Book Review: Humanism by Peter Cave

oneworld-publications.comWritten by TLC

Humanism is an inherently attractive word. It immediately connects to us because its root is ‘human’. However, it is often not understood at all. Some religious people view it as a pagan cult and some with disdain simply because it stands opposed to religion. Even freethinkers may only have some fuzzy ideas about what humanism is about. Humanism, at its core, is a simple approach to life (without gods). It is about learning about humanity and being human. That is all there is. In practice, we have often to pause and wonder how best to deal with situations and problems especially those in which we know that there is a right way and a wrong way of dealing with them. Many of these rights and wrongs do not merely concern correct or incorrect action and reaction – they involve morality and immorality. In this book, Peter Cave explains what to be human means from the point of view of a humanist. [Read more…]

Don’t stereotype atheism

In September, there was debate over whether atheism is a “religion”. One of our members, Say Liang, wrote a letter in response to the debate:

Don’t stereotype atheism

I refer to Mr Daniel Lee’s forum letter, “No conclusive definition of ‘atheism’” published on September 19. I had thought that Mr Paul Tobin’s letter put the matter to rest but unfortunately Mr Lee has recycled the well worn misconception that atheism is “a belief system”. [Read more…]

Reflections from “Giving: Limited Resources, Maximum Impact”

huifen talk on giving

Photo: Event speaker Zheng Huifen (left) receiving a token of appreciation from HSS President Mark after the event.

By Zheng Huifen

On 1 Sept 2013, I had the pleasure of leading a discussion on the topic of “Giving: Limited Resources, Maximum Impact”. The aim was to explore how each person, with limited resources, can and should make charitable contributions, and how to maximise the effect of such giving. Some 30 HSS members and guests gathered to explore the subject. [Read more…]

Humanism and Atheism

By Sean Nolan

For some the journey and discovery that you are an atheist could be a radical, extreme or even dangerous realization. Many non-believers will feel alone or exiled from their family and friends because of their secular beliefs, especially if no one around them understands or shares those beliefs. This is where Humanism and the Humanist society steps in, as it gives non-believers a community environment in which they can openly communicate with others who share their secularism. As opposed to many theistic groups, the Humanist Society welcomes people with a plethora ofideologies and opinions to have friendly debates and discussions rather than being bound to total compliance. [Read more…]

Darwin Day gains popularity in Asia

          

(From left to right, Darwin Day posters in the Phillipines, Singapore and Malaysia)

Darwin Day, which celebrates Charles Darwin’s birthday and his scientific contributions, is experiencing growing popularity in the Asia-Pacific region. [Read more…]

My route to atheism

I was never truly in any religion. I never really believed. But back then I didn’t even know what an atheist is.
My parents are Chinese and worship the traditional Chinese pantheon of gods. They weren’t particularly religious but they are superstitious. So, in effect, my brother and I weren’t particularly religious as well. The whole god idea never quite got to the both of us.

[Read more…]

Abiogenesis, Life and Gods

A frequent and unusual question that believers tend to bring up when “proving” god is on the origins of life.

“Where do you think we came from?”
“How do you think we were created?”
“I don’t believe we arose by chance.”

Frankly, I think this sort of questions is kinda redundant when discussing the existence of god. I’ll explain… [Read more…]

Staying strong in the face of life’s troubles

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Graphics by Blossom Wen

Life is not a bed of roses, and we all know that too well. In the face of life’s troubles, people have different ways of coping. Some justify their pain with the money earned, some are driven solely by passion, while many others find solace in religious traditions. Common questions posed to humanists are: What do we believe in and how do we stay strong in the presence of adversity? How do we keep going despite the absence of supernatural beliefs? [Read more…]

How to engage the potentially offended

Logical and rational discourse can be potentially offensive to people who believe wholeheartedly in certain traditions and paradigms even in the absence of evidence. In worst case scenarios, the offended party could possibly call for state intervention (Sedition Act and S298 etc) against humanists engaging in such discourse. To discuss this problem, we held at event titled Humanist Cafe: Sharing your worldview on Nov 24, 2012, to gather ideas on how humanists could go about sharing the rational worldview with the potentially offended. [Read more…]

Speech for Humanist of the Year 2012

Below is the speech delivered by Mr Alex Au for the event on 23 June 2012 when he was honoured by the Humanist Society (Singapore) with the Humanist of the Year award. He was asked for something touching on “gay-rights issues/humanism/religiosity”. [Read more…]