Naturalistic Philosophy Interest Group

After being a member of a local Humanist group for about eleven years now, I've decided to start a separate group that will focus on Naturalistic philosophy while retaining some basic humanistic principles, as follows:

1) based upon a naturalistic view of the universe and the consequent importance of science,
2) commitment to the well being of all people, in all their diversity,
3) application of humanistic ethics, basing what is ‘good’ upon an analysis of the effect it has on
human well being, and
4) commitment to the fulfillment of human potential.

Most Humanist groups do not have mechanisms in place to educate its members about Humanism and keep a focus on their basic principles. As a result, the groups tend to become less focused upon Humanism as they grow and are perceived more as secular social clubs with a left-leaning political bias. The social benefits of such a group are great, but should not be the primary focus of attention. A true committment to Humanism should lead to an effort to generate a reputation for critical thinking, political neutrality (a focus upon issues and what is best for society), and efforts to educate the community about Humanism.

The Naturalistic Philosophy Interest Group will be kept small (maximum of 15 people) and will put in place mechanisms for keeping its members focused upon its principles and productive. The initial segment of each meeting will be focused upon a review of the latest breaking news from the scientific community. Follow-up discussion will explore the implications of this news for us as individuals and for society.

A stated goal of Humanism is the fulfillment of human potential and this group will strive to achieve this by building and maintaining an atmosphere designed for "cooperative learning" and encouraging use of critical thinking skills. For cooperative learning, members must be encouraged to state their opinions, expect and accept challenges to those opinions, and be willing to constructively challenge the opinions of others. Mutual trust and a committment to learning above all else are required to pull this off. It is not a stage from which to show off ones knowledge and skills and it is not a competition. Members must be encouraged to be honestly introspective and cognizant of how their fears, desires and ego are affecting their thinking.

The purpose of this group is primarily personal growth... of philosophy, perspective and thinking skills. Secondary goals may be directed towards taking this learning public and avocating naturalism, science and the necessary supporting skill sets.

To accomplish its goals, this group will need to stay small, however it could be an intial model for the creation of a network of other such groups. Our first meeting will likely occur in September 2008 and I will plan on updating progress in this blog. I consider this an on-going experiment and hopefully others can derive some benefit from its results.