Council for Secular Humanism
Encyclopedia
The Council for Secular Humanism (originally the Council for Democratic and Secular Humanism, or CODESH) 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. The Council for Secular Humanism does not call itself religious and has never claimed tax-exemption as a religious organization; instead it has an educational exemption. The official symbol for the Council for Secular Humanism is a version of the Happy Human
.
, Secular Organizations for Sobriety, African Americans for Humanism, and provides support for Center for Inquiry - On Campus. It also publishes several magazines and newsletters, including Free Inquiry
. The council was founded by Dr. Paul Kurtz
, who also founded CSICOP (now known as the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry) and the Center for Inquiry
.
The council is a member organisation of the International Humanist and Ethical Union
, and endorses both the IHEU minimum statement of Humanism (ref bylaw 5.1 http://www.iheu.org/bylaws) and the Amsterdam Declaration 2002).
The Council for Secular Humanism with the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal
(CSICOP) and The Commission for Scientific Medicine and Mental Health are all headquartered at the Center for Inquiry, adjacent to the State University of New York.
The council made news in 2006 when Borders Group
refused to carry the April-May issue of Free Inquiry in their Borders and Waldenbooks
stores because of the magazine's publication of 4 cartoons that originally appeared in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten
and sparked violent worldwide Muslim protests
. (The reason given by Borders for their decision was not sensitivity to religion but fear of illegal violence.) The Free Inquiry
affair was reminiscent of a 1989 withdrawal of Salman Rushdie's novel The Satanic Verses
by Waldenbooks and B. Dalton
in the aftermath of a death sentence issued by Ayatollah Khomeini against the British author.
Secular humanism
Secular Humanism, alternatively known as Humanism , is a secular philosophy that embraces human reason, ethics, justice, and the search for human fulfillment...
organization headquartered in Amherst, New York
Amherst, New York
Amherst is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 122,366. This represents an increase of 5.0% from the 2000 census. The town is named for Jeffrey Amherst, a British Army officer of the colonial period...
. In 1980 CODESH issued A Secular Humanist Declaration
A Secular Humanist Declaration
A Secular Humanist Declaration was an argument for and statement of support for democratic secular humanism. The document was issued in 1980 by The Council for Democratic and Secular Humanism , now the Council for Secular Humanism...
, an argument for and statement of belief in Democratic Secular Humanism. The Council for Secular Humanism does not call itself religious and has never claimed tax-exemption as a religious organization; instead it has an educational exemption. The official symbol for the Council for Secular Humanism is a version of the Happy Human
Happy Human
The Happy Human is a secular icon and the official symbol of the International Humanist and Ethical Union , a world body for Humanism, and has been adopted by many Humanist organisations and individuals worldwide. Its origin was a competition organised in 1965 by the British Humanist Association...
.
Activities
The council acts as an umbrella organization for a number of other groups, such as the Committee for the Scientific Examination of ReligionCommittee for the Scientific Examination of Religion
The Committee for the Scientific Examination of Religion, or CSER, is based at the Center for Inquiry in Amherst, New York. According to its mission statement, CSER is a research consultation devoted "to the study of religion and ethics from the standpoint of philosophical naturalism and to the...
, Secular Organizations for Sobriety, African Americans for Humanism, and provides support for Center for Inquiry - On Campus. It also publishes several magazines and newsletters, including Free Inquiry
Free Inquiry
Free Inquiry is a bi-monthly journal of secular humanist opinion and commentary published by the Council for Secular Humanism, which is part of the Center for Inquiry. Philosopher Paul Kurtz is the editor-in-chief and Thomas W. Flynn the editor. Feature articles cover a wide range of topics from a...
. The council was founded by Dr. Paul Kurtz
Paul Kurtz
Paul Kurtz is a prominent American skeptic and secular humanist. He has been called "the father of secular humanism." He is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the State University of New York at Buffalo, having previously also taught at Vassar, Trinity, and Union colleges, and the New School for...
, who also founded CSICOP (now known as the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry) and the Center for Inquiry
Center for Inquiry
The Center for Inquiry is a non-profit educational organization with headquarters in the United States whose primary mission is to encourage evidence-based inquiry into paranormal and fringe science claims, alternative medicine and mental health practices, religion, secular ethics, and society...
.
The council is a member organisation 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...
, and endorses both the IHEU minimum statement of Humanism (ref bylaw 5.1 http://www.iheu.org/bylaws) and the Amsterdam Declaration 2002).
The Council for Secular Humanism with the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal
Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal
The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry , formerly known as the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal , is a program within the U.S...
(CSICOP) and The Commission for Scientific Medicine and Mental Health are all headquartered at the Center for Inquiry, adjacent to the State University of New York.
The council made news in 2006 when Borders Group
Borders Group
Borders Group, Inc. was an international book and music retailer based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The company employed approximately 19,500 throughout the U.S., primarily in its Borders and Waldenbooks stores....
refused to carry the April-May issue of Free Inquiry in their Borders and Waldenbooks
Waldenbooks
Waldenbooks , operated by the Walden Book Company, Inc., was an American shopping mall-based bookstore chain and a subsidiary of Borders Group. The chain also ran a video game and software chain under the name Waldensoftware as well as a children's edutainment chain under Walden Kids...
stores because of the magazine's publication of 4 cartoons that originally appeared in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten
Jyllands-Posten
Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten , commonly shortened to Jyllands-Posten or JP, is a Danish daily broadsheet newspaper. It is based in Viby, a suburb of Århus, and with a weekday circulation of approximately 120,000 copies, it is among the largest-selling newspaper in Denmark...
and sparked violent worldwide Muslim protests
Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy
The Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy began after 12 editorial cartoons, most of which depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammad, were published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten on 30 September 2005...
. (The reason given by Borders for their decision was not sensitivity to religion but fear of illegal violence.) The Free Inquiry
Free Inquiry
Free Inquiry is a bi-monthly journal of secular humanist opinion and commentary published by the Council for Secular Humanism, which is part of the Center for Inquiry. Philosopher Paul Kurtz is the editor-in-chief and Thomas W. Flynn the editor. Feature articles cover a wide range of topics from a...
affair was reminiscent of a 1989 withdrawal of Salman Rushdie's novel The Satanic Verses
The Satanic Verses
The Satanic Verses is Salman Rushdie's fourth novel, first published in 1988 and inspired in part by the life of Prophet Muhammad. As with his previous books, Rushdie used magical realism and relied on contemporary events and people to create his characters...
by Waldenbooks and B. Dalton
B. Dalton
B. Dalton Bookseller was an American retail bookstore chain founded in 1966 by the Dayton's department store chain. Located primarily in shopping malls, B. Dalton competed primarily with Waldenbooks, and operated 798 stores at its peak...
in the aftermath of a death sentence issued by Ayatollah Khomeini against the British author.
Programs
The Council for Secular Humanism runs the following programs:- The International Academy of HumanismInternational Academy of HumanismThe International Academy of Humanism is a programme of the Council for Secular Humanism. It was established to recognize great humanists and disseminate humanist thinking. According to its declared mission, members of the academy are devoted to free inquiry, are committed to a scientific outlook,...
was established to recognize great humanists and disseminate humanist thinking. According to its declared mission, members of the academy are devoted to free inquiry, are committed to a scientific outlook, and uphold humanist ethical values. - The Society of Humanist Philosophers is a philosophical society that publishes PhiloPhilo (journal)Philo is a peer-reviewed academic journal with a focus on the discussion of philosophical issues from an explicitly naturalist perspective. The journal publishes articles, critical discussions, review essays, and book reviews in all fields of philosophy, and welcomes work on the philosophical...
, a journal focused on defending NaturalismMetaphysical naturalismMetaphysical naturalism, also called ontological naturalism and philosophical naturalism, or just naturalism, is a philosophical worldview and belief system that holds that there is nothing but natural elements, principles, and relations of the kind studied by the natural sciences, i.e., those...
, especially in regards to ethicsEthical naturalismEthical naturalism is the meta-ethical view which claims that:# Ethical sentences express propositions.# Some such propositions are true....
. - African Americans for Humanism is engaged in developing humanism in the African AmericanAfrican AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
community. - The Robert Green Ingersoll Memorial Committee is dedicated to preserving the memory of great 19th century agnostic philosopher Robert Green Ingersoll.