History sometimes creeps quietly into the present, as little-known events in the past can have a huge influence today. Despite our small numbers, humanists have always made a significant mark on society. Here is a... Read More

This magazine has recently discussed two of the most important books of this century so far: Steven Pinker’s Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, 
Humanism, and Progress and Kurt 
Andersen’s Fantasyland: How America Went... Read More

What does it mean to be human? As it relates to artificial intelligence (AI), this important question has been explored in science fiction films and television beginning with 2001: A Space Odyssey and more recently... Read More

THE OLDEST RECORDED DESCRIPTION of the philosophy of life we call “humanism” was first articulated by the Greek philosopher Epicurus, who lived from 341 until 270 BCE. His philosophy, which subsequent philosophers have labeled “hedonism,”... Read More

I GREW UP in a time before there was any sex education and when people only spoke of sex in hushed terms around children. They spoke of cancer the same way. At puberty, when certain... Read More

I NEVER WANTED TO BE A HUMANIST CELEBRANT until John Forwalter died. John was president of our local humanist chapter, and when he died in 1996, his fundamentalist preacher son conducted a full-blown evangelical funeral... Read More

HUMANISM HAS FAILED. This election has shown how our values were repudiated by many Americans in national, state, and local elections. There is still much to be learned, but for us it’s clear that a... Read More