Creating Change Through Humanism

Download or read book Creating Change Through Humanism written by Roy Speckhardt and published by Humanist Press. This book was released on 2015-07-28 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Humanism is “the radical idea that you can be good without a god.” That’s how Roy Speckhardt, the longtime executive director of the American Humanist Association, defines it. His new book, Creating Change Through Humanism, lays out how and why people can lead moral and ethical lives without belief in a higher power. While surveys show that more and more Americans are giving up on religion, merely abandoning traditional religious faith is just one step on a path to a better way of thinking. Speckhardt explains how to take the next steps with the empathy and activism that characterize humanism today. Humanism has inspired generations of individuals to improve themselves, their communities and their country. Creating Change Through Humanism describes how a humanist lifestance has influenced and can continue to advance acceptance, diversity and equality. Humanist ideals pervaded the U.S. from its founding, starting with the innovative idea of separating church and state to maintain a religiously-neutral government. Humanism has continued to propel our nation toward social progress by promoting basic human rights and dignity. The humanist movement, with its forward-thinking outlook and emphasis on critical thinking and self-reflection, has been at the forefront of such pressing social issues as civil rights, women’s rights, LGBTQ equality, responsible scientific freedom, and the environment and population dynamics. Speckhardt interweaves personal stories, including his own, of individuals who have journeyed from organized religion to humanistic convictions. He encourages his readers to be open about their own lack of belief and to become active in social and political causes, so they can put their positive values into action and combat the anti-humanist prejudice propagated by the religious right.

Download or read book Justice-Centered Humanism written by Roy Speckhardt and published by Pitchstone Publishing (US&CA). This book was released on 2021-04-06 with total page 185 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Humanists are quick to defend threats to the separation of church and state, but they have not always been consistently unified in engaging with pressing issues of race, class, gender, and sexuality—namely, those linked to economic, environmental, and social justice. Drawing on his tenure as executive director of the American Humanist Association, Roy Speckhardt calls for humanists everywhere to center justice in their humanism by promoting public policy based on ethical humanist principles. Acknowledging the challenges inherent to this type of advocacy and activism—such as balancing short-term needs with long-term goals, and espousing a common humanity without erasing differences—he makes a compelling case for championing justice-centered humanism. He also provides guidance for doing so, whether on the local, state, or federal level. Precisely because there is no such thing as cosmic justice in an afterlife, he reminds, it's especially important that humanists everywhere combat injustice in this life.

Download or read book Humanism in Business written by Heiko Spitzeck and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2009-02-26 with total page 473 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There are many books about business and society, yet very few of them question the primacy of GDP growth, profit maximization and individual utility maximization. This groundbreaking book questions these assumptions and investigates the possibility of creating a human-centered, value-oriented society based on humanistic principles.

Download or read book Education and Humanism written by Wiel Veugelers and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2011-11-16 with total page 206 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Human beings have the possibility to give meaning to their lives and to create coherence in experiences. Present-day humanism strongly focuses on personal development in relation to others. It is this tension between personal development and advancement of humanization, that is creating the opportunities for the personal development of every world citizen. Humanism is about personal autonomy, moral responsibility, and about solidarity with humanity. The tension between autonomy and social involvement is the core of humanism. Education can support persons in their moral and personal identity development. The authors brought together in this book all address issues of developing autonomy and humanity in educational practices. All the chapters try to link theory and practice. They either make theoretical ideas more practical or they use practical experiences and concerns to rethink theoretical notions. Together the chapters in the book give a broad overview of theoretical foundations, concrete research, and practices in education. The book shows a diversity that can inspire scholars and practitioners in further developing their perspectives. Creating meaning is an essential part of all education. Focusing on the linking of autonomy and humanity is the humanist perspective in it.

Download or read book Creating a New Horizon in Pedagogy through the Growth Mindset written by Anjali Sharma and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2024-04-23 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The belief that ‘I can change my fate’ goes beyond an inborn quality and leads to brain-bending. The brain changes itself and has its own means of healing from damage; this throws off the entity theory of belief. The brain is a muscle that gets stronger by activating neuronal circuits. Learning can turn on genes that alter the neural structure, a ‘rewiring of neural circuits.’ The growth mindset can change brain function and create cognitive reserves. Learning needs to be facilitated through a pedagogy that fosters a growth mindset, incorporating the belief that ‘with practice and hard work, I can do better.’ The pedagogy that creates a new horizon, including the structures mentioned, is the ‘Growth Mindset Pedagogy.’ The challenge of bringing this pedagogy into the classroom arises when dealing with disciplinary content. This book addresses the realities of the classroom through the following pedagogical framework: ‘How to Develop a Growth Mindset-Oriented Classroom Culture.’ It provides both the tools and the roadmap required to do so.

Download or read book Secular Meditation written by Rick Heller and published by New World Library. This book was released on 2015-10-01 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Meditation is a form of mental exercise with numerous scientifically verified physical and psychological benefits. As meditation teacher Rick Heller shows, the benefits of the practice extend beyond the personal to enrich relationships with others, with one’s community, and with the world. In Secular Meditation, step-by-step instructions, personal stories, and provocative questions teach empathy for others, stress reduction, and the kind of in-the-moment living that fosters appreciation for life and resilience in the face of adversity. Heller simplifies what is often found mysterious, describing and providing detailed instructions for thirty-two different practices, ensuring that anyone can find the right one.

Download or read book What Are We Doing Here? written by Marilynne Robinson and published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. This book was released on 2018-02-20 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: New essays on theological, political, and contemporary themes, by the Pulitzer Prize winner Marilynne Robinson has plumbed the human spirit in her renowned novels, including Lila, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, and Gilead, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. In this new essay collection she trains her incisive mind on our modern political climate and the mysteries of faith. Whether she is investigating how the work of great thinkers about America like Emerson and Tocqueville inform our political consciousness or discussing the way that beauty informs and disciplines daily life, Robinson’s peerless prose and boundless humanity are on full display. What Are We Doing Here? is a call for Americans to continue the tradition of those great thinkers and to remake American political and cultural life as “deeply impressed by obligation [and as] a great theater of heroic generosity, which, despite all, is sometimes palpable still.”