s l i p p u x - Earth

What is philosophy?

2008-03-12T18:31:00.000-07:00

Philosophy, IMO, is about questioning the world around us and answering the big questions of life. For example, most people ask themselves whether God exists, or what the nature of right and wrong is. No surprise then that the philosophy of God and ethics are two major branches of philosophy.

With no philosophy, we'd have no science, politics, and other branches of human thought.

An Educated Mind

2008-03-12T17:53:00.000-07:00

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.

- Aristotle

Science-based Legislation on Darwin's Birthday

2008-02-24T11:19:00.000-08:00

On Feb. 12, 2008, the Institute for Humanist Studies (IHS), hosted the first ever Humanist Legislative Advocacy Day.

Humanist activists in New York state came to Albany to persuade their elected representatives to support such issues as: access to emergency contraceptives; same sex marriage legislation; comprehensive sex education in the schools; and expanding therapeutic embryonic stem cell research.

"Today, you've made history, the largest minority group never to be counted was heard," said Matt Cherry, at an afternoon press conference in the Legislative Office Building.

"Get in the game," urged Cherry. "It's past time to fight back."

Throughout the day, approximately 20 humanists from all over the state met with more than 20 legislators and their staffs.

"It's something I've always wanted to do," said Ben Dreidel, 36, of Saratoga County, N.Y.

Dreidel is a member of the American Humanist Association, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, and has started his own local atheist group. He heard about the advocacy day from the Humanist Network News.

"I wanted to lobby for something good and participate in the process," said Betty Gordon of the New York City Atheists, who had traveled almost three hours for the day.

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The Global Decline of Amphibians

2008-01-13T14:51:00.000-08:00

The worldwide decline in amphibians has been attributed to several causes, especially habitat loss and disease. We identified a further factor, namely "habitat split"—defined as human-induced disconnection between habitats used by different life history stages of a species—which forces forest-associated amphibians with aquatic larvae to make risky breeding migrations between suitable aquatic and terrestrial habitats.

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World Community Grid

2008-01-01T16:52:00.000-08:00

World Community Grid's mission is to create the world's largest public computing grid to tackle projects that benefit humanity.

Our work has developed the technical infrastructure that serves as the grid's foundation for scientific research. Our success depends upon individuals collectively contributing their unused computer time to change the world for the better.

World Community Grid is making technology available only to public and not-for-profit organizations to use in humanitarian research that might otherwise not be completed due to the high cost of the computer infrastructure required in the absence of a public grid. As part of our commitment to advancing human welfare, all results will be in the public domain and made public to the global research community.

How Grid Technology Works
Making a difference has never been easier! Grid technology is simple and safe to use. To start, you register, then download and install a small program or "agent" onto your computer.

When idle, your computer will request data on a specific project from World Community Grid's server. It will then perform computations on this data, send the results back to the server, and ask the server for a new piece of work. Each computation that your computer performs provides scientists with critical information that accelerates the pace of research!

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Humanism in brief

2008-01-01T16:34:00.000-08:00

Humanism is a philosophy of life inspired by humanity and guided by reason. It provides the basis for a fulfilling and ethical life without religion.

Humanists make sense of the world using reason, experience and shared human values.

Humanists see no convincing evidence for gods, the supernatural, or life after death.

Humanists believe that moral values are properly founded on human empathy and scientific understanding.

Humanists believe we must live this life on the basis that it is the only life we'll have -- that, therefore, we must make the most of it for ourselves, each other, and our world. Humanist philosophies have arisen separately in many different cultures over many thousands of years. Whether or not they use the term humanism, tens of millions of Americans and hundreds of millions of people around the world agree with the humanist philosophy of living a happy and productive life based on reason and compassion.

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Another voice of hope is silenced

2008-01-01T16:20:00.000-08:00

I find myself shaken again by news of the death of Benazir Bhutto, one of the most predictable events of an ugly year in world politics, yet one that remains strangely difficult to absorb. Of course, Benazir – born in Karachi in 1953, the privileged eldest child of a future Pakistani prime minister – is likely to remain as controversial a figure in death as she was in life, tainted both by her undoubted political failures as prime minister of her country in the 1980s and 1990s, and by a series of corruption scandals.

Yet in the broad spectrum of Pakistani politics, there can be no doubt that Benazir spoke, in general, for the best of liberal and humanist political ideals: for a programme of human rights, democracy, education and welfare that places human development above any fundamentalist dogma, whether religious or economic. In that sense, she was a classic secular humanist of her and my generation; not a militant anti-religious atheist like the old humanists of the 1930s, but one determined to honour both the faith in which she had been raised, and the underlying universal values of compassion and human equality which she believed it reflected.

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Humanist Aspirations

2007-12-01T10:27:00.000-08:00

Humans are social by nature and find meaning in relationships. Humanists long for and strive toward a world of mutual care and concern, free of cruelty and its consequences, where differences are resolved cooperatively without resorting to violence. The joining of individuality with interdependence enriches our lives, encourages us to enrich the lives of others, and inspires hope of attaining peace, justice, and opportunity for all.

Working to benefit society maximizes individual happiness. Progressive cultures have worked to free humanity from the brutalities of mere survival and to reduce suffering, improve society, and develop global community. We seek to minimize the inequities of circumstance and ability, and we support a just distribution of nature’s resources and the fruits of human effort so that as many as possible can enjoy a good life.

http://www.americanhumanist.org/3/HumandItsAspirations.php