What is Humanism?
'''Humanism''' is a [[philosophy]] or a way of thinking about the [[world]]. Humanism is a set of [[ethics]] or ideas about how people should live and act. People who hold this set of ethics are called humanists.<ref>Nicolas Walter, Nicolas 1997. ''Humanism – What's in the Word''. London: Rationalist Press Association. {{ISBN|0-301-97001-7}}</ref><ref>Norman, Richard 2004. ''On humanism: thinking in action''. London: Routledge.</ref> Humanists prefer [[critical thinking]] and [[evidence]] ([[rationalism]] and [[empiricism]]) over acceptance of [[dogma]] or [[superstition]]. In modern times, humanism is close to [[secularism]]. It refers to a non-[[theism|theistic]] approach to life, looking to science instead of religious [[dogma]] in order to understand the world.<ref>See for example the [[British Humanist Association]]'s [https://humanism.org.uk/humanism/ definition of Humanism]</ref> The term was made widely known by scientists in the mid-20th century. Many wanted to recognise human values, but without depending on religion as the main source of values.<ref>Biology and humanism, Chapter 10 of Dromnamraju, Krishna R. 1993. ''If I am to be remembered: the life and work of Julian Huxley with selected correspondence''. Singapore: World Scientific.</ref> Views held by many humanists include: * Humans deserve respect. Every human should be treated with respect and allowed to have [[dignity]]. If all people act with respect for others, then people will live in peace and trust. * People should all be able to decide how they want to live their lives. They should use [[reason]]ing to make decisions and solve problems. * Humanists decide what choices are good by whether those choices will help make human life better and the world around them. == History == Humanist ideas were discussed in [[Ancient Greece]], from [[Thales]] to [[Anaxagoras]] and [[Protagoras]]. The teachings of [[Zarathushtra]] and [[Lao Tzu]] had strong elements of humanism, and there are many other examples. The writings of the ancient Greeks were