Humanism as Resistance Theme of Aug. 7-9 World Humanist Congress in Ottawa

Manitoban Daniel Dacombe is looking forward to the World Humanist Congress in Ottawa.

“I’m going to network with other humanists from around the world,” said Dacombe of the August 7-9 event.

 

“I’m looking forward to meeting people from other countries who have been building their own humanist communities, especially in places with more restrictive laws around non-belief.”

The theme of the Congress is “Humanism as Resistance.” That theme was chosen because, as the organizers put it, this is a time of “resurgent authoritarianism, escalating religious nationalism, and the aggressive spread of anti-science disinformation.”

Participants at the Congress—which was originally planned for Washington, D.C. until organizers decided it wasn’t safe for participants from around the world—will hear speakers and panels address the theme, and discuss their shared humanistic values such as respect and care for the natural world; the primacy of reason and science; rejection of the supernatural; standing against all forms of racism and prejudice; and promoting human rights for everyone, including the right to freedom of religion and unbelief.

 

Read more about the Congress in my recent Free Press column.