, and life is about following one’s conscience to the best of our ability.

Q: How do you think our mutual misunderstandings can be resolved?

Angela: I believe having an open and honest conversation is the best way to go. If we are willing to set aside our preconceived notions, make the effort to see things from the other person’s perspective, and perhaps the hardest part – the courage to be wrong (let’s face it, we all have blind spots and biases), I believe a lot of our misunderstandings can be resolved.

The point of a conversation isn’t about agreeing on everything. We may not see eye to eye as we are all shaped by different lived experiences, ways of thinking and personalities. But that should not preclude us from working together for good. 

Whether it’s doing good because of one’s faith in God, or doing good for goodness’ sake, we all have something to contribute to our shared humanity.  I believe religious and the non-religious have a lot more in common than we think.

Past Interviews

John Hui (2017): John is drawn by its commitment to critical reasoning, secularism, and support for the non-religious community. Despite holding Christian beliefs, including in the resurrection of Jesus, John uses evidence-based reasoning to reconcile his faith with humanist values, engaging respectfully with atheists and agnostics who often question his stance. He sees the Society as a valuable platform for promoting rational discourse and pluralism in Singapore, and believes it can empower progressive religious individuals to stand against religious fundamentalism.

Mathia Lee (2020): Dr Lee sees her faith as a personal moral compass rather than a set of Western-influenced rituals, and appreciates HSS’s respectful but critical stance on harmful religious practices. She highlights the importance of mutual understanding through dialogue, emphasizing that both Christians and non-religious people often hold misconceptions about each other that can be resolved through open, respectful engagement.
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Hanging Out With Humanists May 2025

6 May 2025 by

SG GE2025 Eve Edition

We had at least two newcomers! And a chicken joined us in the afternoon before evening fell.

Libertarian paternalism. Heard of that phrase before? Not many had, until this Hanging Out with Humanists (HOH) session at Hans Union@Springleaf. Topics pertaining to leadership, human agency and the many forms of ethics were discussed, such as the sources and/or methods from whence morality and ethics are derived, and how that scales up to affect politics and governance. Furthermore, topics such as Singaporean education were touched upon, such as the realities behind academic certifications and alternatives, and how Singapore compares in terms of flexibility in life direction against other metropolitan countries.

Another topic of consideration was how everyone has their own styles when it comes to communicating with others. However, regardless of whether one is an extrovert – willing to push past their comfort zones to meet new people, or an introvert – content with working within a tight knit community, work has to be done to keep those connections solid, and within the framework of Humanism, a sincere effort to work toward a common goal has to be made, lest time be wasted on being aimless and milling around. Real change does take some elbow grease, and without proactive efforts to take initiative or build relationships, all this community would amount to would be an ebbing and flowing tide of fleeting observers.

Ultimately, across the landscape of discourse from the social to the historical and intellectual, this HOH session was a walk down memory lane as to how Singaporean society, in light of its internal workings, affairs and history, has become the community it is now — and what we make of it, and how we effect change is up to us putting in a collective effort. A collective effort which — as the HSS — we can put in, if we take the time to connect with a fellow Humanist, and work with them toward a common goal.

Hanging Out with Humanist

Guidance by Reason: Texas Sharpshooters & Confirmation Bias

6 May 2025 by Leave a Comment

Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it. — Signage at Jonestown, Guyana

What is Guidance by Reason?

Guidance by Reason is an initiative founded by the Humanist Society (Singapore) to impart the craft of evidence based reasoning in the spirit of humanism and public good. Guidance by Reason is a single step toward the goal of the HSS being a bastion of reason and rationality within Singapore, making accessible such skills to the general public for no profit, all for the endgoal of keeping the spirit of critical thinking in our secular society not only alive, but thriving.

The Texas Sharpshooter

The broad side of a barn in Texas is riddled with bullet holes. Wood shavings and splinters are scattered around the grass, a testament to just how many shots have been fired. On the wall of the barn, are target markings drawn in chalk. Every single bullet hole darkens the bullseye of each target circle.

Finally, a child could bear his awe, admiration and curiosity no longer. He must see this marksman in action, and marvel at his impeccable accuracy. The Texas Sharpshooter accedes to the child’s request, and in the midday sun, accompanies the child a few yards away from the barn.

The marksman looses six shots from his firearm in quick succession, the bullet holes left in the barn wall still smoking. The marksman pulls some chalk out of his pocket, and draws targets around each hole in the wall made.

Bullseye.

Ridiculous as the story above is, how often have we done the same to events that have happened in the past? We have seen people all around us do the same. A cultural example includes the peak of the Satanic Panic in the 1980s, when everything unconventional such as rock music, Dungeons & Dragons, and video games were attributed to satanic or devilish influence, and increases in violence, drug use and alternative lifestyles were blamed on media and the evolving youth demographic at the time. However, only now, can we look back in hindsight and confidently say that no, Pikachu wasn’t — and isn’t looking to feast on a kid’s soul. Much of those changes came about from factors such as an increasing connectivity to the world beyond thanks to the Internet, faster paces of life, and changes in the structure of family nuclei. However, it was all too common to see many ascribe the cause for that incident to certain factors, only after the fact.

Confirmation Bias

Imagine if your dad drove a red Toyota. Now, envision the key impressions you might have of the Toyota brand. From the floor, words like “Common”, “Reliable” and “Cheap” sprung up. Now, each time you see a red Toyota, perhaps you might think, “Ah, that other person is driving a red Toyota because they are common, reliable and cheap,”

A harmless and simple enough assumption, but the above has illustrated how easily one might fall for confirmation bias. As a shortcut that works in tandem with the Texas Sharpshooter fallacy, confirmation bias is one of the mental shortcuts our brain takes for the path of least cognitive resistance. Benign in small doses, until it starts to affect the decisions we make, ranging from the shampoo we choose, to studying how exactly the 2007 — 2008 financial crisis actually happened.

What We Did

After a little spiel, presenting different types of biases and fallacies made in daily life and history, all participants were given a topic pertaining to current local affairs, ranging from influences on media today, to the Singaporean education system and housing market. Their task — to defend a predetermined point to the end, no matter how ridiculous it was. After all, the costs of living around the world could be rising because humanity is collectively being punished by an invisible goblin hiding in a closet for transgressing against its will. Why not?

There were asinine and incredulous arguments being made in favor of certain points. Some utterly hilarious, some rather well reasoned and thought out. Ultimately, the point was to demonstrate how easy it could be to tunnel vision and fixate on a single point as a primary cause for a phenomenon, as long as there was some measure of emotional and cognitive investment involved — a point well illustrated during the session, and I am proud to say that the entire session was a splendid success.

Special Thanks

I would like to thank everyone who participated for making the event a success, and for providing me feedback. Guidance by Reason has been an iterative process over the course of practically a year, and this format and iteration has proved itself to be the most well-received and successful thus far. Certainly a step in the right direction.

I would like to thank my wife for being my idea trampoline. I have bounced many ideas off her, and she has given me rather good feedback.

Further Good Reads

Recommended further reading for a jumping point: The Art of Thinking Clearly by Rolf Dobelli

Image Credits: https://vaniecastro.com/2015/03/11/2015-book-1-the-art-of-thinking-clearly-by-rolf-dobelli/

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