Stephen Law

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on December 07, 2015

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What is Humanism?

What is Humanism?
“Humanism” is a word that has had and continues to have a number of meanings. The focus here is on kind of atheistic world-view espoused by those who organize and campaign under that banner in the UK and abroad.
We should acknowledge that there remain other uses of term. In one of the loosest senses of the expression, a “Humanist” is someone whose world-view gives special importance to human concerns, values and dignity. If that is what a Humanist is, then of course most of us qualify as Humanists, including many religious theists. But the fact remains that, around the world, those who organize under the label “Humanism” tend to sign up to a narrower, atheistic view.
What does Humanism, understood in this narrower way, involve? The boundaries of the concept remain somewhat vague and ambiguous. However, most of those who organize under the banner of Humanism would accept the following minimal seven-point characterization of their world-view.

Who is Jordan Peterson? I have no idea.

Who is Jordan Peterson? My first exposure to him was the Cathy Newman interview. Folks are asking whether he is the intellectual giant some are suggesting, and even whether he is really qualified to be a public intellectual.

We could ask the same question re Alain de Botton, of course. Yet what Alain De Botton does is fine. So, I am not bothered too much about Jordan Peterson's credentials re his role as 'public intellectual', which I am sure are perfectly OK even if he is not quite the intellectual giant some are suggesting. For neither is Alain de Botton. However, unlike Jordan Peterson, Alain de Botton is not saying stuff that odious right wing folks really want to hear.

As I say, the Cathy Newman thing was my first exposure to JP and I thought he was alright, actually. Not that I agreed with him, but he was calm, polite, patient, and made a case while being constantly misrepresented and feebly challenged by someone - Newman - who clearly felt very strongly …

Templeton announce new prayer study. But what about their old one?

Templeton just announced a new study on the effects of prayer on those who do the praying. Above is part of the blurb. But, as you can see, they also suggest testing for the effects of intercessory prayer on those prayed for, on the other hand, is a scientific and theological 'dead end'.

In fact, the effects of prayer on others can be scientifically investigated. Indeed, it has been. In a huge Templeton funded study!

In 2006 Harvard professor Herbert Benson performed a "Study of the Therapeutic Effects of Intercessory Prayer (STEP)" It used 1,802 coronary artery bypass surgery patients at six hospitals. Using double-blind protocols, patients were randomized into three groups. The members of the experimental and control Groups 1 and 2 were informed they might or might not receive prayers, and only Group 1 received prayers. Group 3, which served as a test for possible psychosomatic effects, was informed they would receive prayers and subsequently did. Compl…

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