The Amsterdam Declaration 2002 is a statement of the fundamental principles of modern Humanism

Humanism

Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....

 passed unanimously by the General Assembly of the International Humanist and Ethical Union

International Humanist and Ethical Union

The International Humanist and Ethical Union is an umbrella organisation embracing humanist, atheist, rationalist, secular, skeptic, freethought and Ethical Culture organisations worldwide. Founded in Amsterdam in 1952, the IHEU is a democratic union of more than 100 member organizations in 40...

 (IHEU) at the 50th anniversary World Humanist Congress in 2002. According to the IHEU, the declaration "is the official statement of World Humanism."

It is officially supported by all member organisations of the IHEU including:

• American Humanist Association
  American Humanist Association
  The American Humanist Association is an educational organization in the United States that advances Humanism. "Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that, without theism and other supernatural beliefs, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that...
  
  
• British Humanist Association
  British Humanist Association
  The British Humanist Association is an organisation of the United Kingdom which promotes Humanism and represents "people who seek to live good lives without religious or superstitious beliefs." The BHA is committed to secularism, human rights, democracy, egalitarianism and mutual respect...
  
  
• Humanist Canada
• Council of Australian Humanist Societies
  Council of Australian Humanist Societies
  The Council of Australian Humanist Societies is the national umbrella organisation for Australian humanists. It is affiliated with the International Humanist and Ethical Union...
  
  
• Council for Secular Humanism
  Council for Secular Humanism
  The Council for Secular Humanism is a secular humanist organization headquartered in Amherst, New York. In 1980 CODESH issued A Secular Humanist Declaration, an argument for and statement of belief in Democratic Secular Humanism...
  
  
• Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association
  Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association
  The Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association is a democratic, membership-based, Humanist campaigning organisation that represents the many non-religious in the lesbian and gay community in the United Kingdom and beyond...
  
  
• Human-Etisk Forbund
  Human-Etisk Forbund
  The Norwegian Humanist Association is currently one of the largest Humanist associations in the world, with 82,890 members. In relation to the size of the national population , it is by far the largest such association per capita.Founded in 1956, the HEF is a member of the International Humanist...
  
  , the Norwegian Humanist Association
• Humanist Association of Ireland
  Humanist Association of Ireland
  The Humanist Association of Ireland is an Irish organisation that was founded in 1993 to promote Humanism, which they describe as:an ethical philosophy of life, based on a concern for humanity in general, and for human individuals in particular. This view of life combines reason with compassion...
  
  
• Indian Humanist Union
  Indian Humanist Union
  The Indian Humanist Union is an Indian Humanist organisation established in 1960 by Narsingh Narain. The forerunner organisation, founded by Narain in 1954, was the "Society for Promotion of Freedom of Thought"....
  
  
• Philippine Atheists and Agnostics Society (PATAS)

A complete list of signatories can be found on the IHEU page (see references).

This declaration makes exclusive use of capitalized Humanist and Humanism, which is consistent with IHEU's general practice and recommendations for promoting a unified Humanist identity. To further promote Humanist identity, these words are also free of any adjectives, as recommended by prominent members of IHEU. Such usage is not universal among IHEU member organizations, though most of them do observe these conventions.

Summary of Humanist principles

(see References for complete text)

The fundamentals of modern Humanism are as follows:

• Humanism is ethical.
• Humanism is rational
  Rationality
  In philosophy, rationality is the exercise of reason. It is the manner in which people derive conclusions when considering things deliberately. It also refers to the conformity of one's beliefs with one's reasons for belief, or with one's actions with one's reasons for action...
  
  .
• Humanism supports democracy
  Democracy
  Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
  
   and human rights
  Human rights
  Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
  
  .
• Humanism insists that personal liberty must be combined with social responsibility
  Social responsibility
  Social responsibility is an ethical ideology or theory that an entity, be it an organization or individual, has an obligation to act to benefit society at large. Social responsibility is a duty every individual or organization has to perform so as to maintain a balance between the economy and the...
  
  .
• Humanism is a response to the widespread demand for an alternative to dogma
  Dogma
  Dogma is the established belief or doctrine held by a religion, or a particular group or organization. It is authoritative and not to be disputed, doubted, or diverged from, by the practitioners or believers...
  
  tic religion
  Religion
  Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
  
  .
• Humanism values artistic creativity
  Creativity
  Creativity refers to the phenomenon whereby a person creates something new that has some kind of value. What counts as "new" may be in reference to the individual creator, or to the society or domain within which the novelty occurs...
  
   and imagination
  Imagination
  Imagination, also called the faculty of imagining, is the ability of forming mental images, sensations and concepts, in a moment when they are not perceived through sight, hearing or other senses...
  
   and recognises the transforming power of art
  Art
  Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
  
  .
• Humanism is a lifestance aiming at the maximum possible fulfilment through the cultivation of ethical and creative living.

The Amsterdam Declaration explicitly states that Humanism rejects dogma

Dogma

Dogma is the established belief or doctrine held by a religion, or a particular group or organization. It is authoritative and not to be disputed, doubted, or diverged from, by the practitioners or believers...

, and imposes no creed upon its adherents.

History

At the first World Humanist Congress

World Humanist Congress

The International Humanist and Ethical Union holds International Congresses every three years in different parts of the world. Each Congress is organised by a host Member Organisation in conjunction with the IHEU Executive Committee....

 in the Netherlands in 1952, the IHEU general assembly agreed a statement of the fundamental principles of modern Humanism - The Amsterdam Declaration.

At the 50th anniversary World Humanist Congress in 2002, the IHEU general assembly unanimously passed a resolution

Resolution (law)

A resolution is a written motion adopted by a deliberative body. The substance of the resolution can be anything that can normally be proposed as a motion. For long or important motions, though, it is often better to have them written out so that discussion is easier or so that it can be...

updating that declaration - "The Amsterdam Declaration 2002".