Humanism for the exploration of what underpins the study of ethics. Certainly theology (the study of religion) is centuries old, well studied, and expertly written. Less well-known is the study of Humanism.

You will find significant writings warning about Humanism in the religious world. As a health professional, I spend much time pondering the reasons for this.

When weponder, we think carefully about something. Another synonym isweigh, as in "to weigh a serious decision"a word that connects withpondermore literally than you may think.

If human beings are NOT capable of rational thought and decision-making, aren't we in deep trouble? Many great people (Martin Luther King, Socrates, Aristotle, Confucius, Gandhi) write deeply and thoughtfully about ethical principles. Cannot people, arguably most people, be capable of making conscious choices for the good of society?

Documents, created by major groups, such as the U.N.'s Universal Declaration of Human Rights, aim for global agreement about basic rights.

he Universal Declaration of Human Rightsis written by the people of the world, for the people of the world. It certainly was written by many with strong religious beliefs. But it also most certainly was written by those without as well.

Relate beliefs on where ethical principles should be based.

Summarize the argument for religious-based and humanism-based ethics

Discuss how you have come to ethical decisions in the past and which (religious or humanism) they align most closely to

Share if there may be multiple paths to ethical decisions