Humanism and Its Aspirations

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Humanism and Its Aspirations (subtitled Humanist Manifesto III, a successor to the Humanist Manifesto of 1933) is the most recent of the Humanist Manifestos, published in 2003 by the American Humanist Association (AHA).^[1] The newest one is much shorter, listing six primary beliefs, which echo themes from its predecessors:

• Knowledge of the world is derived by observation, experimentation, and rational analysis. (See empiricism.)
• Humans are an integral part of nature, the result of unguided evolutionary change.
• Ethical values are derived from human need and interest as tested by experience. (See ethical naturalism.)
• Life's fulfillment emerges from individual participation in the service of humane ideals.
• Humans are social by nature and find meaning in relationships.
• Working to benefit society maximizes individual happiness.

It has been used as source material for secular and atheist ethics.^[2]