The American Humanist Association will celebrate Philip Pullman this summer as International Humanist Awardee. “His popular and sometimes controversial works champion such humanist values as kindness, love, courage, courtesy, intellectual curiosity, and opposition to organized dogma and tyranny.” The World Humanist Congress Evening Awards Banquet will take place Saturday, 7 June at L’Enfant Plaza Hotel in Washington D.C. Read more.
“The AHA actively educates the public about Humanism, brings Humanists together for mutual support and action, defends the civil liberties and constitutional freedoms of Humanists-indeed of all peoples-and leads both local and national Humanist organizations toward progressive societal change.”
Registration information can be found here.
Congratulations to Philip Pullman! You truly deserve this reward and recognition.
That a boy, Pullman!
What is a Humanist anyway?
Humanism is primarily a secular worldview which promotes an ethical outlook as determined by rationality that affirms the dignity and intrinsic worth of all human beings. It encourages the idea that humans have within them the capacity for growth and progress, both socially and on a global scale.
It essentially amounts to the concept affirmed by Lyra at the end of HDM — that of building the Republic of Heaven. That’s all Humanism aspires to, and it encapsulates the values and ideas of Humanism so perfectly. It’s because of Pullman that I’m a Secular Humanist, and I can’t wait to attend this conference in June!