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1. Think for Yourself
Ethics is not simply a matter of what we do. It also compels us to
think before we act. Nor can we act morally simply by appealing to what
others think, because they may be wrong. As Socrates, the founder of
moral philosophy, realised, moral thinking arises when we pass beyond
the stage of being directed by traditional rules and begin instead to
think for ourselves in critical terms. We have to think out our
principles in the light of which we make our decisions. A key word is
autonomy, which here means acting as independent moral
agents.
Unfortunately, only a minority of people ever seem to reach this stage.
A common classification of cognitive moral development is the
preconventional, conventional and post‑conventional. Most people rarely
proceed beyond the conventional stage, and this fact will be especially
true in very traditional and conservative societies where there is
likely to be a large measure of consensus on what is right and wrong
and where there is little exposure to alternative viewpoints. In a
society like Northern Ireland there is no shortage of authoritarian
figures ‑ priests, teachers, youth leaders, politicians ‑ telling
others how they should think. This conformism is particularly prevalent
in religious societies, for religion has always been the greatest foe
of free thought.
The main agent of change has to be education. If morality has to be
learned, then the young have to be led along the path to autonomy. So
far, education has failed in this task, and it will continue to fail
until at the very least there is integrated schooling and moral
education becomes a subject in its own right, freed from the
constraints of RE.
2. Respect Truth and Reason
The world's ills are not simply the result of human wickedness; they
are also due to ignorance, stupidity, and misunderstandings. Knowledge
and intelligence are therefore of crucial importance in any advanced
code of ethics. We may not logically be able to derive 'ought' from
'is', but our nature and our needs require that we use knowledge to
enhance the good life. 'Knowledge itself is power', noted Francis
Bacon, and whether it is the medical discoveries that assist us in
curing disease, the technological advances that improve our
material
welfare, or the psychological and sociological insights that enable us
to make people happier and more fulfilled, knowledge clearly enriches
human life. It is a primary means to achieving mental and physical
health. Moreover, the search for truth is itself a good and the joy of
discovery can be one of our greatest pleasures.
The philosopher David Hume suggested that "'tis not contrary to reason
to prefer the destruction of the whole world to the scratching of my
finger". But reason does play a crucial role in ethics as well as in
the acquisition of knowledge. It is by our reason that we acquire the
ability to sympathise with another's situation because we have to think
out what it would be like to him or her in that situation. To empathise
with others is to use our reason.
The role of empathy explains the importance which Humanists place on
the Golden Rule of human behaviour. This principle is older than
Christianity and is found, for example, in the Sutra Kritanga (circ.
550BC) and in Confucius: "Do not do to others what you would not like
for yourself".
Reason in ethics also means taking into consideration all our relevant
desires and not just the desire that happens to be strongest at the
moment. In other words, it involves us thinking about the consequences
of our actions. Thus, as Bertrand Russell put it, "a man is rational in
proportion as his intelligence informs and controls his desires" (Can
Men Be Rational?). It is also in this sense that Leonard Woolf spoke
when he remarked: "fhe sordid and savage story of history has been
written by man's irrationality, and the thin precarious crust of
civilisation which has from time to time been built over the bloody
mess has always been built by reason" (BBC broadcast, 1949).
3. Be Sceptical, Yet Open-Minded
Much harm in the world results from, ideas, whether religious or
secular, which are held dogmatically and imposed on whole communities.
Humanists are naturally critical of religious ideologies, such as
Catholicism or Protestant fundamentalism. But we are also critical of
most political ideologies. This does not mean that we reject them all,
but it does mean that we subject them to the severest critical
scrutiny. It also means that we believe facile certainties are mistaken
and dangerous, however secure they make their supporters feel in their
own minds. From our more sceptical perspective, we think that there are
no final solutions, that societies will always have problems, that life
cannot be neatly wrapped up, and that knowledge is always expanding. We
believe that people have no need to feel unhappy or insecure about a
state of scepticism and doubt and that the world would be a better
place if more people were, in the words of Francis Bacon, 'committed to
uncertainty'.
4. Respect Values
Values are of crucial importance to Humanists. We believe in the
fullest realisation of the best and nobles that we are capable of as
human beings. We value reason and science, human intelligence, justice
and fairness, altruism, integrity, honesty, truthfulness, freedom and
responsibility. Humanists also prefer to stress the positive side of
our natures: optimism rather than pessimism, hope rather than despair,
learning in the place of dogma, truth instead of ignorance, joy rather
than guilt or sin, tolerance in the place of bigotry and fear, love
instead of hatred, compassion over selfishness, and so on.
Being a Humanist means BELIEVING IN HUMANE VALUES. It means, for
example, supporting the rights of women and the rights of minorities
such as Blacks or Gays. The following parts of the code outline some of
these humane values.
5. Respect Life
Humanists n‑tight not go as far as Albert Schweitzer who advocated a
total reverence for all life, including insects and plants as well as
humans and other animals. We would, however, argue that ‑ apart from
special cases like self‑defence or war ‑ it is wrong to kill human
beings irrespective of their race, religion, class or nationality. Even
in those exceptional cases where killing may be justified, we should
not kill unless there are no other alternatives or the alternatives
have been full explored. It may be necessary to kill in order to avoid
greater killing. But even in war the means should be just. The actual
killing should not be disproportionate to the goal; serious attempts
should be made to avoid civilian deaths; aggression should be directed
towards its true object and not at the harmless; and the use of cruel
weapons or weapons of mass destruction should be avoided.
Some, but not all, Humanists accept a hierarchy of rights to life. They
argue that the more autonomous, self-aware and conscious the being, the
greater its right to life. This would mean that human beings in general
have more right to life than other animals but that there is also a
hierarchy of rights in the animal world itself. Other Humanists are
convinced of the equality of all animals. We would certainly all agree
that we should avoid inflicting suffering on other species.
6. Be Open and Honest
Respect for others entails that we do not deceive, abuse exploit them.
Personal relationships should be based trust, and this can only be
secure if we are open rather than secretive and honest instead of
deceitful.
7. Be Loving and Kind
Christians do not have a monopoly of love. We al believe in its crucial
importance in morality. We would however, reject its Christian basis in
'posthumous self-interest', to use Milton's phrase. To love others
because a god commands it is to promote self‑centred preoccupation with
our own individual virtue and salvation. Instead Humanists see love as
grounded in our nature as social animals. Like all gregarious
creatures, much of our behaviour is quite naturally co‑operative and
altruist "The inclination to goodness is deeply imprinted in the nature
of man", wrote Francis Bacon. Darwin reached a similar conclusion: "It
can hardly be disputed that the social feelings are instinctive or
innate in the low animals; and why should they not be so in man?" The
difference, of course, is that we have the capacity extend our loving
nature outward from the immediate family to the whole of humankind. And
that is what we mean by moral progress. It is, as the 19th century
Irish historian Lecky noted, an expanding circle: "At one time the
benevolent affections embrace merely the family, soon the circle
expanding includes first a class, then nation, then a coalition of
nations, then all humanity and finally, its influence is felt in the
dealings of man with the animal world" (The History of European Morals
). Consider also the words of Alfred Adler: "Every human being strives
for significance; but people always make mistakes if they do not see
that their significance must consist in their contribution to the lives
of others"
(What Life Should Mean To You ).
8. Help The Weak And Needy
There is much suffering and hardship in the world. Millions live
on the margins of existence, dragged down by malnutrition, disease,
squalor and illiteracy. Possibly 40% of the people of less
developed countries, or at least a quarter of the world's population,
live in absolute poverty. In relative terms, too, the gap between rich
and poor nations has widened in recent years, and the level poverty in
many developed countries also rose during the 1980s and early 1990s.
Since Humanists strive to work together for the common good of
humanity, we deplore this trend, both within countries and between
them. Regarding the Third World, we would therefore support
projects which minimise the dependence of poor nations on the
importation of goods from developed nations, and would also commend
policies which improve their terms of trade.
We also call for an increase in aid programmes and note that the UK's
official aid as a percentage of GDP is lower than that of many European
countries. We also favour aid distributed through multinational
agencies rather than bilateral aid, which often has strings attached.
Within the UK we deplore policies which increase poverty and
unemployment.
9. Respect Nature
Humanism is not just a philosophy of humankind; it is also, because we
are a part of the cosmos, a philosophy of nature. We are conscious of
the essential unity of the natural and the human worlds and so we wish
to protect and enhance the earth and preserve it for future
generations. Ecological humanism seeks more humane priorities for
production, in which there is achieved a balance between progress and
conservation, a compromise between industrial modernisation and
environmental protection. We are not advocating a return to a
pre-industrial era but rather supporting a policy of sustainable
development which tries to conserve instead of depleting natural
resources.
10. Support Worthy Causes
Humanism is not just an armchair philosophy; it is also a springboard
to action. Humanists do not just sit around and talk but are also
actively involved in attempts to improve society and the long run
betterment of humankind. Most Humanists belong to other organisations
in various walks of life and regard them also as expressions of their
Humanism.
Humanists themselves give active support to such causes as: the Peace
Movement; the campaign to extend the provisions for abortion which
apply in Great Britain; greater availability of advice on sexual
matters for young people, such as the Brook Centre; greater equality of
rights for women in Ulster; equality of rights towards minority groups,
such as homosexuals; voluntary euthanasia; the campaign for integrated
education; replacement of RE by moral education; and the campaign to
persuade other parties, such as Labour, to organise in Northern
Ireland. *
NOTE.
The above principles are not the 10 Commandments of Humanism. We do not
believe in dictating morals to one another. Not all Humanists will
agree with ALL the sentiments expressed in them. For we value, above
all, free thought and tolerance. They are therefore only intended as a
guide.
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