Humanism
Humanism is a philosophical and ethical stance that emphasizes the value and agency of human beings, individually and collectively, and generally prefers critical thinking and evidence (rationalism and empiricism) over acceptance of dogma or superstition. The meaning of the term "humanism" has fluctuated according to the successive intellectual movements which have identified with it. The term was coined by theologian Friedrich Niethammer at the beginning of the 19th century to refer to a system of education based on the study of classical literature ("classical humanism"). Generally, however, humanism refers to a perspective that affirms some notion of human freedom and progress. It views humans as solely responsible for the promotion and development of individuals and emphasizes a concern for man in relation to the world.
Yaakov Malkin
Humanistic nonreligious beliefs include Agnostics such as Socrates, Deists such as Epicurus, Pantheists such as Spinoza or Einstein, and Atheists such as John Stuart Mill and Bertrand Russell, which are all free of commitment to a religious or ideological religion. A contemporary institutionalized Jewish form of humanism is Humanistic Judaism (www.shj.org), to which Malkin's works contributed and in which movement Malkin's daughter, Sivan Maas, is a rabbi. These humanistic nonreligious beliefs stand in contrast to postmodern relativism in that they see themselves as bound by humanistic ethical values and by the values of universal justice as articulated by Confucius and Hillel the Elder: "Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself". These values of justice lead to the moral values of equality, freedom, and human and national rights.