Secular Humanism and Humanity: What are they?

[Jenny A]

Is it not more than just fun? Is it not also important for social life? For example, wouldn't it be silly to have intense discussions about extremely complex issue like human rights if nobody could articulate what it was that made a person human and therefore guarantees them rights?

No actually, I don't think more than a biological definition of human is necessary to the discussion of human rights. Human beings grant each other human rights because of our empathy for each other and because it benefits humans as a whole. Nature does not provide us with natural rights of any kind. There is no creator to "endow us" with rights. Describing the particular needs and desires of humans might be helpful, but separating our "specialness" from, say dogs, or jelly fish is not.

So, how do you define human?

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Seriously. It's a question that anyone asking should be expected to have an answer to.


I expect you to have some ideas. It is after all a question about the basic nature of the species to which you belong. And a discussion requires give and take. Ask but don't answer is an interrogation, not a discussion.

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Well sure, I do have some ideas, but my ideas are heavily influenced by years of philosophical and theological reflection that are quite different than the perspective given by the atheist (particularly secular humanist) one (and those ideas are currently developing and probably wouldn't stand up under scrutiny in their present formulations).

Discussing developing ideas is fine. I expect your ideas to be different than mine.

If asking clarifying and critical questions about another person's worldview is an interrogation, then it seems like a large number of threads are interrogations, and I have been interrogated several times already. I apologize if you don't like that approach, but you don't have to interact with me if you don't like the way I investigate other people's thoughts.

Only if you are unwilling to provide your own thoughts. Otherwise, yes it is an interrogation. And yes I realize I don't have to respond. But your response is the price for my response. K?