Tom Flynn - Secular Humanism versus . . . Atheism?

June 26, 2009

Tom Flynn is Executive Director of the Council for Secular Humanism, and the Editor of Free Inquiry magazine. A journalist, novelist, entertainer, and folklorist, Flynn is the author of numerous articles for Free Inquiry, many addressing church-state issues, as well as the best-selling The Trouble With Christmas, about which he has made hundreds of radio and TV appearances in his role as the curmudgeonly “anti-Claus.” He is also the author of the critically acclaimed anti-religious black comedy science fiction novels, Galactic Rapture and Nothing Sacred. His latest work, The New Encyclopedia of Unbelief, is a comprehensive reference work on the history, beliefs, and thinking of America’s fastest growing minority: those who live without religion.

In this discussion with D.J. Grothe, Tom Flynn talks about his new role as Executive Director of the Council for Secular Humanism, and the relationship of that organization with the Center for Inquiry, including contrasting the Council's grassroots network of secular humanist and freethought societies with the growing network of Centers for Inquiry throughout North America. He describes the Council's and CFI's new jointly sponsored Campaign for Free Expression. He explores the philosophical underpinnings of the Council for Secular Humanism, which includes advocating for and defending a nonreligious life stance rooted in science, naturalistic philosophy and humanist ethics. He criticizes the impulse among some secularist activists to avoid the term "atheism," because secular humanism presumes atheism, and he argues that secular humanists should "come out" as atheists. He explains why secularist or science activists in the political arena who strategically avoid the term "atheist" may appear to be disingenuous. But then he contrasts secular humanism with atheism, arguing that "atheism is just the beginning." He details new survey results showing that the fastest growing cognitive minority group and the only life-stance minority group that has grown over the last eight years in all fifty States is the nonreligious, and argues that between 8-10% of the U.S. population are "hard seculars," those who are explicitly atheist, agnostic, secular humanist, as opposed to people who are merely "unchurched." He explores the possibility of more elected officials "coming out" as atheists and secular humanists, and more atheists and secular humanists getting elected to public office. And he details some factors he thinks will indicate in the near future that secular humanism and atheism have become more widely acceptable in our society.

MP3

Books Mentioned in This Episode:

Links Mentioned in This Episode:

Council for Secular Humanism
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Related Episodes

Eric Maisel - The Atheist’s Way
March 6, 2009

Comments from the CFI Forums

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Just finished listening and thought it did a good job of sorting out the various avenues of action and thought currently ongoing.  As usual D.J. did a masterful job of carrying the discussion along.  I do not see a lot of replies or controversy coming up here as it basically preaches to the choir if you’ll pardon thexpression, but I could be wrong.  We’ll see.

An atheist coming out day… it better be in winter because there will be a lot of hotheads about.

Posted on Aug 09, 2009 at 4:37pm by gray1 Comment #1

I think Tom did a great job of applying some badly-needed intellectual subtlety to the distinction between “atheist” and “secular humanist”. Atheism is, in philosophical terms, “necessary but not sufficient.” So I don’t believe in God. Big whoop—what is it that I do believe in? That is where the concepts and life stance of “secular humanism” comes into play. The problem with a lot of self-proclaimed atheists is that they seem to believe their atheism is an end state rather than a mere starting point.

Posted on Aug 11, 2009 at 5:55am by steveg144 Comment #2

In the absence of any “eternal life” belief, I suppose that a strict atheist has ultimately decided that such a decision does dictate a certain “end point”.  Please leave to me at least my personal fantasies, it’s less depressing than the alternative.

BTW, As a coincidence, WNYC Radio Lab is most recently running a podcast on “After Life” followed up by one on “Death”.  Some of it is rather amusing including comedic senarios on variations of what might be awaiting us.
Enjoy!:  http://www.wnyc.org/shows/radiolab/

Posted on Aug 11, 2009 at 8:15am by gray1 Comment #3

I wonder what Neil DeGrasse Tyson would say in response to this episode.  He has specifically categorized himself as an agnostic and wishes to disassociate himself with the “atheist” movement.  This episode does bring up a great idea in which atheism is a good starting point.  Considering many intellectuals have struggled with making a choice of being an atheist or an agnostic, would it be safe to conclude that either atheism or agnosticism are both good starting points, rather than endpoints, which then lead to the notion of secular humanism?

Posted on Aug 11, 2009 at 4:38pm by tcm92678 Comment #4

I liked the interview with Flynn. And I was comforted to see that Free Inquiry Magazine still “cuts through the noise and the surprising courage to appear politically incorrect.” When, WHEN will P of I correct this embarrassingly bad sentence???  Bringing it to their attention only falls on deaf ears.

Posted on Aug 17, 2009 at 9:45pm by pjbourque Comment #5