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HANNAH WALLACE: CRISIS IN TURKISH EDUCATION CELEBRATING REASON AND HUMANITY February/March 2019 Vol. 39 No. 2 HOW MORALITY EVOLVED DOUG MANN LINDA KAY KLEIN Dissects the Christian Purity Movement F/M 17 $5.95 CDN $5.95 US $5.95 Tom Flynn | Faisal Saeed Al Mutar 03 Robert M. Price | S. T. Joshi Poetry by Max Jacob Published by the Center for Inquiry in association 0 74470 74957 8 with the Council for Secular Humanism For many, mere atheism (the absence of belief in gods and the supernatural) or agnosticism (the view that such questions cannot be answered) aren’t enough. It’s liberating to recognize that supernatural beings are human creations … that there’s no such thing as “spirit” or “transcendence”… that people are undesigned, unintended, and responsible for themselves. But what’s next? Atheism and agnosticism are silent on larger questions of values and meaning. If Meaning in life is not ordained from on high, what small-m meanings can we work out among ourselves? If eternal life is an illusion, how can we make the most of our only lives? As social beings sharing a godless world, how should we coexist? For the questions that remain unanswered after we’ve cleared our minds of gods and souls and spirits, many atheists, agnostics, skeptics, and freethinkers turn to secular humanism. Secular. “Pertaining to the world or things not spiritual or sacred.” Humanism. “Any system of thought or action concerned with the interests or ideals of people … the intellectual and cultural movement … characterized by an emphasis on human interests rather than … religion.” — Webster’s Dictionary Secular humanism is a comprehensive, nonreligious life stance incorporating: A naturalistic philosophy A cosmic outlook rooted in science, and A consequentialist ethical system in which acts are judged not by their conformance to preselected norms but by their consequences for men and women in the world. Secular humanism incorporates the Enlightenment principle of individualism, which celebrates emancipating the individual from traditional controls by family, church, and state, increasingly empowering each of us to set the terms of his or her own life. The Council for Secular Humanism is North America’s leading organization for nonreligious people who seek to live value-rich lives. FREE INQUIRY is its magazine. Welcome! To learn more, visit http://www.secularhumanism.org CFI Mission: The Center for Inquiry strives to foster a secular society based on reason, science, freedom of inquiry, and humanist values. Our Vision: A world where people value evidence and critical thinking, where superstition and prejudice subside, and where science and compassion guide public policy. Our Values: Integrity, Courage, Innovation, Empathy, Learning, and Wonder. A program of the Center for Inquiry, Inc. FEBRUARY | MARCH 2019 Volume 39 No. 2 CELEBRATING REASON AND HUMANITY For many, mere atheism (the absence of belief in gods and the supernatural) or agnosticism (the view that such questions cannot be answered) aren’t enough. It’s liberating to recognize 16 The Science of the Evolution of Morality 30 Understanding Ayaan Hirsi Ali: that supernatural beings are human creations … that there’s no such thing as “spirit” or Doug Mann A Ciritical Examination “transcendence”… that people are undesigned, unintended, and responsible for themselves. Mark Kolsen But what’s next? 24 Pure Anguish 34 Saint Peterasty Linda Kay Klein Robert M. Price Atheism and agnosticism are silent on larger questions of values and meaning. If Meaning in life is not ordained from on high, what small-m meanings can we work out 37 Science vs. Religion (Redux?): among ourselves? If eternal life is an illusion, how can we make the most of our only lives? 28 From Darwin to Jihad: The Erosion of Turkey’s How (Not) to Discuss/Debate the Subject As social beings sharing a godless world, how should we coexist? Secular Education System Sheldon F. Gottlieb Hannah Wallace For the questions that remain unanswered after we’ve cleared our minds of gods and souls and spirits, many atheists, agnostics, skeptics, and freethinkers turn to secular humanism. EDITORIAL 44 CUNO’S CORNER 55 HUMANISM AT LARGE 4 Humanism’s Chasm Rules for Playing the Race Card What Did the Lions Eat Secular. “Pertaining to the world or things not spiritual or sacred.” Tom Flynn Steve Cuno on Noah’s Ark? Douglas Whaley Humanism. “Any system of thought or action concerned with the interests or ideals of OP-EDS 45 GREAT MINDS Hot and Wild Sufficiency: REVIEWS people … the intellectual and cultural movement … characterized by an emphasis on 7 Walking on Eggshells: Epicurus, the Mehness of Death, 58 The Human Instinct human interests rather than … religion.” Discussing Extremism in the West and the Pleasures of Enough by Kenneth Miller Faisal Saeed Al Mutar — Webster’s Dictionary Dale DeBakcsy Reviewed by Gregory S. Paul 8 The Failure of Fusion Power 47 Selections from the Letter to Secular humanism is a comprehensive, nonreligious life stance incorporating: 60 Neither Ghost nor Machine: Gregory S. Paul Menoeceus The Emergence and Epicurus A naturalistic philosophy 9 The Long View Nature of Selves by Jeremy Sherman S. T. Joshi 49 HIGH HERESY A cosmic outlook rooted in science, and The Likelihood of Reviewed by Kenneth Nahigian LOOKING BACK Religion Being True A consequentialist ethical system in which acts are judged not by their conformance 11 Michael Meyerson 62 Behold, He Said, by Tom Flynn to preselected norms but by their consequences for men and women in the world. LETTERS 51 THINKING OUT LOUD Reviewed by James Morrow Death: The Great 13 Blackboard Eraser POEMS Jeremiah Bartlett Secular humanism incorporates the Enlightenment principle of individualism, which 51 Love and Time celebrates emancipating the individual from traditional controls by family, church, and DEPARTMENTS Max Jacob 52 THE HUMANIST SOAPBOX state, increasingly empowering each of us to set the terms of his or her own life. 42 DOERR'S WAY Perceptions of Humanism 66 Romantic Allusions Arizona’s Big Win for Public Schools, Dan Davis The Council for Secular Humanism is North America’s leading organization for nonreligious Church-State Separation to Mardi-Gras Edd Doerr Max Jacob people who seek to live value-rich lives. FREE INQUIRY is its magazine. 54 MEDICAL MUSINGS The Biology of Addiction Tree of Life John Frantz Welcome! Ted Richer To learn more, visit http://www.secularhumanism.org CFI Mission: The Center for Inquiry strives to foster a secular society based on reason, science, freedom of inquiry, and humanist values. Our Vision: A world where people value evidence and critical thinking, where superstition and prejudice subside, and where science and compassion guide public policy. Our Values: Integrity, Courage, Innovation, Empathy, Learning, and Wonder. A program of the Center for Inquiry, Inc. embrace the thoroughgoing natural- TOM FLYNN ism of a life stance such as atheism or secular humanism. Still, let’s suppose EDITORIAL (very conservatively) that only 10 per- Editor Thomas W. Flynn cent of Nones live without a hint of the Managing Editor Nicole Scott supernatural. (I presume the true figure Columnists Ophelia Benson, Russell is substantially higher.) Still, even at the Blackford, Greta Christina, Edd Doerr, Shadia B. Drury, Humanism’s 10 percent level, that suggests that Sarah Haider, Faisal Saeed 7.567 million Americans are atheists, Al Mutar, Gregory S. Paul Chasm freethinkers, or secular humanists. Yet Senior Editors Bill Cooke, Richard Dawkins, across our nation, no “movement” or- Edd Doerr, James A. Haught, Jim Herrick, Ronald A. Lindsay, ganization boasts even 100,000 mem- Taslima Nasrin ere is one of organized hu- bers. Moreover, membership numbers manism’s most persistent puz- Contributing Editors Levi Fragell, have held relatively steady, or at best Adolf Grünbaum, zles: In an America where the grown modestly, for many years. (Even Marvin Kohl, Lee Nisbet number who live without re- if an organization’s membership has Assistant Editor Julia Lavarnway Hligion has snowballed, why hasn’t the Literary Editor Ted Richer doubled, that’s a drop in the bucket membership of national “movement” compared to the potential for growth Permissions Editor Julia Lavarnway groups—atheist, agnostic, freethought, the number of Nones suggests.) Art Director Christopher S. Fix and secular humanist—kept pace? There isn’t just a gap between the I’ve been covering the “Rise of “Rise of the Nones” and the member- Center for Inquiry Inc. the Nones” since 1990, when Barry ship growth of national secular orga- Chair Edward Tabash Kosmin (now a Center for Inquiry [CFI] Board of Directors David Cowan, Richard Dawkins, nizations; there’s a chasm. In reason’s Brian Engler, Kendrick Frazier, board member) and his colleagues name, why? Barry A. Kosmin, Y. Sherry Sheng, at the City University of New York J. Anderson Thomson Jr., I’ve been looking everywhere for Leonard Tramiel released their first American Religious Honorary: the answer—and I had a lot of places Rebecca Newberger to look. Goldstein Susan Jacoby I’ve enjoyed multiple vantage CEO and President Robyn E. Blumner points from which to watch our move- Senior Research Fellow Ronald A. Lindsay ment’s dynamics. As a journalist, I got “In an America where to cover the Rise of the Nones and then Corporate Counsel Nicholas J. Little the number who live the explosion of original sociological Director, Government Affairs Jason Lemieux without religion has research about the nonreligious that Executive Director, RDFRS Robyn E. Blumner snowballed, why hasn’t followed. As executive director of the Chief Financial Officer Barry Karr Council for Secular Humanism, I got Coordinator, Secular Rescue Matthew Cravatta the membership of to know hundreds of active members of face-to-face humanist and atheist Director of Public national ‘movement’ Engagement Stephanie Guttormson groups ... kept pace?” groups around the country.
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