Call us now:
Back to the Enlightenment roots
The original Enlightenment included a range of ideas centred on the pursuit of happiness, sovereignty of reason, and the evidence of the senses as the primary sources of knowledge and advanced ideals such as liberty, progress, toleration, fraternity, constitutional government, and separation of church and state.
We believe those values never faded away and are, in fact, as foundational today as they were three hundred years ago.
Welcome to civilized debate
A group of Canadian humanists have created a space where people can freely discuss subjects of concern in civilized debate. The New Enlightenment Project website contains information on enlightenment principles and invites forum discussion about their application and modification.
While the sovereignty of empiricism and reason along with advanced ideals such as liberty, progress, toleration, and fraternity have universal application, what deserves to remain universal and what is best left to particular cultures is the raging debate of our time. This forum allows such discussion.
Have a question?
Latest
- Humanism and Economics
HUMANISM AND ECONOMICS PART ONE You do not have to be a doctor to know that good hygiene, nutrition, and exercise are important to help maintain good health. You do not have to be a psychologist to know that repeated and uncontrolled behaviour that is destructive to yourself or others is an addiction. You do… Read more: Humanism and Economics - My first impressions of the New Enlightenment project
In an age when noise is mistaken for argument and outrage for conviction, the New Enlightenment Project stands apart – a quiet, deliberate insistence that reason has not had its day. Founded by Canadian humanists who refuse to treat the Enlightenment as a museum piece, NEP reminds us that liberty, toleration, and the sovereignty… Read more: My first impressions of the New Enlightenment project - Humanism as Resistance: Reclaiming Dialogue in Divided TimesPreviously published in: humanistfreedoms The rise of modern individualism, scientific inquiry, and pluralistic thought did not emerge in Europe because Christianity was uniquely compatible with Enlightenment values. Rather, these developments became possible as the Roman Catholic Church gradually lost its monopoly over the dominant narrative that defined truth. This shift allowed alternative perspectives to surface… Read more: Humanism as Resistance: Reclaiming Dialogue in Divided Times
- Two Solitudes of Secularism
Two distinct interpretations of secularism are discussed by Leslie Rosenblood, Secularism Chair of the Centre for Inquiry Canada, and Michel Virard, President of the Association Humaniste du Québec. Moderator: Robert Hamilton, Vice-President of The New Enlightenment Project. Michel’s positionSecularism (laïcité) requires strict state neutrality, especially visible neutrality. Public servants exercising state authority—teachers, judges, police—must not… Read more: Two Solitudes of Secularism - Humanism and Religion
PART ONE I Humanism seeks truth from evidence and rational analysis. It engages in calm and open discussions that display a desire to understand various points of view. There is, however, no acceptance of divinity, doctrine, or dogma. Therefore, humanists are by definition not religious. At the same time, humanists believe in freedom of expression,… Read more: Humanism and Religion - Humanism, Democracy, and Freedom
PART ONE Democracy in government essentially means “rule by the people” rather than rule by a monarch, aristocracy or dictator. Democracy is not a new idea but it is one that has not been put into practice all that often. Members of small, nomadic groups were roughly equal in power, because there was little to… Read more: Humanism, Democracy, and Freedom