The Humanist Association of Ireland (HAI) is a

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...

secular humanist Secular humanism is a philosophy, belief system or life stance that embraces human reason, secular ethics, and philosophical naturalism while specifically rejecting religious dogma, supernaturalism, and superstition as the basis of morality ...

organisation that was founded in 1993 to promote

Humanism Humanism is a philosophy, philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and Agency (philosophy), agency of Human, human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical in ...

, which they describe as:

an ethical philosophy of life, based on a concern for humanity in general, and for human individuals in particular. This view of life combines reason with compassion. It is for those people who base their interpretation of existence on the evidence of the natural world and its evolution, and not on belief in a supernatural power.

It hosts an annual lecture, usually at

Trinity College Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

, to mark Darwin Day and holds regular public meetings. The HAI is also active in providing Humanist alternatives to traditional wedding, baptism and funeral ceremonies. The HAI is a member organisation of the European Humanist Federation and is affiliated to the

International Humanist and Ethical Union Humanists International (known as the International Humanist and Ethical Union, or IHEU, from 1952–2019) is an international non-governmental organisation championing secularism and human rights, motivated by secular humanist values. Foun ...

(IHEU). The official symbol of the HAI is the

Happy Human The Happy Human is an icon that has been adopted as an international symbol of secular humanism. Created by Dennis Barrington, the figure was the winning design in a competition arranged by Humanists UK (formerly the British Humanist Associatio ...

. Owen Sheehy-Skeffington, son of Francis Sheehy-Skeffington, helped to set up the organisation. In April 2009 the Association started an advertising campaign on the DART against religious oaths of office for Irish judges and presidents. Dick Spicer, the then chairman, has criticised the educational system, claiming that it discriminates against non-believers. He resigned as chairman of the board of HAI in July 2010. In November 2010 the Association objected to a pilot programme called "Goodness me, Goodness you" on the grounds that it separated children into believers and non-believers at an early age. They said that faith classes should take place outside school hours.

References

External links

Humanist Association of Ireland
website
Mid-west Branch
{{European Humanist Federation

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Political organisations based in the Republic of Ireland European Humanist Federation Atheism in Ireland Atheist organizations 1993 establishments in Ireland Organizations established in 1993 Secular humanism

See also

References

External links