Ours is an anthropocentric Universe. What we experience of It as humans goes through our being by virtue of our sentient cognition and we have no other, independent verification of Its existence or reality.

Given such a state of awareness we apprehend our own, individual existence as central and prime, yet inextricably bound up with that of others like us. Only after this knowledge of our own Kind come the more remote layers of our experiential reality-animal life and the inanimate world.

We can see that we ourselves and other humans should be to us the most important object of interest, study and activity in the universal realm.

Regrettably, the last century has seen a distancing of our civilizational enterprise from this interest, study, and activity which we term Humanism. In the past, Humanism had marked some of the most noble and illustrious achievements of our history. It had inspired human beings to unprecedented feats of ingenuity, creativity and formal intellect.

It is time that we see clearly our existential priorities and embrace our allegiance to homo sapiens, our Race, in all its variety and venturing human potential.

August 2002

* It must be noted that Humanism in no way negates the possible existence of God, whom human cognition discerns as That which Is in excess of the Universe. To some, our very capacity for such discernment is proof of his transcending Presence.

B. On Creative Humanism

Humanism is a vast domain of endeavor, different in every age according to the possibilities and human development extant. Thus from the time of Pasteur, humanism has seen human beings to a great preoccupation, involvement and fascination with medicine, which directly benefits the Race. For this to happen, three main ingredients had to be present: an outstanding need, favorable conditions and a humanist posture, in this case consisting of compassion for early death and pain, and a zeal arising from an abiding interest in the human entity. Beyond the first two ingredients, the third, humanist climate, was always essential. What is the situation in our day? Certainly we have outstanding need. Our Planet is beset by wars, famine, intractable disease, hunger, lack of drinkable water, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and minefields, abuse of every conceivable kind and problems of substance addiction. Furthermore our environment is endangered to an indeterminable extent.

However, if we would only realize it, we have all the possibilities at hand to solve these adversities.

What we lack is the third vital ingredient: a creative, embracing Humanism, that is, a great and unswerving devotion to all our Kind. This devotion is tantamount to our elemental and acquired need to nurture the human estate we are heir to. The fulfillment of this need is a prime source of happiness, as we might expect from the primacy of our existential awareness of each other as human beings. We should therefore consciously develop the Humanism of our day. We should use our best, most sentient efforts to foment this Humanism. We should train all our nascent intellectual and emotional capacities on it, and cause ourselves to flourish with its power, to change and evolve our humanity to unprecedented heights.

September 2002

C. Humanism and the New Enlightenment

At the present time there is little emphasis on humanism in our civilization's proceedings. It is enough to see where we apportion our means. Consumer spending and military budgets far exceed the monies devoted to improving the human lot. As we have stated there are a great many unmet needs. Consider, for example, the funding for research devoted to mental disorders, which are some of the most complex and problematic human banes, often involving years of untold suffering and the possibility of violent death. The amount spent on this typically humanist demand is miniscule compared to that expended on non-humanist pursuits. The most pressing research and development need, however, is the welfare of children. Their death and suffering in the throes of famine, disease, war and abuse, their endangerment by polluted water and minefields, their diverse other ills and perils require the most urgent measures.

To this we must add the predicament of the adult world. All of that taken together means we must acquire knowledge and skills far above those which we currently possess. Thus spending material wealth is but the first step. What we need is a new age of Humanist Enlightenment which will bring us triumph over adversity and a new vision of Man. In this vision, men and women, free of the dire circumstances that had beset and enslaved them, will work together for aims we have yet to conceive of.

July 2002

D. The Enlightenment to Come

The dictionary definition of "to enlighten" is: To give mental or spiritual light to, to instruct, to give information on. There is also a poetic rendition: To shed light upon, to release from ignorance, prejudice or superstition.

Humanism pertains to both these versions, for it ultimately embraces the totality of human nature and experience.

In general we can envision that in the course of working on world problems human beings will learn a prodigious amount about anthropology, psychology, psychiatry, sociology, linguistics and all other social disciplines. This will allow them to understand and hence to cherish and respect each other as never before. We thus look forward to a time of growing tolerance, and in the future, a climate in which human cultures could develop freely, with an unprecedented rise in vitality. We will turn to this question at a later point. For now we will say that the free development of cultures would increase ethnic plurality and the variegation needed for a fulfilling and enriching life.

That is the essence of the New Enlightenment we would win for the coming age.

August 2002

E. Women, Humanism and the New Enlightenment

Women as a rule are natural humanists. Particularly in their role as bearers and nurturers of children they are made acutely aware of all that is ultimate and profound in life. This awareness lends itself to formal scholarship in all matters pertaining to human welfare and existential development. Thus they make excellent psychologists, sociologists, psychiatrists and social workers.

Women, it is known, while being humanely cerebral are also capable of a high degree of practicality and common sense.

In the proposed rise of humanism they should play an active role at solving the acute problems besetting humankind. Their vantage point, input and discernment in these matters should be considered very seriously indeed.

In order that they might take part in contributing to the New Enlightenment, they should be given three years of leave for raising each of their children, during which time they should keep up with the literature in their field. When their youngest child reaches three years of age, they should go back to being scholars and promulgators of the New Enlightenment, contributing their developed sagacity and expertise to its advancement on Earth. 

August 2002

F. Men, Humanism, and the New Enlightenment

For the majority of men humanism does not come as naturally as it does for women. The reason for this seems to be that most of them lack the humanizing experience of facing life-and-death issues at close range and their living is often devoted to material preoccupations. Thus they are removed from the awareness of their fellow human beings which would engage their core humanity and bring them ultimate fulfillment. However, there are those who, through the experience of great suffering gain a global compassion which is humanist. They are usually moved to serve those who are in dire straits and often become involved in movements to redeem their lot. Such committed men can become protagonists for humanist causes. Some of them have been in evidence throughout history and can act as inspiring role models for anyone who would study their example and apply it to their own times. Likewise, women humanists can can exemplify Humanism and the New Enlightenment to men of their time, so that they can work together to win a better, more inspired fate for Mankind.

August 2002

G. The New Enlightenment and Communication

In the New Enlightenment we should expect to make the negotiation of societal processes much more facile and immediate. Most especially the redemptive content of our humanist enterprise should be rendered in language which is clear, forthright, if possible brief and, of course, honest. We should also consider improving such language linguistically for rapid emergency communication. This would include improvements in grammar, particularly in syntax.

For ordinary communication we should learn to create and use multi-lingual contractions such as Esperanto or lnterlingua to increase international contacts. Finally, in developing the new general knowledge about Man we should evolve lucid and eloquent styles for expressing the increasingly complex thinking of the coming age. These stylistic creations would no doubt stimulate new literary endeavors which in turn would engender other forms of cultural expression befitting the increased depth and power of human intellectuality.

August 2002

H. Annals of the New Enlightenment

We have envisioned that an age of New Enlightenment will arise from a humanism which has as its aim the solution of the worst societal problems of our day. This humanism should result in a redeeming enterprise which to be successful would have to be planned, directive, and globally coordinated.

It stands to reason, therefore, that such an enterprise should involve a meticulous record of all its proceedings, essential tactics and key paradigms. Work on a record of this kind is the domain of historians, archivists and social analysts of various persuasions. It should require top specialists from as many societies as possible. The computerized archives should be kept in strategically placed locations of the Planet and be available in all languages. They should be held by the civilization in sacred trust.

We can expect that their presence will foment more societal research and more scholarship and projective thinking, thus potentiating and securing for the future the New Enlightenment on Earth.

I. The New Enlightenment and Human Law

The New Enlightenment in its arrival should bring a new image of humanity on Earth. In the process of this development there should of necessity be substantive changes in human mores and human law.

We look forward to these changes which would no doubt humanize morality and legality on two different levels: the societal and the global. Not all these changes would be liberalizing. Some would have to introduce elements of austerity in cases where there are excesses which produce adversity for the underprivileged. All this innovation should be the subject of meticulous study in moral philosophy and jurisprudence, ushering in a future of much more sensitized social conscience and scrupulous justice for every citizen of Planet Earth.

August 2002

J. The Exemplars of the New Enlightenment

The human beings of the New Enlightenment would above all be the embodiment of a vitally serious responsibility for their fellow Men. It is by this sense of responsibility that they would be moved to become new guardians, nurturers, scholars, teachers, seekers and keepers of the Civilization's good. All of them would consider themselves servants of Humanity and from that they would gain their most profound and self-actualizing identity. They would share this identity in allegiance to all that is human then and in the future of their consciously developed illustrious order of Being.

September 2002