LTE regarding Humanist Manifesto III

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The following letter to the editor was published in the Summer 2003
edition of the "Utah Humanist."

After reading "Humanist Manifesto III," I must admit I feel disappointed. In
the perspective of HMI and II, and Paul Kurtz's "Humanist Manifesto 2000,"
the new Humanist Manifesto seems to have lost its distinctive vision. It
seems, instead, a watered down, inclusive rationalism.

Though embodying a general perspective or summary of humanism, HMIII
does not give new direction, does not provide insight into our follies,
and does not use the powerful language of the others.

Unfortunately, I fear that it may fall dead by the wayside, and do
nothing more than secure a signpost that states, "We were here."

I expected more.

[*Note*: While a member of the American Humanists Association, I had a
chance to sign Humanist Manifesto II.  Since then, the humanist movement
has been a disappointment.  Paul Kurtz recognized a few of humanism's
problems in his book "Eupraxophy," but the suggestions in that book have
been a dismal failure.  Humanism is a small, culture click of atheistic,
agnostic, and sceptical Unitarian intellectuals, who follow a diverse
group of Enlightenment philosophers and writers whose opinions are
inconsistent, and sometimes irrational.  As a group they are powerless
to effect change, and where in the few instances change has been wrought,
it has been either destructive or irrelevant.]

HM3: <URL:https://www.americanhumanist.org/3/HumandItsAspirations.htm>
My blog on HM2: <URL:http://www.deevans.net/blog/archive.xhtml#manifesto2>

Copyright (c) 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007 by D. E. Evans.
Updated (GMT, UTC): $Id: ltehou2003.txt,v 1.2 2007/11/06 12:06:23 sinuhe Exp $