Support Humanism Now and join our community.
Every episode, guest and transcript is at humanism.now.
Humanism Now is a weekly podcast for anyone curious about secular humanism and making the most of the one life we have.
Host James Hodgson, founder of podcast studio Humanise Live, is joined by scientists, philosophers, campaigners, authors and everyday people who are building a fairer world, cultivating human flourishing and celebrating the joy of being human.
Every episode is a long-form interview that takes one hard ethical question seriously, using reason and evidence rather than dogma, and always with compassion for the people involved. Recurring themes include:
secular ethics and moral philosophy
freedom of religion or belief and human rights
Resisting nationalism and the future of democracy
AI ethics, technology and what it means to stay human
climate action, equality and social justice
science, scepticism and critical thinking
awe, meaning and our place in the cosmos
You will come away with ideas you can actually use: better arguments, better questions, and practical ways to live an ethical, purpose-driven life while understanding more about yourself, other people and the universe.
Whether you are a lifelong humanist or simply curious about a naturalistic worldview, hit follow and join a global community working towards a fairer, kinder and more rational world, for this generation and the next.
Every episode, guest and transcript is at humanism.now.
Support Humanism Now and join our community
Follow @HumanismNowPod on YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Threads | X | Bluesky
Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live, a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies and individuals across the globe. To start your own podcast, visit humanise.live or email hello@humanise.live.
Music credit: Blossom by Light Prism
Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible and should not be treated as a fully accurate record of the conversation.
Site
RSS
Apple
Données mises à jour le 29/09/2026
Classements récents
Dernières positions dans les classements Apple Podcasts et Spotify.
Liens partagés entre épisodes et podcasts
Liens présents dans les descriptions d'épisodes et autres podcasts les utilisant également.
Janet Ellis on the Joy of this One Life | New President of Humanists UK
Saison 1 · Épisode 90
dimanche 27 septembre 2026 • Durée 51:21
Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community!
Check out our new website! www.humanism.now
"I genuinely find comfort in the fact that life is finite." — Janet Ellis
She shaped the childhoods of millions on Blue Peter, and now she's making the case for living well without religion. Janet Ellis, broadcaster, actress, novelist and the new President of Humanists UK, joins James for a warm, wide-ranging conversation about how she came to humanism, what it offers in turbulent times, and why she finds genuine comfort in the idea that this life is the only one we get.
We talk about her film All We Have Is Each Other, grief and mortality after the loss of her husband, finding joy without guilt, whether Blue Peter was quietly humanist, how to talk to children about belief without indoctrination, the joy of writing, and her hopes for her time as President.
About the guest
Janet Ellis MBE is a broadcaster, actress and novelist, known to generations for presenting Blue Peter and Jigsaw. She is the author of the novels The Butcher's Hook and How It Was, hosts the podcast Twice Upon a Time, and in 2026 became President of Humanists UK.
Links and references
All We Have Is Each Other, the Humanists UK film with Janet Ellis: https://humanists.uk/janetellisfilm/
Janet Ellis, Humanists UK profile: https://humanists.uk/about/our-people/patrons/janet-ellis/
Twice Upon a Time, Janet's podcast on favourite childhood books (@twiceuponapod): https://linktr.ee/twiceuponpod
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/missjanetellis/
Substack: https://janetellis925764.substack.com/
Janet's novels: The Butcher's Hook (2016): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35407568
How It Was (2019): https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/45901019-how-it-was
In this episode
Her slow realisation of being a humanist, joining Humanists UK, and stepping up from patron to president
Grief, mortality and the film All We Have Is Each Other: why she finds comfort, not fear, in a finite life
Finding joy in turbulent times, talking to children about belief without indoctrination, and a call for humanists to be "out and proud"
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction: meet Janet Ellis
01:10 A slow realisation: discovering humanism
02:47 From patron to President of Humanists UK
05:07 Being publicly affiliated, and the conversations it starts
07:53 "All We Have Is Each Other": grief and a finite life
11:45 Finding joy in turbulent times
18:45 Blue Peter: was it a humanist show?
23:07 Talking to children about belief without indoctrination
27:18 Books that shaped her worldview
32:05 The joy of writing
36:53 Her hopes as President of Humanists UK
44:24 Closing question: changing minds
Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community!
www.humanism.now
Follow @HumanismNowPod | YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Threads | X.com | BlueSky
Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live, a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe. Contact us to get started in podcasting today at humanise.live or hello@humanise.live.
Music: Blossom by Light Prism
Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
United by Hope: Live from the World Humanist Congress 2026 Part 2
mercredi 23 septembre 2026 • Durée 45:14
Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community!
Part two of our dispatches from the World Humanist Congress 2026 in Ottawa. On the second and final day, James Hodgson caught up with more attendees, from the humanist chaplains bringing secular pastoral care into the Canadian Armed Forces, to the local Ottawa organisers who hosted the event, an Icelandic politician on humanist values in turbulent times, and two returning Humanism Now guests reflecting on the movement's past and future.
Across every conversation the theme of the Congress, humanism as resistance, keeps surfacing: resisting the erosion of truth, the normalisation of dehumanising rhetoric, and the complacency that assumes rights won can never be lost.
"It just takes one person in a room to change a whole conversation and change the course of history." — Roslyn Mould
Featured in this episode
Silvana Morales-Boiardi, humanist chaplain with Humanist Canada, training as a military humanist chaplain in the Canadian Armed Forces
Buela Nokutubo, member of Humanist Ottawa
Dr Richard Thain, Humanist Ottawa, long-time humanist and recipient of a service award at the Congress
Arndís Anna Kristínardóttir Gunnarsdóttir, President of Siðmennt (the Icelandic Humanist Association) and former member of Iceland's parliament
Chris Cameron, historian and author, representing the Association of Black Humanists
Roslyn Mould, of Accra Atheists and outgoing Vice President of Humanists International
Highlights
Building humanist chaplaincy in the Canadian Armed Forces, and how the first humanist military chaplain opened the door for the next generation
Why local groups matter: Humanist Ottawa on community, and Dr Richard Thain on four decades in the movement
Arndís Anna on resisting the normalisation of dehumanisation, and Roslyn Mould reflecting on stepping down after years of leadership at Humanists International
CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
01:06 Silvana Morales-Boiardi, Humanist Canada, humanist chaplaincy in the Armed Forces
08:12 Buela Nokutubo, Humanist Ottawa, finding community
13:50 Dr Richard Thain, Humanist Ottawa, four decades in the movement
20:17 Arndís Anna Kristínardóttir Gunnarsdóttir, Siðmennt, humanist politics as resistance
29:02 Chris Cameron, Association of Black Humanists, humanism and history
35:15 Roslyn Mould, reflections on leaving the Humanists International board
Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community!
www.humanism.now
Follow @HumanismNowPod | YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Threads | X.com | BlueSky
Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live, a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe. Contact us to get started in podcasting today at humanise.live or hello@humanise.live.
Music: Blossom by Light Prism
Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.
World Humanist Congress, Humanists International, humanism, resistance, Ottawa, humanist chaplaincy, military chaplaincy, Humanist Canada, Humanist Ottawa, Siðmennt, Arndís Anna Kristínardóttir Gunnarsdóttir, Chris Cameron, Association of Black Humanists, Roslyn Mould, Accra Atheists, secularism, Humanism Now
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Christian Nationalism, Free Speech and Gen Z | Tess Sumner
Saison 1 · Épisode 89
dimanche 13 septembre 2026 • Durée 28:25
Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community!
"Evidence is most powerful when it's paired with empathy."
What is it like to come of age when politics has never felt calm? Tess Sumner has spent her entire adolescence inside a permanent sense of political crisis, and she has turned that into advocacy. In this episode, James speaks with Tess Sumner, a Harvard student and humanist writer, about her article "When Christian Nationalism Becomes Public Policy" and what the fight over church and state looks like to the next generation.
We discuss how student accountability gets reframed as "religious discrimination", why so many young people feel exhausted and cynical about democracy, how the threat of doxxing and backlash quietly polices free expression, and why Tess believes humanism has a genuinely hopeful offer for Gen Z.
About the guest
Tess Sumner is a student at Harvard University studying government and English, and a youth advocate from New Hampshire focused on child welfare policy and church-state separation. A former intern with the American Humanist Association, she wrote the widely shared article "When Christian Nationalism Becomes Public Policy" for The Humanist.
In this episode
What a University of Oklahoma essay controversy reveals about how accountability gets reframed as religious discrimination
Coming of age in permanent political crisis: why many in Gen Z feel exhausted, cynical and unsure what a functioning democracy looks like
How the threat of doxxing and backlash quietly polices free expression, and what humanism offers as a response
Chapters
00:00 Introduction: meet Tess Sumner
01:32 The article, and the Oklahoma essay controversy
05:31 Coming of age in constant political crisis
07:21 Where a disillusioned generation turns
08:51 Christian nationalism and the threat to democracy
10:59 Young Christian influencers and who they represent
13:08 What humanism offers Gen Z
14:34 Making the humanist case better
15:34 Where humanism meets everyday life
17:09 Self-policing and the chilling of free expression
19:23 Doxxing, threats and real-world consequences
23:59 How to resist: dialogue and rebuilding institutions
26:30 What's next for Tess
27:55 A vision for the future
28:46 Closing question: changing her mind
Links and references
Tess Sumner, "When Christian Nationalism Becomes Public Policy" (The Humanist): https://thehumanist.com/news/national/when-christian-nationalism-becomes-public-policy
Tess Sumner, contributor page at The Humanist: https://thehumanist.com/contributor/tess-sumner/
American Humanist Association: https://americanhumanist.org
Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community!
www.humanism.now
Follow @HumanismNowPod | YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Threads | X.com | BlueSky
Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live, a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe. Contact us to get started in podcasting today at humanise.live or hello@humanise.live.
Music: Blossom by Light Prism
Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Humanism as Resistance: Live from the World Humanist Congress 2026 Part 1
mardi 8 septembre 2026 • Durée 37:22
Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community!
Something a little different this week. James Hodgson took Humanism Now on the road to the World Humanist Congress 2026 in Ottawa, hosted by Humanists International and Humanists Canada, where more than 500 attendees from over 60 countries gathered around a single theme: resistance. Between sessions, James grabbed five minutes each with fellow attendees, some returning guests and many new faces, to hear what brought them there and what they are building back home.
The result is a whistle-stop tour of the global humanist movement: civic participation and chaplaincy, coalition-building between atheists and humanists, humanist confirmations and ceremonies, and a first look at where the next Congress will be held.
"One of the ways we build power to ensure society better reflects our values is by coming together." — James Croft
Featured in this episode
Bob Reuter, president of the Alliance of Humanists, Atheists and Agnostics (AHA) Luxembourg and co-host of the radio show Iwwer Gott an d'Welt
James Croft, humanist chaplain and lead faith advisor at the University of Sussex
Nick Fish, president of American Atheists
Urtė Žukauskaitė-Zabukė, founder of HERE (formerly Happy Human Lithuania)
Christian Lomsdalen, president of the Norwegian Humanist Association
Maggie Ardiente, president of Humanists International
Highlights
Why "humanism as resistance" is the theme for this moment, and Maggie Ardiente on a movement responding to authoritarianism worldwide (plus a first look at the next Congress)
James Croft and Nick Fish on civic participation, building coalitions, and why atheists and humanists share the same fight
How Norway's 75 years of humanist confirmations built a movement approaching 198,000 members, and Lithuania's drive to scale humanist ceremonies around the world
Chapters
00:00 Introduction: live from the World Humanist Congress 2026
00:52 Bob Reuter, AHA Luxembourg
02:44 James Croft, humanist chaplaincy at the University of Sussex
10:16 Nick Fish, American Atheists
17:06 Urtė Žukauskaitė-Zabukė, HERE (Lithuania)
20:53 Christian Lomsdalen, Norwegian Humanist Association
26:34 Maggie Ardiente, President of Humanists International
Links and references
Bob Reuter, AHA Luxembourg: https://www.aha.lu
James Croft: https://www.croftspeaks.org
Nick Fish, American Atheists: https://www.atheists.org
Urtė Žukauskaitė-Zabukė, HIA: /https://www.hia.lt/en/
Christian Lomsdalen, Norwegian Humanist Association: https://www.human.no
Maggie Ardiente, Humanists International: https://humanists.international
Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community!
www.humanism.now
Follow @HumanismNowPod | YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Threads | X.com | BlueSky
Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live, a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe. Contact us to get started in podcasting today at humanise.live or hello@humanise.live.
Music: Blossom by Light Prism
Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Is Humanism a Subculture? Rory Booth on Style, Space and Belonging
Saison 1 · Épisode 88
dimanche 30 août 2026 • Durée 40:21
Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community!
"It's harder for the mass market to hit a moving target." — Rory Booth
Punks had the mohawk. Ravers had the warehouse. What does humanism have?
Historian and filmmaker Rory Booth studies how subcultures form, thrive and die, from 19th century Parisian bohemians to the British rave scene of the 1990s. He is also a founding member of Leicester Humanists. In this episode, we ask whether humanism qualifies as a subculture, and what organisers can steal from scenes that got it right.
Rory argues that the visual definition of subculture, all style and shock, has been overplayed. What actually holds a scene together is language, humour, and above all space: the shared understanding that in this room, with these people, you are allowed to be a slightly different version of yourself. That, he suggests, is exactly what a humanist group offers, and it is why the venue you pick matters far more than most organisers realise.
We also get into the life cycle problem. A subculture dies the moment the mainstream understands it, or worse, misunderstands it. So is being small and slightly illegible an advantage? And has the internet, with its infinite choice and its everyone-is-a-creator economy, made real subcultures impossible?
Rory Booth is a historian and filmmaker specialising in cultural and urban history, with a focus on 19th century bohemianism and the 1990s rave scene. He is a founding member of Leicester Humanists, where he leads on events and works on school speaking and interfaith engagement. He also plays in punk and noise rock bands.
In this episode
Definitions of subculture as style, and why Rory thinks the visual emphasis has been overdone
Why a scene often dies the moment the mainstream can name it, and what that means for a movement trying to grow
Frame analysis, and the practical reason your venue changes what people feel able to say
Did the internet killed the subculture? Too much choice, no physical presence, and a scene where everyone is a creator and nobody is the audience
Hard-won advice for anyone starting or running a local group
Links and references
Leicester Humanists: https://humanists.uk/local-group/leicester/
Find your local humanist group (Humanists UK): https://humanists.uk/community/local-humanism/
Dick Hebdige, Subculture: The Meaning of Style (1979): https://www.routledge.com/Subculture-The-Meaning-of-Style/Hebdige/p/book/9780415039499
Erving Goffman, Frame Analysis (1974) and The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life
E. M. Forster, Howards End, chapter 9, source of the "conversational hare": https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/howardsend/full-text/chapter-9/
Leicester Secular Hall, the world's first purpose-built secular hall: https://heritage.humanists.uk/leicester-secular-hall/
Related Humanism Now episodes
Nicole Shasha, Rory's co-founder at Leicester Humanists, has appeared on the show several times, including Ep. 014, Ep. 019 and Ep. 059.
Chapters:
00:00 Rory Booth on Exploring Subcultures: Definitions and Context
08:00 The Role of Subcultures in Society
13:38 Humanism as a Subculture
18:43 The Impact of the Internet on Subcultures
25:43 Creating and Sustaining Subcultures
31:40 Reflections on Change and Growth
Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe.
Contact us to get starting in podcasting today at humanise.live or hello@humanise.live
Music: Blossom by Light Prism
Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
"Am I a Humanist?" Shay Leonia on Discovering Humanism in Public
Saison 1 · Épisode 87
dimanche 23 août 2026 • Durée 36:52
"I've never heard of humanism, but is this what I've been all along?"
What happens when you discover the word for what you've believed your whole life? Shay Leonia came to humanism only recently, and rather than hide the learning curve, she has made it the heart of her work. In this episode, James Hodgson talks with Shay about her journey into humanism, the art of admitting what you don't know, and how to bring humanist values to people who have never heard the term.
We discuss growing up with everyday kindness as a lived value, letting go of the supernatural without losing what matters, the AHA Creator Program and building coalitions beyond the secular space, and why humanism needs to become more accessible and more representative if it is going to grow.
About the guest
Shay Leonia is the communications manager at the American Humanist Association (AHA), where she hosts the How to Humanist podcast and runs AHA's Creator Program, partnering with content creators to bring humanism to new audiences. A lifelong musician based in Philadelphia, she founded the media company 44th Minute Media and came to humanism recently, arriving, as she puts it, curious, a little confused, and glad she stayed.
In this episode
How Shay discovered humanism through a job posting and realised it named the values she'd held all along
Learning out loud: the "fourth wall break" behind How to Humanist, and why admitting what you don't know builds trust
The AHA Creator Program, giving people a "soft landing" into humanism, and why the movement must become more accessible and representative
Chapters
00:00 Introduction: meet Shay Leonia
01:18 Growing up, and early humanist values
03:11 A reformed Jewish upbringing
04:01 Discovering humanism through a job posting
05:17 Learning humanism in public
06:00 Talking across belief systems, and reforming your own views
08:53 Letting go of the supernatural
10:05 Breaking the fourth wall on How to Humanist
14:39 The AHA Creator Program
17:12 Building coalitions beyond the secular space
19:59 Giving people a "soft landing" into humanism
22:57 Humanism's blind spots: accessibility and representation
25:51 What role should the AHA play?
28:24 Advice for talking with allies
31:04 Leading with curiosity and compassion
31:32 Changing minds and letting go
Links and references
How to Humanist podcast: https://americanhumanist.org/how-to-humanist-podcast/
American Humanist Association: https://americanhumanist.org
Greg Epstein, Good Without God (mentioned in the episode): https://www.gregmepstein.com
Check out our new website and subscribe for updates: www.humanism.now
Support Humanism Now and join our community
Follow @HumanismNowPod on YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Threads | X | Bluesky
Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live, a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies and individuals across the globe. To start your own podcast, visit humanise.live or email hello@humanise.live.
Music: Blossom by Light Prism
Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible and should not be treated as a fully accurate record of the conversation.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Was Spinoza an Atheist? Steven Nadler on the Philosopher Who Defined Free Thought
Saison 1 · Épisode 86
mardi 18 août 2026 • Durée 39:51
"If there's a theme that unites all of Spinoza's philosophical writings, it's freedom: both personal freedom, how we become liberated from irrational passions, and political and social freedom, freedom of expression, freedom of belief and freedom of association." — Steven Nadler
Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community!
Baruch Spinoza was excommunicated by his own community, condemned across Europe, and called the most dangerous philosopher of his age. Centuries later, scholars still argue over what he actually believed. In this episode, James Hodgson speaks with Steven Nadler, one of the world's foremost authorities on Spinoza, about the man, his radical ideas, and the case that Spinoza was, in the modern sense, a genuine atheist.
We explore what "atheist" even meant in the 17th century, why "God or nature" is not the same as pantheism, how Spinoza's defence of democracy and free expression anticipated modern liberal values, and why Einstein said his God was Spinoza's God.
About the guest
Steven Nadler is a Vilas Research Professor and the William H. Hay II Professor of Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and one of the world's leading authorities on Spinoza. A Pulitzer Prize finalist, his books include Spinoza: A Life and A Book Forged in Hell. His latest is Spinoza, Atheist.
In this episode
Who Spinoza was, his 1656 excommunication, and why his works were branded "soul-destroying" and "forged by the devil"
What "atheist" meant in the 17th century, and how it differs from Spinoza's atheism in the modern sense
Why "God or nature" (Deus sive natura) marks the line between the pantheist and the atheist
Spinoza's timeless case for democracy, freedom of belief, and separating church from state
Chapters
00:00 Introduction: who was Spinoza?
01:27 Excommunication and the major works
03:51 The Dutch Republic, Amsterdam and religious tolerance
06:23 What "atheist" meant in the 17th century
09:59 Adriaan Koerbagh and the Theological-Political Treatise
13:35 What Spinoza was really advocating for
16:32 How radical the ideas were, and how they spread
20:23 "God or nature": the pantheism question
24:19 Einstein's God and Spinoza's God
26:03 The many Spinozas: interpretation vs claiming him
29:06 Why Spinoza was an atheist in the modern sense
30:13 Was Spinoza a humanist?
32:08 Spinoza's legacy: freedom and human flourishing
34:45 Closing question: changing his mind
Links and references
Steven Nadler
Spinoza, Atheist (Princeton University Press): https://press.princeton.edu/our-authors/nadler-steven
A Book Forged in Hell: https://www.amazon.com/Book-Forged-Hell-Spinozas-Scandalous/dp/069116018X
Spinoza's works and resources
The Ethics (full text, Project Gutenberg): https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3800
Theological-Political Treatise (full text, Project Gutenberg): https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/989
Museum Het Spinozahuis, the Spinoza House: https://spinozahuis.nl/en/home-en/
Baruch Spinoza, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/spinoza/
Enjoyed this episode? Please leave a rating and review, and share it with a friend.
Join our community on Ko-fi for exclusive content and to support the show.
Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community!
Follow us on all socials @HumanismNowPod | YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Threads | X.com | BlueSky
Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe.
Contact us to get starting in podcasting today at humanise.live or hello@humanise.live
Music: Blossom by Light Prism
Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How to Disagree Without Dehumanising | Sharon Booth, Solutions Not Sides
Saison 1 · Épisode 85
mercredi 12 août 2026 • Durée 43:08
"Education shouldn't be about telling young people what to think. It should be telling them how they can think." — Sharon Booth
How do you hold an honest conversation about one of the world's most divisive conflicts, in a school classroom, without it descending into a shouting match? This episode looks at peace education: the skills, the psychology and the facilitation that let people disagree deeply while still recognising each other's humanity.
Our guest is Sharon Booth, founder and executive director of Solutions Not Sides (SNS), an educational charity that brings young Palestinian and Israeli peacebuilders into UK schools to share their stories and equip students to think for themselves. Sharon moderated the acclaimed "No Hope But Peace" dialogue at the Festival of Humanism in Bournemouth.
In this conversation we cover:
The SNS "PEACE" model and the three E's (exploration, empathy, empowerment), and why dialogue alone can do harm if it doesn't lead to change
How social media and the "age of outrage" made people less willing to participate, and what Haidt's elephant and rider teaches us about why
Creating "safe and brave" spaces, defusing in-group / out-group thinking, and the role Sharon believes humanists should play in peacebuilding
Links:
Solutions Not Sides: https://www.solutionsnotsides.co.uk
No Hope But Peace (our earlier episode with Yaniv Aknin and Jasr Kawkby): https://humanismnow.buzzsprout.com
Jonathan Haidt, The Righteous Mind: https://righteousmind.com
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction: Sharon Booth and Solutions Not Sides
02:02 Founding SNS and what peace education means
04:15 The three E's: exploration, empathy, empowerment
06:09 A more divided society: social media, COVID and outrage
08:53 The PEACE model, step by step
15:24 What young people teach us, and Haidt's elephant and rider
19:20 Creating safe and brave spaces
23:15 The Bournemouth dialogue and facilitating hard questions
28:31 Two stories from the classroom
34:53 Religion, nationalism and internal transformation
39:13 What role should humanists play in peacebuilding?
44:25 How to book or support SNS
45:29 Closing question: leaving evangelical Christianity
Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community!
Follow @HumanismNowPod | YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Threads | X.com | BlueSky
Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe.
Contact us to get starting in podcasting today at humanise.live or hello@humanise.live
Music: Blossom by Light Prism
Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
84. The Mattering Instinct with Rebecca Goldstein
Saison 1 · Épisode 84
dimanche 26 juillet 2026 • Durée 49:14
Support Humanism Now and Join Our Community! — https://ko-fi.com/humanismnowpod
"We are creatures of matter who long to matter — and one of the strongest manifestations of this is people who deny that we are matter."
Professor Rebecca Newberger Goldstein is a philosopher, novelist, and MacArthur Fellow whose books include The Mind-Body Problem, Incompleteness, Betraying Spinoza, and 36 Arguments for the Existence of God (a work of fiction). In 2015 she was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Obama and has been named Humanist of the Year by the American Humanist Association. She joins us to discuss her latest book, The Mattering Instinct: How Our Deepest Longing Drives Us and Divides Us, and will be the keynote speaker at the World Humanist Congress in Ottawa this August.
Topics we cover
✔︎ What the mattering instinct is, where it comes from, and why it may be the defining feature of our species ✔︎ The four locations on the mattering map — transcenders, communal materers, heroic strivers, and competitors — and what they reveal about human motivation ✔︎ Why public debates about religion so often fail — and what understanding mattering tells us about how to talk across belief divides
Connect with Rebecca and find out more
The Mattering Instinct: https://www.rebeccagoldstein.com/books/the-mattering-instinct
Rebecca's website: https://www.rebeccagoldstein.com
World Humanist Congress, Ottawa, August 2026: https://humanists.international/world-humanist-congress
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community!
Follow @HumanismNowPod | YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Threads | X.com | BlueSky
Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe.
Contact us to get starting in podcasting today at humanise.live or hello@humanise.liveMusic: Blossom by Light Prism
Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
83. Seth Andrews, Host of 'The Thinking Atheist', on Leaving Faith, Finding Values, and Fighting Tribalism
Saison 1 · Épisode 83
dimanche 19 juillet 2026 • Durée 51:34
Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community! | https://ko-fi.com/humanismnowpod
"I found atheism is not an inoculation against irrationality or awfulness." — Seth AndrewsSeth Andrews spent 14 years as a Christian radio host before becoming one of the most recognisable voices in atheist and humanist media as host of The Thinking Atheist Podcast. In this conversation, he traces his slow-burn deconstruction from devout evangelical broadcaster to skeptic, why he now leads with "humanist" rather than "atheist," and why leaving religion is no inoculation against tribalism, dogma, or bad ideas, on either side of the God question.
Our guest is Seth Andrews, host of The Thinking Atheist podcast, YouTube channel and online community, and of the podcast True Stories with Seth Andrews. A former Christian radio broadcaster, he is the author of six books, including Deconverted: A Journey from Religion to Reason and his latest, Christianity Made Me Talk Like an Idiot.
In this conversation we cover:
His decades-long, slow-burn deconstruction from devout evangelical broadcaster to "The Thinking Atheist," and the fear that kept him anonymous for the show's first two years
Why he leads with "humanist" rather than "atheist" today, and why disbelief in God guarantees nothing about a person's rationality or character
How online tribalism and algorithm-driven echo chambers have reshaped debate on both sides of the God question, and why he's leaned harder into humanism and politics as a result
LINKS & REFERENCES
Seth Andrews
Personal site: https://www.sethandrews.com
The Thinking Atheist: https://www.thethinkingatheist.com
True Stories with Seth Andrews: https://www.truestoriespodcast.com
Books: https://www.sethandrews.com/books
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sethandrewstta/
X: https://x.com/SethAndrewsTTA
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheThinkingAtheist
Mentioned in this episode
Seth Andrews, Christianity Made Me Talk Like an Idiot: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1977250785
Seth Andrews, Deconverted: A Journey from Religion to Reason: https://www.sethandrews.com/books
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community!
Follow @HumanismNowPod | YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Threads | X.com | BlueSky
Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe.
Contact us to get starting in podcasting today at humanise.live or hello@humanise.liveMusic: Blossom by Light Prism
Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Podcasts Similaires Basées sur le Contenu
Découvrez des podcasts liées à Humanism Now. Explorez des podcasts avec des thèmes, sujets, et formats similaires. Ces similarités sont calculées grâce à des données tangibles, pas d'extrapolations !