Humanism Now | Secular Ethics, Curiosity and Compassionate Change

"I used to think eugenics had died out after the Second World War. I no longer believe that, unfortunately." — Rebecca Sear Most of us think of eugenics as a horror confined to the past. It isn't. This episode examines the worrying re-emergence of eugenics and scientific racism, from discredited claims about race and intelligence to the far-right money funding them, and asks how we...

 "One of the things I heard again and again was: I thought I was the only one." — Muhammad Syed  Leaving religion can be one of the most liberating decisions of a person's life. For those leaving Islam, it can also be one of the most dangerous. This episode looks at why so many ex-Muslims stay hidden, how community breaks that isolation, and what the data really tells us about peopl...

"It's really about what happens when kindness is the first response to strangeness." — Kestral Gaian What does it take to stay human in a world that often forgets what that means? This episode explores storytelling as an act of resistance: why humans need fiction, why representation matters, and how meeting difference with curiosity rather than judgement can ease the loneliness of m...

"Many in society saw the news and understood there's no hope for peace. But I understood there's no hope but peace." — Yaniv Aknin What does humanism actually ask of us when we confront the Israel-Palestine conflict? In this episode we preview a special Festival of Humanism session, exploring how secular, rational and compassionate values can cut through motivated reasoning and...

 "It's amazing how enduring humans can be with their willingness to look for good." Kimberly Haley-Coleman is the founder and executive director of GlobeAware, a nonprofit building ethical, community-led volunteer service programmes across more than 25 countries. With a background spanning international business, nonprofit leadership, and global partnership building, Kimberly has sp...

Support Humanism Now and Join Our Community!   "Dogmatism is the enemy of reason, after all." Dr Anjan Chakravartty is the Apignani Foundation Chair for the Study of Atheism, Humanism, and Secular Ethics at the University of Miami and a philosopher of science whose work explores the nature of knowledge and what science tells us about the world. His latest edited volume, Science and Human...

Support Humanism Now and Join Our Community! "Culture is a representation of what our habits are on a daily basis. If we drop the habit, we are not building the culture we're wanting to see." Dr AJ Lauer is a leadership and diversity educator, executive coach, and founder of Thriving IBIS Leadership Solutions. With two decades of experience across higher education, non-profit resear...

"You are unlocked to a whole new world... you're not alone, and it's that community that makes you reaffirming yourself" Timothy David , known as Tim Talks, is a UK-based content creator whose TikTok videos on humanism, faith deconstruction, and Black freethinking have racked up millions of views. Drawing on his own journey away from Pentecostal Christianity, Tim uses social me...

Support Humanism Now and Join Our Community! https://ko-fi.com/humanismnowpod "That's what humanism is about, isn't it? That we have the freedom to do whatever we feel is right for us." Tale Pleym is Chair of the European Humanist Professionals and Senior Ceremonial Advisor of the Norwegian Humanist Association, where she has been conducting humanist ceremonies for more than 15...

Subscribe to Unholy Histories wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unholy-histories-the-humanist-heritage-podcast-from/id1893320823 Spotify : https://open.spotify.com/show/3HrZ03nnR0IL6PewJUc9mr Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a72f5775-dd9b-4b6f-bd67-4df519ca5556/unholy-histories-the-humanist-heritage-podcast-from-humanists-uk YouTub...

Support Humanism Now and Join Our Community!   Micki McAllen , known online as Apostate Barbie, spent 30 years as a Jehovah's Witness before leaving in 2021. Now based in the UK, she uses social media to raise awareness of high control religious groups, support others navigating life beyond faith, and advocate for an end to mandated shunning. Topics we cover ✔︎ What life inside a high control...

Support Humanism Now and Join Our Community!    “Curiosity leads to fully understanding someone’s situation and being empathetic to that person.” Steve Ghikadis is a Humanist Officiant, author, and speaker who leads secular weddings, memorials, and other life-affirming ceremonies in Ontario. In this conversation, he explores street epistemology, interfaith family life, raising curious and compassi...

Support Humanism Now and Join Our Community! - ko-fi.com/humanismnowpod "Science is not objective. It is subjective. And I think having conversations about it is very important." Dr Jenny Lange is a neuroscientist specialising in uncovering the mechanisms of rare neurological disorders. She is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the UK Dementia Research Institute, University College Londo...

"Home Office officials do not understand what apostasy is — and this affects how non-religious asylum seekers are recognised, questioned, and believed." Dr Lucy Potter returns to Humanism Now to share the findings of her landmark new report on non-religious asylum claims in the UK, produced in collaboration with Humanists UK . Drawing on three years of in-depth qualitative research, the...

"An estimated one person in three seeking asylum in the UK has experienced torture in their home country." This is a bonus episode of Humanism Now, recorded as part of Podcasthon 2026 : the global initiative uniting podcasters to raise awareness for charitable causes.  This year, we are supporting Freedom from Torture , a UK charity that has spent more than 40 years providing specialist...

 "We're at a time when we need critical thinking more than ever, and sadly, I'm not really seeing it happening."  Professor Chris French is one of the world's leading researchers in anomalistic psychology and critical thinking. As former head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit at Goldsmiths, University of London, author of The Science of Weird Sh*t , patron of Hum...

“Chaplaincy is defined by function, it’s not defined by belief.” Padre Dr Neil Weddell, the first ever non-religious pastoral carer (humanist chaplain) appointed in the British Army, joins Humanism Now alongside Clare Elcombe Webber, Director of Humanist Care at Humanists UK. We explore what chaplaincy really is, why this appointment is a historic shift for belief-diverse Armed Forces, and what hu...

SUBSCRIBE TO FREEDOM OF THOUGHT: Apple Podcasts Spotify Amazon Music Podcast Addict YouTube All other podcast platforms ******** Sign up for the Humanists International Newsletter Welcome to Freedom of Thought a new podcast series by Humanists International! In this first episode hosts Gary McLellend and Leon Langdon introduce Humanists International, the global representative body at the heart of...

"If science tells you what's real and compassion tells you what's right, you're a humanist" - Fish Stark Fish Stark, Executive Director of the American Humanist Association (AHA), joins Humanism Now to unpack what a modern humanist revival could look like in the United States. From creator-led storytelling to legal strategy and mutual aid, Fish shares how the AHA is buildi...

“It was a very safe space to be able to say, I got that wrong.” CampQuest UK Programme Director Alistair Lichten (Humanist Dad ) and camper-turned-volunteer Katy Pugh join Humanism Now to unpack why a secular camp matters, and how a weekend of outdoor adventure, hands-on science, and Philosophy for Children helps young people practise curiosity, confidence, and respectful disagreement. Discover Ca...

“Humanism is increasing well-being and decreasing suffering for as many people as possible.”  - Wil Jeudy  In this episode, Wil Jeudy , a secular humanist and political organiser based in Texas, shares how empathy shaped his journey from disengaged voter to coalition-builder, why secular government protects believers and non-believers alike, and how coordinated local action can push back against C...

“I changed my mind because I cared about alleviating energy poverty.” Order now: Energy is Life: Why Environmentalism Went Nuclear , by Zion Lights Amazon Guardian Bookshop Natural History Book Service Zion Lights is an award-winning science communicator and environmental advocate whose work sits at the intersection of energy, climate, and public understanding of science. In this conversation, Zio...

In this short update epsiode, we are pleased to welcome back  Nathan Stilwell , Humanists UK's Assisted dying Campaign Coordinator, Campaigns and Communications Manager at My Death My Decision and a member of The Assisted Dying Coalition Secretariat. Nathan explains what has happened since the Assisted Dying Bill passed the House of Commons, why it now risks falling in the House of Lords, and...

 “Most people want community, and yet these communities keep disappearing.” Dr. Darrel Ray is a psychologist, author, and organizational leader who has spent decades helping individuals leave religious belief systems and supporting secular communities around the world. He founded Recovering from Religion and the Secular Therapy Project, wrote influential books such as The God Virus , and recently...

" I blame dinosaurs, and I blame London."  Astrophysicist and science communicator Dr Alfredo Carpineti (IFLScience, The Big Questions ; creator of The Astroholic Explains ; founder and chair of Pride in STEM ) joins Humanism Now  to explore why the cosmos still sparks childlike wonder, how great science communication balances accuracy with storytelling, and why his upcoming book Invisib...