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 …

EVIDENCE, MIRACLES AND THE EXISTENCE OF JESUS

(Published in Faith and Philosophy 2011. Volume 28, Issue 2, April 2011. Stephen Law. Pages 129-151)
EVIDENCE, MIRACLES AND THE EXISTENCE OF JESUS
Stephen Law

Abstract

The vast majority of Biblical historians believe there is evidence sufficient to place Jesus’ existence beyond reasonable doubt. Many believe the New Testament documents alone suffice firmly to establish Jesus as an actual, historical figure. I question these views. In particular, I argue (i) that the three most popular criteria by which various non-miraculous New Testament claims made about Jesus are supposedly corroborated are not sufficient, either singly or jointly, to place his existence beyond reasonable doubt, and (ii) that a prima facie plausible principle concerning how evidence should be assessed – a principle I call the contamination principle – entails that, given the large proportion of uncorroborated miracle claims made about Jesus in the New Testament documents, we should, in the absence of independent ev…

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