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Resources

There is no ‘required reading’ in order to identify yourself as a Humanist, but we often hear from people that they would like to learn more about this philosophy of life. The following are a few resources that allow you to find out more about the history of Humanism, famous Humanists and Humanism in popular culture…

The British Humanist Association offers a simple guide:

The Really Simple Guide to Humanism

Free courses in Humanism are offered by the Humanist Institute at:

http://cohe.humanistinstitute.org/free-courses

Find out how to celebrate Humanism on World Humanist Day:

http://iheu.org/humanism/world-humanist-day/

You are in good company –  have a look at this list of famous Humanists:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_secular_humanists

Stay informed by reading this Canadian Humanist magazine:

http://www.humanistperspectives.org

Further Reading
  • The Philosophy of Humanism – Corliss Lamont

  • Good without God, what a billion non-religious people do believe
    – by Greg Epstein,

  • Humanism: A Very Short Introduction – Stephen Law

  • Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism – Susan Jacoby

  • Making the Manifesto – William Schulz

  • The Good Book: A Humanist Bible – A.C. Grayling

  • Parenting Beyond Belief – Dale McGowan

  • The Magic of Reality – Richard Dawkins

  • Letter to a Christian Nation – Sam Harris

  • Why I Am Not a Christian –  Bertrand Russell

  • Why are You Atheists So Angry? – Greta Christina

  • Comforting Thoughts about Death that have Nothing to do with God
    – Greta Christina

  • The Quest for a Moral Compass: A Global History of Ethics
    – Kenan Malik

Humanism in Popular Culture

The following are a collection of films, television shows, books and authors that may appeal to Humanists. They may not be aimed specifically at Humanists, but they embrace a Humanist mindset.

Movies
  • American Beauty (1999)

  • Inherit the Wind (1960)

  • Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979)

  • Cosmos with Carl Sagan (1980)

  • Little Buddha (1993)

  • The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

  • The Crucible (1996)

  • Chocolat (2000)

  • Jesus Camp (2006)

  • The Invention of Lying (2009)

  • Agora (2009)

  • Creation (2009)

  • The Nature of Existence (2010)

  • The Grey (2012)

TV Shows
  • Star Trek

  • Firefly

  • The Wire

  • The Mentalist

  • QI

  • Doctor Who

Literature
  • Candide – Voltaire

  • Sirens of the Titan – Kurt Vonnegut

  • The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood

  • 1984 – George Orwell

  • Peaches for Monsieur le Cure – Joanne Harris

  • Letters from the Earth – Mark Twain

  • The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams

  • Brave New World – Aldous Huxley

  • The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam

  • The Elegance of the Hedgehog – Muriel Barbery

  • His Dark Materials Trilogy – Phillip Pullman

  • Good Omens – Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Woman Reading a Book
Film Clapboard
Home Theater Family
Humanist Authors

Many of the people on this list have identified themselves as Humanists, others write with a Humanist perspective that makes their books well worth a read. A few specific book suggestions are included below.

  • Louisa May Alcott

  • Isaac Asimov

  • Margaret Atwood

  • L. Frank Baum

  • Ambrose Bierce

  • Charles Dickens

  • Alexander Dumas

  • Neil Gaiman

  • Joanne Harris

  • Nathaniel Hawthorne

  • Robert Heinlein

  • Aldous Huxley

  • Jack London

  • H.P. Lovecraft

  • James A. Michener

  • A.A. Milne

  • George Orwell

  • Edgar Allen Poe

  • Beatrix Potter

  • Terry Pratchett

  • Philip Pullman

  • Gene Roddenberry

  • Dr. Seuss

  • Robert Louis Stevenson

  • Mark Twain

  • Kurt Vonnegut

  • H.G. Wells

Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition

Little Res Q (non-profit turtle rescue)

True North Aid

World Beyond War (this one operates globally)

Canadian Red Cross

Indspire

Interpares

Charities/Non-profits
Learn About Humanism
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