Ethics is a human invention. It was not sprung from the will of a divine commander, nor coalesced from pure reason, but was a cultural technology concocted by our distant ancestors to solve the problems inherent in social living.
The Human Prospect is a peer-reviewed, indexed journal focused on the development and refinement of humanist values and ethics, as well as ways the humanist movement can foster them throughout society. It also covers new scientific evidence, theories, and conclusions, as well as their impact upon and relationship to society, values, and ethics.
A Reasonable Approach
Calmly engaging in dialogue with a right-leaning young-Earth creationist from Texas seems like an impossible, or at least useless, task to many center- and left-leaning non-theists. One does not have to look far to understand why. When people persistently claim the Earth is 6,000 years old and dinosaurs co-existed with humans because a 2,000-year-old book says so, despite all scientific evidence (and simple rational thought) showing otherwise, it is easy to want to mock them or refuse to speak with them on the grounds that they are too irrational to engage.
A Watershed Year
Illegal Abortions: The Raw Reality
Abortion can be defined as a procedure to terminate pregnancy. An “unsafe,” or illegal, abortion is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a “procedure for terminating an unwanted pregnancy either by persons lacking in the necessary skills or in an environment lacking the minimal medical standards or both.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says an abortion is unsafe if it is not “performed by a licensed physician or an appropriately licensed advanced practice clinician acting under the supervision of a licensed physician.” The CDC defines an abortion-related death as “a death resulting from a direct complication of an abortion (legal or illegal), an indirect complication caused by a chain of events initiated by an abortion, or aggravation of a preexisting condition by the physiologic effects of abortion.”
A Daddy Dilemma
In 1991, the Catalyst Foundation in New York asked 1,500 CEOs how much time they thought was reasonable for a man to take off for a child's birth or adoption. Sixty-three percent said "none." Two years later, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was signed into law requiring companies with 50 or more employees to grant 12 weeks of unpaid job-protected leave for workers caring for newborn or newly adopted children, or immediate family members with serious health conditions.
Disharmony in Blues and Pinks
March 8 was the 100th International Women’s Day in Europe. It comes after Valentine’s Day, which was originally celebrated only in the United States but is more and more celebrated abroad. On these days men are expected to show affection for the women in their lives by sending cards, candy, or flowers, having dinner out together, giving gifts of jewelry – and especially with visits. It is the time of year when spring and thoughts of love turn a young man’s fancy to women and vice versa. It can be a sweet time for a woman to be respected and appreciated, if one ignores the rest of the year.
The Intersection of Feminism and Humanism
How do we advance NeoHumanism and Humanist values in this century? The Institute for Science and Human Values, in answer, declares that Humanists must accept responsibility for the wellbeing of society and guarantee human rights to all people, including women. Humanists firmly defend the separation of religion and the state, and consider freedom of conscience and the right of dissent vital.