Opinions

Humanism And Decency


British philosopher A C Grayling mentions that while we are aware of the duties of a host of a dinner party, very few mention about the duties of a guest. The duties of a guest, he says, are that he should be a good conversationalist — well-informed, articulate, capable of discussing and debating with clarity, understanding, and strictly adhering to truth.

This, he goes on to say, illustrates the Humanist ideal, ‘Well-informed, reflective, alert, responsive, eager for an understanding and for achievement for the good; in short, a good guest at the dinner of life.’ The Humanist Manifesto III defines the credo of Humanism —guided by reason, inspired by compassion and informed by experience.

American writer Kurt Vonnegut puts it more simply, ‘A humanist is one who behaves decently without expectations of reward or punishment after you are dead.’ Humanism has all the virtues of religion without being burdened by its dogma. It is more akin to spirituality. Compassion, forgiveness, patience and sense of responsibility are hallmarks of spirituality.

Decency is much more than what the dictionary suggests — conformity with the current standards of propriety. Decency is not ephemeral. It has been said that with so many old things coming back in fashion, we can hope that decency too does make a comeback. When we can all be ‘good guests in the dinner of life’. When we can be humanists. Amen to that.



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