A humanist is someone who recognises that we, human beings, are the most curious and the most capable curators of knowledge in the known universe.

• To gain knowledge, we must use our reason and experience to understand the world. And we may create or partake of the great artistic fruits of humankind to enhance our emotional palettes, deepen our empathy and enrich our understanding. But we reject any reliance on blindly received authority, or on dogma, or what others may claim is divine revelation (because we don’t believe we get tip-offs about truth from a supreme being beyond time and space. That would be cheating!)

A humanist is someone who recognises that we, human beings, are by far the most sophisticated moral actors on the Earth. We can grasp ethics.

• This does not mean we are the only moral objects. For example other animals deserve moral consideration, too, and perhaps the environment as a whole.
• It is also worth noting that some other (non-human) animals exhibit patterns of behaviour that look a lot like care, empathy, in a few cases even apparently responding to what looks like ‘unfair’ behaviour by seeking to redress it! These different types and stages of animals thinking about others may be taken as evidence of how ethical behaviour evolved in human beings. However, humans do seem to have a unique capacity for moral choice. It would be unusual for example to say that a dog or a dolphin had behaved “immorally”! But when it comes to humans, we are able to choose to act in the interests of the welfare of living things, advancement of society, and fulfillment of our own and others personal goals… or against them! This choice and our knowledge of that choice makes us ‘moral actors’.
• To act well, we must take responsibility for ourselves and others. We do not do this for the sake of preferential treatment in any afterlife (even if we believed in it, that motivation wouldn’t make our actions good!). We do it because the best we can do is to live this life as brilliantly as we can. That means helping others in community, advancing society, and flourishing at whatever we do best within those bounds.

And humanists are people who find value in themselves and each other, respecting the personhood and dignity of fellow human beings.

• We respect other people not because we are made “in the image” of something else (we are a product of evolution, not the product of a divine plan), but because of what we are. We are a sentient, feeling species, with value and dignity in each individual, and that is worthy of respect.

There is no reason to believe that “meaning” has to come from a supreme being. If you can write a sentence on paper which isn’t nonsense, then you can create meaning!

• For a humanist, there is no divine plan or purpose. The humanist recognises that we make our own purposes, tell our own stories, set our own goals. This gives life meaning.

Anyone who broadly agrees with the above might be described as a humanist, or might identify themselves as a humanist (even if they happen to have one or two quibbles).

To be a humanist there is no entrance procedure, no necessary rite of passage, and no hierarchy to which you must belong.

Humanists are humanists, they do not have to join an organization, or be on a list somewhere! However, if you are a humanist, or you are just discovering and exploring the idea, then you are welcome to join Humanists International as an Individual Supporter to learn about our work, or as a first step to getting more information about humanism.

Some humanists choose to join — or start their own — organizations, such as local groups or a national organization. There are various motivations to do this. For example, they may have a desire for discussion or socialising with like-minded people, to learn from speakers or other group members, or to contribute to campaigns or humanitarian efforts that are close to their hearts.

Humanists International is the umbrella body for humanist and other non-religious organizations. Our members may encompass all the elements of humanism (e.g. a “Humanist Association”) or focus on specific area (“Atheist Society”, “Secular Association”, “Freethinkers Group”, etc).

Some humanist groups started out as liberal religious groups, which at some point in time decided to leave the concept of “gods” behind. They found a new way of understanding some of the values and ethics they brought with them, but in some cases retained some of the communal elements of religion. Examples include “Ethical Culture” societies, and some Unitarian Universalists.

However, most Humanist groups today have been founded on a secular, humanist philosophy from the outset. Some of these groups were started in response to a government’s privileging of a majority religion and the non-religious citizens’ struggle for equal treatment. Other such groups were started to do social development work and to care for persons that were abused by their family or society (often because of their non-religious views).

If you represent a humanist or non-religious organization you can join Humanists International as a Member Organization.