Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Humanism by H.J. Blackham H. J. Blackham. This page provides a brief biography of H. J. Blackham, who was a leading and widely respected British humanist for most of his life. On this page. Page options. H. J. Blackham. H. J. Blackham, (31 March 1903 - 23 January 2009), was a leading and widely respected British humanist for most of his life. As a young man he worked in farming and as a teacher. He found his niche as a leader in the Ethical Union, which he steadfastly moved away from the trappings of religion. The Ethical Union maintained that ethics was independent of theology, and this ethical dimension was central to Blackham's life. In the 1960s he played a leading role in the transition from the Ethical Union to the British Humanist Association and became its first Executive Director. He worked with leading figures such as Barbara Wootton, A. J. Ayer and J. Bronowski. Particular interests were education and counselling. Blackham cared deeply about the importance of moral education, writing on 'Education for Personal Autonomy' and 'Education and Drug Dependence'. He was involved in founding the Moral Education League while with the Ethical Union. He worked with politicians, not entirely successfully, to bring moral education into schools, and was a founder of the Journal of Moral Education. H. J. Blackham was a key organiser of the World Union of Freethinkers' conference in London in 1938. When he tried to refound it after the war he decided a new organisation was needed and together with the Dutch philosopher Jaap van Prag started the International Humanist and Ethical Union, of which Julian Huxley was the first President. Blackham worked closely with Julian Huxley in many ways including helping him to revise Religion without Revelation. Throughout his career he lectured , taught and wrote. His first book was a collection of essays called Living as a Humanist (1950), published by the Rationalist Press Association. His long term belief was that humanism was a way of living as well as a way of thinking. He wrote an epilogue to a revised version of J. B. Bury's A History of Freedom of Thought . His philosophical interests were seen in Six Existentialists (1951), which became a standard university text, and The Human Tradition (1953). His humanist beliefs were founded on the whole humanist tradition from the Greeks and the Epicureans, from Democritus and Protagoras, to Bentham and Mill, including the philosophers. One of his most widely read and definitive works was a Pelican Special, Humanism (1968) which succeeded his analytical Religion in a Modern Society (1966). He continued writing, lecturing and officiating at humanist funerals into his nineties. The Fable as Literature and the mammoth and original historical survey The Future of our Past: from Ancient Greece to Global Village were fruits of his old age. Blackham enjoyed many years' retirement in the Wye valley, reading, writing and growing vegetables. He lived the exemplary humanist life: that of thought and action welded together. Objections to Humanism by H. J. Blackham (1974, Hardcover, Reprint) С самой низкой ценой, совершенно новый, неиспользованный, неоткрытый, неповрежденный товар в оригинальной упаковке (если товар поставляется в упаковке). Упаковка должна быть такой же, как упаковка этого товара в розничных магазинах, за исключением тех случаев, когда товар является изделием ручной работы или был упакован производителем в упаковку не для розничной продажи, например в коробку без маркировки или в пластиковый пакет. См. подробные сведения с дополнительным описанием товара. What is Secular Humanism? Many believers in God—theists—have commented about Secular Humanism. Josh McDowell: One of the most organized, most challenging and most clearly non-Christian philosophies of today is secular humanism. It is ably represented and defended by a core of prominent scientists and philosophers at the forefront of new scientific and philosophical thought. Secular humanism has its own meetings, its own “clergy” of spokesmen, its own “creed” called the Humanist Manifesto, and its own goals toward which it desires all of humanity to work. Because of its cohesive world view and strong threat to biblical Christianity, it needs to be examined. (Josh McDowell and Don Stewart, Handbook of Today’s Religions (San Bernardino, CA: Here’s Life Publishers, 1983), p. 259). James Dobson and Gary Bauer, two well-known social conservatives, said. Nothing short of a great Civil War of Values rages today throughout North America. Two sides with vastly differing and incompatible worldviews are locked in a bitter conflict that permeates every level of society. (James C. Dobson and Gary L. Bauer, Children at Risk: The Battle for the Hearts and Minds of Our Kids (Dallas, TX: Word, 1990), p. 19, quoted in David A. Noebel, Understanding the Times (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 1991), p. 7. Norman Geisler, a well-known Christian apologist, wrote. Secular humanism presents one of the greatest threats to the survival of Christianity in the world today. It is for this reason that a Christian should carefully study its basic beliefs and scrutinize their adequacy. (Normal L. Geisler, Is Man the Measure? (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Bok House, 1983), pp. 7-8). Why would these theists speak of Secular Humanism in this manner? Why is Secular Humanism so dangerous to the Christian worldview? Over the next few weeks, we’ll be answering those questions, and their answers will become obvious as we explore Secular Humanism in light of Scripture. Tonight, we want to begin our exploration of Secular Humanism by looking at what Secular Humanism is. What Do Secular Humanists Say about Secular Humanism? H. J. Blackham said, “Humanism is a concept of man focused upon a programme for humanity.” (H. J. Blackham, “A Definition of Humanism,” in The Humanist Alternative: Some Definitions of Humanism , ed. Paul Kurtz (Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Books, 1973), 35-37). In other words, Blackham is saying that humanism is focused on man. Corliss Lamont, a well-known Secular Humanist, defined humanism as follows: To define twentieth-century humanism briefly, I would say that it is a philosophy of joyous service for the greater good of all humanity in this natural world and advocating the methods of reason, science, and democracy. (Corliss Lamont, The Philosophy of Humanism 6th ed. (New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing, 1982), p. 12). Notice again in that quotation that humanism is focused on man. Hence, the name “humanism”: that which focuses on man. Paul Kurtz, probably the most well-known humanist today, said. The key message of humanism is not that humanists are nonbelievers in theistic religion—atheists, agnostics, or skeptics—but that we are believers, for we believe deeply in the potentialities of human beings to achieve the good life. Indeed, we wish to apply the virtues and principles of humanist ethics to enhance the human condition. (Paul Kurtz, “When Should We Speak Out? (Secular Humanism and Politics),” Free Inquiry Summer 2003, v. 23). Secular humanists believe very simply that the human creature aspect of Christianity should be divorced from its religious beginnings and considered a major aspect of personal and social-political relationships. They suggest that making decisions on the basis of some supernatural force may lead to destructive irrationality. They believe the scientific method should not only be applied to technology but to the very nature of human relationships. They are strongly committed to the democratic, pluralistic/humanistic, secular society in the tradition of Jefferson. Many are pacifists who, like Jesus, are prepared to turn the other cheek and to eschew all forms of violence. They also believe with Einstein that genuine religiosity does not involve blind faith, fear of life and fear of death, but a search for rational knowledge. (Robert Primack and David Aspy, “The Roots of Humanism.” Educational Leadership , p. 266). What are the Main Points of Humanism? Paul Kurtz wrote A Secular Humanist Declaration which was signed by 58 prominent scholars and writers (Paul Kurtz, A Secular Humanist Declaration (Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Books, 1980). In that declaration, Kurtz gave the following ten principles of Secular Humanism: One: Free Inquiry: The first principle of democratic secular humanism is its commitment to free inquiry. We oppose any tyranny over the mind of man, any efforts by ecclesiastical, political, ideological, or social institutions to shackle free thought.” Two: Separation of Church and State: “Any effort to impose an exclusive conception of Truth, Piety, Virtue, or Justice upon the whle of society is a violation of free inquiry.” “Similarly, church properties should share in the burden of public revenues and should not be exempt from taxation.” In other words, part of the contribution we collect should go to the government. Three: The Ideal of Freedom: “As democratic secularist, we consistently defend the ideal of freedom, not only freedom of conscience and belief from those ecclesiastical, political, and economic interests that seek to repress them, but genuine political liberty, democratic decision-making based upon majority rule, and respect for minority rights and the rule of law. . . . We are for the defense of basic human rights, including the right to protect life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Four: Ethics Based on Critical Intelligence: “Indeed, ethics was developed as a branch of human knowledge long before religionists proclaimed their moral systems based upon divine authority.” “For secular humanists, ethical conduct is, or should be, judged by critical reason, and their goal is to develop autonomous and responsible individuals, capable of making their own choices in life, based upon an understanding of human behavior.” “Secular humanist ethics maintains that it is possible for human beings to lead meaningful and wholesome lives for themselves and in service to their fellow human begins without the need of religious commandments or the benefit of clergy.” Five: Moral Education: “We do not believe that any particular sect can claim important values as their exclusive property; hence it is the duty of public education to deal with these values.” “Although children should learn about the history of religious moral practices, these young minds should not be indoctrinated in a faith before they are mature enough to evaluate the merits for themselves.” Sex: Religious Skepticism: “As secular humanists, we are generally skeptical about supernatural claims.” “while religions have no doubt offered comfort to the bereaved and dying by holding forth the promise of an immortal life, they have also aroused morbid fear and dread. We have found no convincing evidence that there is a separable ‘soul’ or that it exists before birth or survives death. We must therefore conclude that ethical life can be lived without the illusions of immortality or reincarnation.” Seven: Reason: “We are committed to the uses of the rational methods of inquiry, logic, and evidence in developing knowledge and testing claims to truth.” “Although not so naïve as to believe that reason and science can easily solve all human problems, we nonetheless contend that they can make a major contribution to human knowledge and can be of benefit to humankind. We know of no better substitute for the cultivation of human intelligence.” Eight: Science and Technology: “We believe the scientific method, though imperfect, is still the most reliable way of understanding the world. Hence, we look to the natural, biological, social, and behavioral sciences for knowledge of the universe and man’s place within it.” Nine: Evolution: “Although the theory of evolution cannot be said to have reached its final formulation, or to be an infallible principle of science, it is nonetheless supported impressively by the findings of many sciences. There may be some significant differences among scientists concerning the mechanics of evolution; yet the evolution of the species is supported so strongly by the weight of evidence that it is difficult to reject it.” “We deplore the efforts by fundamentalists (especially in the United States) to invade the science classrooms, requiring that creationist theory be taught to students and requiring that it be included in biology textbooks. This is a serious threat both to academic freedom and to the integrity of the educational process.” Ten: Education: “In our view, education should be the essential method of building humane, free, and democratic societies.” “There is a broader task that all those who believe in democratic secular humanist values will recognize, namely, the need to embark upon a long-term program of public education and enlightenment concerning the relevance of the secular outlook to the human condition.” What Should We Christians Say about Secular Humanism? During the next several weeks, we will take each of those ten points we just enumerated and explore them in light of Scripture. However, there are some important considerations we need to cover tonight. According to Secular Humanism, the goal of life is to make human life on this earth better. According to Scripture, the goal of life is to honor God. “Now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deut 10:12). “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man” (Eccl 12:13). Man’s whole being is not centered on himself, it’s not even centered on making this world better for others; man’s whole being is centered on honoring God [fearing him] and keeping God’s commandments. The scientific method the Secular Humanists to value came about as a result of Christianity. Contrary to other religions, Christianity established conditions under which scientific investigation could flourish (Charles Colson, How Now Shall We Live? With Nancy Pearcey (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1999).. Those beliefs are: A belief that the physical world is real, not an illusion. Many Eastern religions hold that the physical world is nothing but an illusion; what we see only appears to be. Christianity, on the other hand, teaches that this world really exists; therefore, it can be studied. A belief that nature is good but not divine. Many pagan cultures hold that the physical world is real, but that the physical world is the abode of the gods. Hence, trees, rocks, birds, and the like are divine, and to study them would be irreverent. Christianity, on the other hand, teaches that this world is good (it is therefore worthy of study) but not divine. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen 1:1). The world is good because God made it, and it is not divine, for the God who made the world is outside of the world. Nature is orderly and predictable. No other religion has considered there to be laws governing nature. But Christianity teaches that God is a Law-Giver, and many early scientists believed that the world operated by laws they could discover because God was seen as a Law-Giver. The ethics espoused by Secular Humanists are anything but godly. They claim that ethics developed as a branch of philosophy (it is one of the major branches of philosophy) prior to any claim of divine sanction for ethical behavior. Where is the proof? They also claim that man should use his reason to determine what is right and wrong. You know that ethics cannot be determined by reason: “I know, O LORD, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps” (Jer 10:23). Ethics flow from God’s character: “Just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy’” (1 Pet 1:15-16). The education Secular Humanists would give our children sends chill up my spine. They do not want children indoctrinated in any religious system, but they are more than willing to indoctrinate our children in their belief system through the public schools! Moral education does not belong to the public schools; it belongs to the parents. Since God has largely been removed from the classroom, to what standard(s) can educators point? Parents have no greater responsibility than training their children in righteousness. Deuteronomy 6:6-7. Ephesians 6:4. To Timothy Paul wrote, “From infancy you have known the holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim 3:15). How could Timothy know the Scriptures from infancy if he weren’t trained by his parents (we know that it was his mother and grandmother who trained him)? Fathers, let us not abandon the obligation we have in our homes to train our children! Secular Humanists want to shove evolution down the throats of our children, while they keep Creation out. If Secular Humanists value reason and investigation so much, what are they afraid of if evolution and Creation are taught fairly side by side? I’ll put the evidence for Creation up against the evidence for evolution any day. Scripture teaches that man is made in God’s image, not the result of random chance. “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Gen 1:27). “From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth” (Acts 17:26). As will be made clear in a future lesson, if we hold that man is nothing more than molecules which randomly came together, we have no reason to treat human life as valuable. Why not have abortions? Why condemn the atrocities of Hitler? Why be opposed to murder? Why be opposed to euthanasia? Conclusion. In the coming weeks, we’ll explore the various nuances of Secular Humanism and ways to confront it. We are in a battle for the hearts and minds of our children, and if we are not careful, we will lose the battle. Let us determine to engage in this warfare, and let us fight for our children and for our God! Do you need to come tonight and become a warrior in the Lord’s army? If you need to come, why not come as we stand and sing? This sermon was originally preached by Dr. Justin Imel, Sr., at the Alum Creek church of Christ in Alum Creek, West Virginia. May Seaton-Tiedeman (1864-1948) If the basic cause of an unsuccessful marriage is removable, conciliation is the proper procedure. If it is not removable, elementary justice and common sense demands that the pair should be divorced. May Seaton-Tiedeman. May Seaton-Tiedeman was a tireless campaigner for divorce reform, motivated by deeply felt humanist values to challenge what she felt were legal and moral injustices. A driving force in the Divorce Law Reform Union, she was also an active part of the Union of Ethical Societies (now Humanists UK), acting as treasurer, vice-chair of the council, and twice chairing its annual congress. Seaton-Tiedeman epitomised the progressive values of the ethical societies, and was clearly at home in the humanist movement. As a champion of reform in areas unduly governed by Christian concepts of morality, she anticipated much of the work which sits central to Humanists UK today. Life. May Louise Seaton was born in Boston, Massachusetts, moving to England with her family in her teens. In 1886, she married Dutch journalist and editor Frederick Henry Lewis Tiedeman, with whom she had one son, and the couple’s wide circle of friends included many writers and reformers. After thirty years of marriage, Frederick died in 1915, and the following year May married long-time family friend Edward Woolf-Abrams. This too would be a long and happy marriage, ending with Edward’s death in 1945. The Divorce Law Reform Union, to which she devoted so much of her time, had for its figureheads Arthur Conan Doyle and Lord Birkenhead, but it was acknowledged even at the time that Seaton-Tiedeman was the group’s driving force. A.P. Herbert, whose Matrimonial Causes Bill shepherded in some of the key reforms sought by the Union, described her as a ‘brave fighter’, who kept ‘her little Union alive with hardly any resources.’ Seaton-Tiedeman was the editor of the Union’s quarterly paper, The Journal (1919-1931) and spoke widely on its causes. It was not any marital disharmony of her own which compelled Seaton-Tiedeman to pursue divorce reform so fiercely. As Cordelia Moyse has written: She was not motivated by personal experience of an unhappy marriage, but rather by her belief that immorality, injustice, and unnecessary human suffering were not to be tolerated. A member of the Ethical Union, her secular humanism found its fullest expression in the divorce reform movement not least because the primary ideology of opponents of reform was Christianity. Following the passing of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1937, which extended the grounds for divorce to include cruelty, desertion and incurable insanity, Arthur Denner Howell Smith (also an Ethical Union member) wrote to The Times to protest the absence of Seaton-Tiedeman’s name in coverage of the bill’s success: All sympathizers with divorce law reform are deeply grateful to Mr. A.P. Herbert for his gallant and strenuous advocacy of the Bill that has now been carried by both Houses. The Press has paid him his due tribute. The pleasure, however, he will feel at this recognition of his efforts will be strongly qualified, as all the members of the Executive Committee of the Divorce Law Reform Union are well aware, by the strange silence of so many newspapers on the long sustained work of Mrs. Seaton-Tiedeman, the union’s hon. Secretary, without whom Mr. Herbert’s Bill might well have miscarried. For 25 years, in season and out of season, by lectures and debates in many places (nearly every Sunday she has advocated her cause in Hyde Park), by correspondence in the Press, and by innumerable interviews, Mrs. Seaton-Tiedeman has worked for divorce law reform, sparing neither her health nor her purse. Mr. A. D. Howell Smith, Chairman of the Executive Committee, the Divorce Law Reform Union. ‘Points from Letters’, The Times , 4 August 1937. Even after the 1937 Act was passed, Seaton-Tiedeman and the Divorce Law Reform Union continued to agitate for further changes to the law, feeling that they must continue ‘till other grounds [for divorce] were permitted.’ Seaton-Tiedeman was also active in efforts to repeal British blasphemy laws, including as part of the Society for the Abolition of Blasphemy Laws. In areas of obscenity too, she brought her humanism to bear on arguments concerning sex and science. In 1935, she testified for the defence in the obscenity trial of Edward Charles’ An Introduction to the Study of the Psychology and Physiology and Bio-Chemistry of the Sex Impulse among Adults in Mental and Bodily Heath. Seaton-Tiedeman defended the work which included ‘an exposition of coital technique intended for the ordinary educated man and woman’, on the grounds of its usefulness to married couples. Seaton-Tiedeman stated that: in the light of fifty years’ experience as a social worker, during the last twenty-three years of which she had had a special acquaintance with wrecked marriages as Honorary Secretary of the Divorce Law Reform Union, she considered the book of immense value for the preservation of marriage. In November 1938, May Seaton-Tiedeman told a reporter for the Daily Herald that she had ‘worked for justice’ all her life: My husband, my family, think I’m mad. They’re sympathetic, of course, but they think I ought to give it up now. I shall go on until I have nothing left. Seaton Tiedeman retired during the Second World War, and died on 22 October 1948. Humanist Housing Association. The Humanist Housing Association began in January 1955, founded as the Ethical Union Housing Association to provide affordable homes for the elderly and those in need. At the time, many housing associations were operated by religious groups, and excluded the non-religious. The Ethical Union Housing Association did not discriminate on grounds of belief or non-belief, but met an important need for those in the latter group, as well as enabling many humanists to give practical expression to their central values. History and influence. The first official meeting to establish the Association took place on 14 January 1955, supported by a £75 start-up donation from the Ethical Union and brought about by a small group seeking to put their humanist beliefs to work for positive change. Its central figures were Mora and Lindsay Burnet, Rose Bush, and Olga Blackham. The first public meeting took place in April at Conway Hall, with its 90 attendees demonstrating enthusiastic support for the initiative. The Ethical Union Housing Association aimed: To provide high quality, value for money, affordable services to meet the housing, care and support needs of older people, people with learning disabilities and other special needs. Donations were given by Hampstead Ethical Society, Conway Hall, the South Place Ethical Society, the Rationalist Press Association, and the Ethical Union (now Humanists UK). A grant of £3000 was given by the National Corporation for the Care of Old People. The Ethical Union Housing Association’s first project was a four-storey Victorian house in Hampstead: to be transformed into 14 bedsit flats, with cooking facilities and shared bathrooms. A humanist belief in autonomy, dignity, and sociability guided the development of this, and all subsequent projects, seeking to provide housing of a high standard, as well as ongoing support for residents. Burnet House welcomed its first tenants on 14 March 1957. The Association received strong support and great interest, as well as many inquiries about availability. The second property was opened in 1963, named Blackham House (after Olga Blackham, a vibrant member of the management committee, and H.J. Blackham, a leading light of the humanist movement). Blackham House was a two-storey block of 20 self-contained flats, built on Worple Road, Wimbledon. Two years later, the Ethical Union Housing Association became the Humanist Housing Association, and in 1968 a third project – Rose Bush Court – was opened in Hampstead. Over the following decade, the Humanist Housing Association continued to grow, developing sites outside of London (including Tunbridge Wells, Chelmsford, and Cambridge), and ultimately owning and managing 18 properties. Emphasis was placed on embodying humanist values, and enriching human lives: supporting the independence of tenants while providing opportunities for communal gatherings and social events. By the end of the 1970s, the Humanist Housing Association managed approximately 1000 flats. Members of the management committee kept in close contact with those living at the properties, and reports spoke of ‘warmth and friendship and humour among the tenants and staff’. Special mention was made of Mora Burnet, who was personable with tenants and effective as a member of management. Some tenants themselves became part of the management committee, and took an active part in the organisation of social events. In 1980, the Humanist Housing Association celebrated its 25th anniversary, taking pride in the tremendous strides they had made since starting out two and a half decades earlier. As the years passed, and regulations increased and tightened, the Association was ever professionalised, including with the addition of new staff. By its 40th birthday, the Humanist Housing Association employed 129, and reported an annual turnover of £3.4 million. The Association also provided expertise and management support to other sheltered housing provision, enabling decades of experience to be shared, and revenue to be generated. The 1990s saw a new reality for housing associations, and the Humanist Housing Association in particular. There had been a vast increase in secular housing provision, as well as rising maintenance costs, and limited financial assistance for housing associations. Towards the end of the decade, the HHA entered into discussions with the St Pancras Housing Association, recognising the need to discuss future options, but devoted to maintaining their distinctive identity and ethos. In 2000, the two associations agreed to merge, becoming the St Pancras and Humanist Housing Association. In 2004, it became Origin Housing, which continues to provide affordable housing and support services. Looking back on the work of the Humanist Housing Association for the Ethical Record in 2000, former Chair Peter Heales wrote: The association came into being at a specific time when humanists felt a specific need. One group of people who needed and deserved better housing were being excluded because they did not have a suitable religious affiliation. The ideals and dedication of its founders helped it pioneer modern standards, and the Association has always been a credit to its founding movement in the way it served its tenants. Like many other contemporary initiatives, including the Agnostics Adoption Society, Humanist Counselling, and prison visits for the non-religious, the Humanist Housing Association emerged in recognition of the dominance of religious groups in the provision of vital services, and the consequent exclusion of humanists and the non-religious. Led by humanist values, and underpinned by a genuine desire to improve the lives of others, each of these gave practical expression to the humanist philosophy, placing compassion, companionship, and quality of life at their heart. --> Blackham, H. J. (Harold John), 1903-2009. Harold Blackham (1903-2009) is described as the 'architect of the British Humanist Movement'. He attended Birmingham University before moving to London and became involved in organised humanism in 1933 as assistant to Stanton Coit at the West London Ethical Society. In 1934 Blackham became chairman of the British Union of Ethical Societies and it was this organisation that became the British Humanist Association (BHA) in 1934, with Blackham as its first director. With almost 70 years of publishing articles and books, he is one of the most significant figures in twentieth century Humanism. Blackham's published works include the epilogue to J.B. Bury's classic History of Freedom of Thought, Living as a Humanist, Objections to Humanism, The Fable as Literature and Blackham's own favourite, The Human Tradition, published in 1953. During the Second Word War he worked in the London Fire Service, driving a fire engine throughout the Blitz, and was involved with bringing Jewish refugee children to Britain from Austria. After the war he worked as Secretary to the Ethical Union and called a London conference of the World Union of Freethinkers to discuss the challenge of Humanism. He went on to found the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) and received the International Humanist Award in 1974. He worked closely with leading Humanists such as Julian Huxley, Barbara Wootton, A.J. Ayer and Jacob Bronowski, leading him to co-found the British Association of Counselling. Education, in particular moral education, was one of his lifelong interests and he co-founded the Journal of Moral Education in 1975. This led to the formation of the Social Morality Council and his work with Dr James Hemming, fellow Humanist and educationist. Harold Blackham retired in 1968 and joined the advisory council of the BHA, to which he recruited figures such as Karl Popper and E.M. Forster. He was President of the BHA between 1974 and 1977, as well as lecturer at London's South Place Ethical Society from 1965 until his death. Harold Blackham eventually retired to the Wye Valley, where he grew vegetables and continued writing and lecturing until his death in 2009 at the age of 106. From the guide to the Harold Blackham Archive, 1919/2009, (Humanist Reference Library and Archives)