Humanist Manifesto III, Article 3 - "Ethical Values"

We've already had Malthus, the friend of humanity. But the friend of humanity with shaky moralprinciples is the devourer of humanity, to say nothing of his conceit; for, wound the vanity of any one of these numerous friends of humanity, and he's ready to set fire to the world out of petty revenge - like all the rest of us, though, in that, to be fair; like myself, vilest of all, for I might well bethe first to bring the fuel and run away myself.” - Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Idiot To my opponent, For your most expeditious response, I thank you. Indeed, I should even pause to praise you for your highly developed sense of humor, which allowed me to change my avatar without invoking a response from a fragile sensibility; something quite rare for this community. I wish to alleviate the tension between us, as it appears that you are still guardedly arguing against a man of religion. I remind you, I play devil’s advocate. Consider me an atheist, who needs to be properly indoctrinated into your world view. You need to make no appeal to denouncereligion. I will not invoke its name here. This debate is the Pro and Con of Humanism, not a competition between opposing worldviews. As agreed, I will limit the scope of my argument to post 1950 Humanism. Let me proceed with my opening statement: Fresh of the Cambridge print, the 2001 Comparative Criticism Journal [1] sought to establish thecommon premise in virtually every sect of post-renaissance humanism. One underlying principle that could never be overcome is the core humanist doctrine of a Unitarian principle, in which the individual is absorbed into a collective community, at the expense of individual liberty. Despite the best efforts ofHumanist Marxism, American Humanism or contemporary Humanism, the individual freedom is pervasively suppressed under the premise of the greater good. As quoted by the source, “I wonder evenwhether socialist humanism is not such a reassuring and attractive theme that it will allow a dialogue between Communists and Social-Democrats, or even a wider exchange with those ‘men of good will’ who are opposed to war and poverty. Today, even the high-road of Humanism seems to lead to socialism.” [2] I would find it disingenuous, in light of human history, for my opponent to claim that the premise and practice of humanism are united or fulfilled. Indeed, if all roads lead to Rome, all humanism has led to flagrant human rights violation. It would be the next logical step to form this premise, that a lack of follow-through on basic humanist doctrine has resulted the unnecessary suffering and casualty of the very people that humanism attributes an “intrinsic worth”. I find it additionally disingenuous to lay half-measures, indifference, and provocation at the altar of human error. No philosophy, no doctrine and no culture has created more human suffering in the post 1950s era, than the Humanists who ironically claim the best interests of their fellows. Point 1: Flagrant Inaction. Consider simply the August 20, 2001 report on the Pro-Humanist United Nation Council and their inaction in Rwanda. Recently declassified reports indicate that United Nations leadership was aware of an impending uprising, yet chose inaction and retreat. [3] Please view the reference link to find the “Facsimile from Maj. Gen. Romeo Dallaire, Force Commander, United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda, to Maj. Gen. Maurice Baril, United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations, Request for Protection for Informant, January 11, 1994.” [4] The inaction of the United Nations resulted in the torture and killing of ten Belgian soldiers assigned to the Prime Minister, who was the clear target of an assassination. Please review the reference link to find the “Memorandum from Prudence Bushnell, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs, through Peter Tarnoff, Under Secretary for Political Affairs, to Secretary of State Warren Christopher, Death of Rwandan and Burundian Presidents in Plane Crash Outside Kigali, April 6, 1994.” [5] As quoted by the source, “Indeed, the Prime Minister, Agathe Uwilingiyama, a member of the opposition MDR party, will be assassinated by members of the Presidential Guard the following day”, which directly resulted in genocidal uprising that killed countless. Point 2: Half-measures. According to the 2012 report by “worldhunger.org”, the global food production is creating 17% more calories today, than it did 30 years ago, despite a near 70% increase in population. In fact, the global food production can afford to supply every living person with 2,720 daily calories. So my challenge to the opponent is this:” If you have the ability to feed the world, where is the humanistic effort to fulfill its doctrine? Do you believe your fellow humanists have done everything within the scope of their ability to end world hunger, and if so, why are 925 million people still hungry? Is that an acceptable margin of error? ” [6] Rebuttal Section: ____________________________________________________________ Pro established: • Humans interact with one another using agreed upon codes of conduct • These codes of conduct are devised, interpreted and enforced by humans • Therefore humans are fully in command of human codes of social conduct and interaction Rebuttal: Human interact with one another outside of agreed upon codes of conduct, as shown by the evidence. The codes are devised, interpreted and largely ignored, as shown by the evidence. Therefor Human are either incapable or unwilling to fully command human codes of conduct. ____________________________________________________________ Pro said:” Considering this argument, I maintain that Con is required to admit that humans are the initiators, interpreters, and enforcer s of all human standards of behavior – including mores and ethical rules.” Rebuttal: I will not concede this. I would refine your argument by establishing that moral depravity is the natural state of mankind, which requires no interpretation or enforcement because it flows naturally. The evidence clearly showed Humanism to look wonderful on paper, yet a fantasy in practice. ____________________________________________________________-------------------------------------------- REFERENCES----------------------------------------------------------------- Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-80807-1- An Annual Journal: Humanist Traditions in the Twentieth Century – Edited by E. S. Shaffer [1] Louis Althusser, Cahiers de l’I.S.E.A., June 1964 [2] The US and the Genocide in Rwanda 1994 - Evidence of American Inaction, William Ferroggiaro, August 20, 2001 [3] http://www.gwu.edu... [4] http://www.gwu.edu... [5] Black RE, Morris SS, Bryce J. "Where and why are 10 million children dying every year?" Lancet. 2003 Jun 28;361(9376):2226-34. [6]