Humanism

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Editorial

Women as Micro-ISPs for a Shanty Town of 70 Million?

One of the world’s largest slums in Nigeria has more than 70 million people living in absolute poverty. An opportunity exists to offer them Internet access affordably.

Humanism – a history of the noble but forgotten Credo of our species

( By Robert Grudin) “Humanitas meant the development of human virtue, in all its forms, to its fullest extent. The term thus implied not only such qualities as are associated with the modern word humanity—understanding, benevolence, compassion, mercy—but also such more aggressive characteristics as fortitude, judgment, prudence, eloquence, and even love of honour.

E. O. Wilson’s radical (and Great) revision of Evolution

‎”Individual selection is responsible for much of what we call sin, while group selection is responsible for the greater part of virtue.” Wilson is easily the greatest thinker of our age, an invaluable successor to Darwin.

Consilience – A sister for humanism, and the future of our species

“Biologist Edward O. Wilson, considered to be one of the world’s greatest living scientists, argues for the fundamental unity of all knowledge and the need to search for consilience–the proof that everything in our world is organized in terms of a small number of fundamental natural laws that comprise the principles underlying every branch of learning.

Why the War Machine Keeps on Running

A large standing military, a large contractor base, and its widespread congressional patronage network cannot survive without war or the threat of war to lubricate the continuing money flow it requires.

Humanism – What it isn’t

‎”I regard the use of the term “humanism” to mean secular humanism or atheism to be one of the greatest tragedies of twentieth century movementology, perpetrated by second-class minds and perpetuated by third-class polemicists and village atheists.” (R. Joseph Hoffmann)

To Beat Back Poverty, Pay the Poor

A single social program is transforming how countries all over the world help their poor.

Humanism and Nuclear Weapons are Incompatible

The Sunflower is a prime example of humanist advocacy that we can support unequivocally, and point to as our own policy.

Features

Our Happy Community of Torturers

Torture is the ultimate crime. Pain is even dirtier than sex. Much dirtier.

Canada fights to keep selling polar bear parts

If you asked Canadians if they supported this- no. But politicians court the Inuit vote, to allow them to “harvest” bears for export.

Inclusive Humanism that deserves the name, before it was hijacked

It is evident that individual Humanism still faces a struggle outside the western world, and requires our continuing support. Nonetheless, militarism and greed threaten to impoverish or compromise every sector of our society, and those are problems on our home front.

‘From the Ruins of Empire,’ by Pankaj Mishra

Humanism must embrace the legacies and history of Asia, to become critics and defenders of our species. Here three Asian intellectuals are recalled with their anti-colonial burdens.

Immortality Interruptus and Humanism – a Review

Immortality has always been of interest to humanists, as the logical endpoint of taking up our station in the Universe, under our own terms. But the author abandons ship just when it starts to get (very) interesting, as academics do – feigning wisdom.

UN

UN passes historic arms trade treaty to U.S. media silence

No major broadcast network has made even passing mention of a treaty that curtails trafficking to war-torn nations.

The Accomplishments of the United Nations

“The UN was not created to take humanity to heaven but to save it from hell.”- Former United Nations Sec’y-General Dag Hammarskjold.

U.S. will fight push to move Internet control over to the UN

The struggle for the governance of our species is becoming more explicit.

“Big Five” Crushes “Small Five” Over Veto Powers

The Security Council’s hijacking of our species’ governance, to protect their own interests and war criminals.

The World must push for a UN parliament

A strengthened United Nations where all voices, including those of citizens directly, is imperative and overdue.

The Future News

“Animals With Borders” to ban wildlife exports?

This year’s session has produced a major surprise. AWB proposes that all trade in wildlife across national borders should be prohibited, endangered or not.

Humanists Acquiring Canadian Churches

“It’s been a wonderful experience.” observes Martin McGlade, who convinced his local Humanist chapter that they had much to learn from traditional religion.

Greenpeace, Sierra Reverse Nuclear Policy

Two major environmental advocacy groups reverse their policies on nuclear power, to deal with the tar sands as a giant oil spill.

Drug Counselors Replace Police, Fund Hospitals

Within an outpatient counseling process, a Canada-wide program allows drug counselors to dispense addictive drugs, legal or not, at prices below street levels.

UN promises bullion coins as a world currency

“Supplementing the dollar with a bullion currency would solve some of the problems related to the potential of countries running large deficits and would help stability,”

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