I'm grateful for the opportunity to introduce this short debate to recognise World Humanism Day, which is tomorrow, and to talk a little about the philosophy of humanism and its contribution to progressive thought in Wales, the UK and the world.

In a world of increasing intolerance and division, a world undergoing dramatic change due to technological advance and globalisation, it is sometimes easier to become entrenched in narrow beliefs and to ignore the expanse of thought, imagination and the commonality of libertarian belief that there is in the world, whether that be related to a belief in God or a rational belief in none.

Humanism is the outcome of a long tradition of free thought that has inspired many of the world’s great thinkers, from scientists to social reformers. Humanists believe that we have one life and aim to live ethical and fulfilling lives on the basis of reason and humanity, placing human welfare and happiness at the centre of their ethical decision making. 

Humanism is a philosophy that supports democracy and human rights. It seeks to use science creatively not destructively to seek solutions to the world's problems through human thought and action rather than divine intervention. Bertrand Russell, a great British philosopher and humanist, who made his home in Penrhyndeudraeth, said:

'if we are to live together, and not die together, we must learn a kind of charity and a kind of tolerance, which is absolutely vital to the continuation of human life on this planet.'

To this extent, humanism has many philosophical and ethical similarities with basic Christian, Buddhist, Jewish and Islamic religious beliefs. Humanists often share values with religions, with many similarities with the philosophy and ethics of Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Buddhism. But, humanism is not based on the existence of God or bound to any set of religious teachings or beliefs. It is a belief in reason and autonomy as foundational aspects of human existence. Humanists make their ethical decisions based on reason, empathy and a concern for human beings and other sentient animals. 

Humanism has been around for millennia, but the connections between humanist thought and social reform developed substantially in the nineteenth century, when a new generation of social reformers and activists were influenced by philosophers and intellectuals who wrote about people making a difference to the world and looking out for each other without regard for religion. Aneurin Bevan rejected the beliefs of his non-conformist parents to become a secularist socialist. A Newtown-born humanist, Robert Owen, was one of the founders of the co-operative movement.

Today, we live in a world where it is predicted that by 2030 50 per cent of the world's wealth will be in the hands of 1 per cent of the population. Half of the world flourishes while half of the world starves. As inequality increases, societies become increasingly unstable, growing nationalisms set people against people, barriers are erected and the seeds of conflict are sown.

Humanism, as with ethical socialism, is about the belief that the power to resolve all of these problems lies in our hands, through rational analysis, the use of science for the benefit of all and through a recognition of our common humanity and obligations to one another.

Humanism is, perhaps, the default philosophical position for millions of people in the UK today, and many humanists improve society by strengthening our democratic freedoms, involving themselves assiduously in charity work, increasing our body of scientific knowledge and enhancing our cultural, creative and civic life. In Wales, 53 per cent of our population say they don’t belong to any religion, and this includes 73 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds and 69 per cent of 25 to 34-year-olds.

To ensure a fully inclusive civic ethic in our society, we must recognise the rights of non-religious people. In 2015, Lord Williams of Oystermouth, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, called for humanism to be included in the English religious studies curriculum, alongside Christianity and Islam. He was amongst signatories including prominent Jewish, Muslim and Sikh representatives arguing that the inclusion of non-religious ideas would be a more accurate representation of modern Britain and would allow young people to study a more representative sample of major world views that are common in Britain today.

So, we can take pride in the moves in this direction in Wales. Humanism is now on the religious education curriculum in Wales. Following a legal challenge, the Cabinet Secretary for Education has recently written to all of Wales’s 22 local authorities to advise that representatives of non-religious belief systems must be given the same right as religious representatives to sit on the standing advisory councils on religious education, which are the local authority bodies responsible for overseeing religious education in schools.

So, in Wales, we are making progress, but there is still a long way to go. Humanist marriages are legal in Scotland and Jersey, but not in Wales, where the law remains non-devolved, and only four hospitals in Wales have agreed to accept volunteer non-religious pastoral carers as part of their chaplaincy teams.

Recognising the role of humanism in Wales as part of our beliefs system is also about ensuring a fully inclusive civic ethic in all of our social and public institutions. Those who are not religious, and I would say that this is probably the majority of people in our present-day society, have much to contribute to the values on which our society is based and to the direction it takes in the future.

In Much Ado About Nothing, William Shakespeare says:

'Love all, trust a few, / Do wrong to none'.

I prefer the more prescient statement from the British philosopher and American founding father, Thomas Paine:

'The World is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion.'

Thank you.