Who are the "Ethical Humanists"? Friends in philosophy?

[son272]

Was scouring meetups and facebook groups in my area to see who might be receptive or willing to work on a mission to spread peaceful parenting. Stumbled upon a group calling themselves Ethical Humanists, who claim to use philosophy to guide their actions.

 

Went to a meetup group, and was received well when discussing my mission of spreading the ideas of peaceful parenting. Granted, they seemed to want to talk about politics and the evils of Trump; how we can help the homeless; how we can end racism; and what it means to be an ethical atheist.

 

I was thinking "Ok, this is a group I can work with. At least the say they want to act ethically, whereas most people seem unfamiliar with the term, and they are all non-theists." I spent some time having a civil "state is immoral/taxation is theft" debate with one of them, but also made sure to be clear that we had much more important things to discuss, since we agreed that the better treatment of children should be a primary goal.

 

From the wiki on the American Ethical Union: 

These societies all adopted the same statement of principles:

• The belief that morality is independent of theology;
• The affirmation that new moral problems have arisen in modern industrial society which have not been adequately dealt with by the world's religions;
• The duty to engage in philanthropy in the advancement of morality;
• The belief that self-reform should go in lock step with social reform;
• The establishment of republican rather than monarchical governance of Ethical societies
• The agreement that educating the young is the most important aim.

 

"While Ethical Culturists generally share common beliefs about what constitutes ethical behavior and the good, individuals are encouraged to develop their own personal understanding of these ideas. This does not mean that Ethical Culturists condone moral relativism, which would relegate ethics to mere preferences or social conventions. Ethical principles are viewed as being related to deep truths about the way the world works, and hence not arbitrary. However, it is recognized that complexities render the understanding of ethical nuances subject to continued dialogue, exploration, and learning."

 

Seems like this group could definitely be allies, from what I've gathered. I plan on doing more research, and going to bigger meetups to see if I can get more traction on the definition and application of ethics with them. 

 

Does anyone else have any information or experience with this group? Any advice for me or do you think I'm wasting my time?

 

[son272]

Well, after attending two meetings and arguing for the NAP and peaceful parenting, I would say YES. I've met a lot of very interested people through this group. Have been invited back to speak to a larger group!