The Golden Rule: Helpful Guide or Risky Assumption?

Tim Maguire on October 7, 2025

This month’s topic was suggested by Dawn, and it began as a simple question about the principal of behaving towards others as we would wish them to behave towards us, but it soon turned into a wide-ranging, thought-provoking discussion about culture, politics, power, and humanist practice.

Culture Clashes

Tim kicked things off by pointing out that ‘The Golden Rule’ assumes that other people want the same things we do. Not true. A pat on the head might be affectionate in Scotland, but in Thailand it’s a grave insult.

Susan agreed, noting that celebrants are constantly navigating these cultural subtleties. A kiss on each cheek feels natural in France, but in other contexts it might be awkward or offensive. How much can we learn about every culture in advance? And how much is it down to couples and families to explain what feels right for them?

The Therapist’s View

Harve, who worked as a psychotherapist, brought in his professional experience. He explained that effective therapy requires setting aside your own values and working within the client’s worldview. That principle, he suggested, applies to life in general: assumptions are dangerous, and we need to listen rather than project our own expectations.

Harve shared that his early years hitchhiking taught him to hear different perspectives – from postal workers to architects – which later shaped his ability to empathise without judgement.

Sharon’s Perspective

Sharon added that while she sees the Golden Rule as a good guide, it shouldn’t override our moral principles. Most people, she believes, are inherently good and respond to kindness and respect. But what about those who think they’re more important than they are – for the wrong reasons? Figures like Trump test the limits of the rule. Should we really treat them as they want to be treated? Sharon’s answer: absolutely not.

She also highlighted a useful reminder from the modern workplace: with so many different backgrounds and identities, “treating others as you would like to be treated” often leads to assumptions. If in doubt, ask.

Politics and Power

The conversation naturally drifted into politics. Tim questioned whether applying the Golden Rule to bullies or autocrats makes any sense. Dawn admitted that while she once believed compassion and empathy were universal, she now sees how often they are dismissed.

Harve pointed to the Israel–Gaza conflict as an example of “eye for an eye” thinking, where reciprocity leads only to deeper harm. Tim countered with traditions of nonviolence – Christian, Gandhian, Buddhist – but asked whether they sit comfortably with the Golden Rule or challenge it.

Harve added that democracy itself isn’t universal. Some cultures lean towards autocracy, and many individuals are content to be led rather than take responsibility. Tim observed that even the U.S. is shifting away from its Enlightenment ideals, raising yet another question about whether the values we humanists often assume are shared actually are.

Humanism in Practice

Susan reminded everyone that, in the end, celebrant work is about giving people freedom. Couples can include religious elements if they want — it’s about respect, not prohibition. Tim agreed, lamenting that in Scotland, humanism is often narrowly understood as “no hymns or prayers,” rather than what it truly is: living a good life guided by compassion and reason.

A Lovely Example

To bring things back to the practical, Susan shared a story of a Scandinavian couple she is working with. In their ceremony, the groom will walk down the aisle with both of his parents to meet the bride at the top. Tim loved this: a simple but original idea, deeply meaningful to the couple. For him, it summed up what celebrants do — not dictate, but provide space for people to create their own meaning.

Where We Landed

By the end, no one was ready to throw the Golden Rule away entirely. It remains a useful compass, a reminder to treat people with care. But we all agreed it has limits. It can’t be taken literally or applied blindly across all contexts. Culture, politics, power, and personality complicate things.

As Sharon put it: the Golden Rule is a guide — not a law, not black and white. If in doubt, don’t assume. Ask.

Spirituality – What does it mean to you?

Tim Maguire on September 12, 2025

an image of a tarmac road between snow-covered mountains in Glencoe

Our last meeting was about “Spirituality” – a word that comes with a lot of baggage. For some, it feels too tied to religion; for others, it describes something essential to being human – the transcendent feeling we get when we realise that we are part of something far greater than ourselves.

Historically, humanists have been wary of the word, but that’s beginning to change. In 2018, Lindsay van Dijk became the first humanist to lead an NHS chaplaincy team. As she explained in a Guardian interview at the time:

“A lot of people don’t have an organised faith, but they still have spiritual and emotional needs at difficult times. Often people are trying to make sense of their lives and the situations they find themselves in.”

That sentiment feels important to us in Humankind: spirituality isn’t the preserve of religion. Spirituality is something we all experience, whether we use the word or not.

Guest reflections on spirituality

At our recent gathering we were delighted to be joined by the Reverend Dr. Harriet Harris MBE, University Chaplain and Head of the Chaplaincy Service at the University of Edinburgh. We were eager to hear her thoughts, but also to explore what it means to us as humanists.

Tim began by talking about mountains. Throughout history, they’ve been seen as the dwelling place of gods. Yet even without religion, climbers often speak of the sense of transcendence and connection they feel on a summit. Tim recalled weddings he had conducted at the foot – and even at the top – of Buachaille Etive Mhor in Glencoe. For the couples, the mountain setting gave their ceremonies a profound spiritual dimension.

For Tim, spirituality is an essential part to our humanity and it manifests itself in many ways – the awe we feel in nature, music or art, or in moments of compassion and love.

Spirituality in practice

Harriet offered a perspective from within religious chaplaincy. She noted that “spirituality” is a relatively modern word in religious circles, entering popular use in the 1960s as people sought new ways of expressing themselves outside organised religion.

In her work with students, Harriet often asks them to consider four kinds of needs: physical, emotional, practical – and spiritual. That last question, “What is your place in the bigger world? What matters to you?”, often opens new space for reflection.

For her, spirituality is about openness rather than striving – “letting go and allowing the world to come to you.” Compassion and spirituality are lifelong practices, and she illustrated this with a Buddhist paradox; the harder you try to achieve them, the longer it takes. She also shared the story of a student from Africa who connected with her spirituality simply by gazing at the night sky – finding in it a sense of belonging to the universe and to humanity.

Humanist voices

Several of our members also shared their perspectives:

  • Sharon described spirituality as an individual experience, a search for meaning and connection. For her, walking through fields, watching wildlife, or stargazing brings clarity and peace. This daily practice of reflection has helped her cope with life’s challenges and deepened her gratitude.
  • Dawn spoke of moving away from Christianity and realising she could find spiritual connection in nature – on long walks, in everyday acts of love, and in conversation. For her, spirituality is not distant or unattainable, but woven into the fabric of life.
  • Rex finds spirituality in emotional connection and art. He recalled a visitor to his home gallery who was moved to tears simply by being surrounded by paintings and sculptures. For him, humanists should embrace the truth that art, music, and landscape can evoke profound spiritual responses.
  • Susie reflected on a funeral she conducted for a lifelong atheist and member of the Secular Society. Despite his rejection of religion, he had found meaning in both Shakespeare and Henry Scott-Holland’s reflection, Death is Nothing at All. He also requested Aaron Freeman’s Eulogy from a Physicist, which affirms that our energy continues after death. Even here, spirituality played a role – not in the religious sense, but in helping people find comfort and connection.

Embracing transcendence

As Tim put it:

“There’s a close connection between the words ‘spirituality’ and ‘transcendence’. In our ceremonies we hope that by talking about love we can create that transcendent moment. That’s what makes humanist ceremonies powerful – they connect with people. The paradox of spirituality is that it doesn’t bear examination. The emotions it provokes – joy, elation, compassion – evaporate when you try to analyse them. The lesson of spirituality is simple: enjoy it when it’s present.”

For humanists, spirituality isn’t about gods or dogma. It’s about recognising those moments of awe, love, and connection – whether in a mountain landscape, a piece of music, a shared ritual, or the quiet wonder of a starry sky.

We’d love to hear your thoughts: how do you experience spirituality in your life?

Our next meeting will be at 6.00 pm on Monday 6th October. It’s a “Members Choice” evening – we hold these every three months – and we haven’t chosen a topic yet, so feel free to suggest one!

BBC Sunday Morning

Tim Maguire on September 8, 2025

I was delighted to be invited onto BBC Radio Scotland’s Sunday Morning programme yesterday to talk to presenter Cathy MacDonald about living funerals.

I was joined by Trevor Yerbury, whose late wife Faye died earlier this year, so it was particularly poignant to hear him speak about what her “farewell party” had meant to her.

We were the first item on, so if you’ve got a spare 10 minutes, you can hear our conversation here (about 9 minutes in).

The Human Project – Creating Meaning

Tim Maguire on August 6, 2025

Our conversation on Monday was about one of life’s most enduring questions, and it began began with reflections on how meaning, once rooted firmly in religious belief, is now widely accepted to be something created through lived experience.

Dawn shared that even after stepping away from Christianity, she still finds meaning in acts of service and kindness. Quoting Bono, she reminded us: “I can’t change the world, but I can change the world in me.”

For her, love and kindness must be at the core of any meaningful act, while Sarah, who is a practicing Christian, said “perhaps CS Lewis might have my last word? “When you have reached your own room, be kind to those who have chosen different doors and to those who are still in the hall”.

We set the topic of the meeting months ago, so we were pleased to find we’re on the zeitgeist because the search for meaning is the leading article in the current issue of New Humanist magazine.

We agreed that Humanism isn’t about the absence of belief – it’s about actively crafting meaning, in relationships, communities, and culture, and we concur with its proposition that “the search for meaning is a condition of being human.” Meaning is not handed down from above – it’s something that emerges through engagement with others.

Secular Ceremonies: Sources of Meaning and Connection

Susan and Sharon shared powerful stories from humanist funerals, which had surprised and deeply moved attendees who hadn’t expected to find such profound meaning in ceremonies without religious elements.

Sharon recounted a funeral where a guest said she left feeling uplifted rather than sad – a testament to how humanist ceremonies focus on celebrating life, not just mourning death. Similarly, Bjarni described how Icelandic funerals, infused with music, reflection, and community, often lead people to express both gratitude and surprise at how fulfilling a non-religious ceremony can be.

Coming of Age, Naming, and Ritual

A standout theme was the importance of ritual. Bjarni spoke about Iceland’s “Coming of Age” ceremonies for 13- and 14-year-olds, a rite of passage that’s continuing to grow in popularity. Susan contrasted this with the UK, where that tradition doesn’t yet exist, but highlighted the power of Naming and Welcoming Ceremonies as moments when families and friends make promises to each other and their children – building meaning through intentional commitments.

These ceremonies, we agreed, are where humanists truly shine – not so much through philosophical debate, but through marking life’s most important transitions in deeply personal and very human ways.

Meaning as a Human Responsibility

Drawing on Jean-Paul Sartre’s essay ‘Existentialism is a Humanism’, Tim quoted his famous dictum, ‘in a world without gods, what we become is up to us’. Life itself has no intrinsic meaning – only what we give it. Humanism provides a framework not only to understand this truth but to live it.

Richard agreed saying, “Meaning is made”, citing Wittgenstein’s statement that “the meaning of a word is its use in the language.” As he went on to say, “Meaning is something we construct, through how we speak, act, and live. A word like kindness only means something because we see it. Meaning comes through commitment. It’s something we build through what we care about and stick with – relationships, causes, rituals, even routines. Meaning grows where we choose to invest our attention. It’s also something that tends to reveal itself in hindsight. It can be hard to see meaning in the moment, but we start to see patterns, connections, even purpose when looking back. Meaning is often shaped in the stories we tell later.”

That prompted Tim to recall a recent book by Richard Holloway, in which the former Episcopal Archbishop of Edinburgh talks about the limitations of language as a way to describe human experience. “Some of the keenest human experiences are beyond any words to describe. Take the feeling of loneliness as an example. It’s not easy to communicate it in words, but artists like Hopper have painted it with heartbreaking clarity…. Words are the names we give things, the signs, we create point to them, but the things themselves are not what we say they are: the word water is not drinkable, nor is the word bread, edible.”

Bruce said “the creation of meaning is a pre-requisite of our consciousness and self-awareness. Existing without the stories we provide for ourselves would rob us of the social glue that makes communication possible, so meaning is a pre-requisite for good and ill; it is both made and infinitely contested,” and Stuart said, “Ritual is fundamental to human life, being part of a community, forming relationships and feeling part of this vast, marvellous universe.”

Conclusion: A Human Task

Ultimately, the conversation circled back to a powerful truth: meaning is made – not found. Whether through funerals, weddings, coming-of-age rituals, or daily acts of kindness, each of us has the power – and the responsibility – to shape a life of purpose.

In a secular age, humanists are not simply replacing religion – we’re redefining what it means to live well, love fully, and mark life’s milestones with sincerity and grace.

As Susan concluded, “Creating meaning is what we do – it is the human purpose.”

Next Steps

Our next Meeting will be on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, when the topic will be, ‘Spirituality – What Does That Mean to You?’ If you’d like to share your own thoughts on the subject, please join Humankind.

Meetings are on Zoom; an official invite will be sent a week in advance, and those unable to attend are encouraged to submit contributions in writing.

Building a Humanist Community: Beyond the Ceremony

Tim Maguire on July 24, 2025

For many couples, a humanist wedding ceremony is a deeply meaningful event—an expression of their values, their relationship, and their future. But what happens after the confetti settles and the vows are said? Can that brief, powerful moment of shared belief and celebration become something more enduring?

That was the central question in a recent conversation among a group of humanist thinkers, celebrants, and supporters. The topic: how to build a lasting humanist community—one that inspires, welcomes, and empowers people far beyond the wedding day.

The Ceremony as a Starting Point

Tim, who’s been conducting humanist ceremonies since 2005, opened the conversation with a frank reflection: while humanist ceremonies often create a sense of community in the moment, few couples go on to become involved in the movement itself.

“People are busy. When you’re getting married, you have better things to do than sit around discussing philosophy.”

Still, he added, those ceremonies do form communities—briefly. “The challenge is turning that spark into something lasting.”

A Community of Values, Not Just Events

The group shared a recurring theme: the power of simple, shared values. As Dawn put it:

“A simple message of Be Kind, Be Human, Be Good—and let religious communities argue about everything else!”

Humanism, by its nature, celebrates individual thought and personal ethics. That independence, while empowering, may also make it harder to foster collective identity.

What Keeps People Connected?

Susan pointed out that while membership in humanist societies often spikes due to weddings (which sometimes require membership), those numbers rarely translate into long-term engagement.

“People join because they have to, not because they feel part of something.”

Mike proposed creating a follow-up moment to keep the connection alive:

“What if, on your anniversary, you shared the vows you made in a short video? A kind of personal ‘mini-documentary’ that keeps the values alive and inspires others.”

Tim agreed, noting that many couples don’t realize that humanist weddings were made legal in Scotland only after decades of determined campaigning.

Learning from Activism and Other Movements

Garfield, a veteran of activism, offered an outsider’s perspective:

“Religious communities used to unite people. Now, we need to find that same mojo—but with rational, evidence-based values. Humanists should be leading the way on climate change, equality, and civil rights.”

He emphasized the importance of doing over just talking. Shared action builds community faster than shared belief alone.

Informal Spaces, Real Connection

Several participants praised the success of informal, agenda-free gatherings like the Edinburgh Coffee Mornings—spaces where humanist values could emerge naturally through conversation.

Richard added that simply feeling like you’re part of something—even passively—can be powerful. “You don’t always need to be active to feel connected.”

Inclusivity in Practice

Susan shared moving examples of humanist weddings where families from Muslim and Catholic backgrounds were included in the ceremonies with blessings and readings—demonstrating that humanism can be both principled and inclusive.

“It was about what they wanted. The parents did their blessing. It was so inclusive… and moving.”

What Comes Next?

The group concluded with a renewed sense of purpose and several action ideas:

  • Encourage creative campaigns around anniversaries and ceremonies
  • Revive local meetups (like coffee mornings) to foster real-world connections
  • Craft clearer messaging around the activism and ethical foundations of humanism
  • Rethink membership models to prioritize genuine engagement over obligation

As Tim said:

“We’ve done the ceremonies – now let’s build the community.”

Perhaps that’s the foundation of a stronger, more connected humanist movement—one built not just on shared beliefs, but shared action and mutual respect.

Our next community meeting will be on Zoom at 6.30 pm on Monday 4th August 2025, when we’ll be talking about creating a meaningful life.

We’d love to hear your thoughts. If you would like to join the discussion, please join Humankind

Truth in the Age of Truth Social

Tim Maguire on July 9, 2025

One of my favourite humanist quotations comes from the philosopher, Harold Blackham, ‘Humanism is about the world, not about Humanism’. As you’ll see if you click on that link, Blackham was ‘the architect of the modern humanist movement, and a decades-long champion of humanist values on national and international levels’, so I think he’d have approved of our choice of subject,

The Elusive Nature of Truth

Our conversation centred on the difficulty of discerning truth in today’s world, especially in the context of media, politics, and social discourse. There was shared concern over the erosion of trust in traditional sources of information and a consensus on the increasing importance of critical thinking.

Opening Discussion: Truth in Politics and Media

  • Tim began by comparing current political distortions to Orwell’s Newspeak, referencing Truth Social and Pravda as ironic misuses of the word “truth.” He aloso raised concerns about recent BBC censorship controversies regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict, noting how even once-trusted institutions feel compromised.
  • Bruce offered historical perspective, noting that media bias isn’t new, recalling how the BBC was viewed as biased during The Troubles in Northern Ireland. He argued that truth has always been somewhat relative.
  • Susan highlighted how media outlets manipulate images and narratives, asking who we can trust and how we evaluate competing claims.
  • Dawn noted the emergence of terms like ‘my truth’ and ‘your truth’ which seem to have come from social media, and which contribute to the idea that there are multiple truths, according to perception. 
  • Richard brought up the common experience of reading articles on familiar subjects and spotting numerous errors—contrasting that with uncritical acceptance of unfamiliar topics. He stressed the need for active critical thinking.
  • Mike reflected on his childhood belief in the impartiality of outlets like the BBC and The Guardian, contrasting that with The Sun’s sensationalism, especially in its contradictory treatment of Maradona in the 1980s. He suggested that truth hasn’t just been obscured—it’s been devalued in favour of ratings and virality, especially in the age of social media.

Fabrication in Culture: The Salt Path

The discussion turned to The Salt Path, a book and film exposed as partly fictionalized.

  • Richard saw this as a case where the truth is ambiguous, possibly due to ignorance or complicity by the filmmakers.
  • Mike tied it to a broader trend where fabrication is now tolerated as long as it’s compelling.

Truth as a Collective Endeavor

  • Drawing from Julian Baggini, the group discussed the idea that truth-seeking must be a shared, social process.
  • Mike countered this, pointing to how AI and media now amplify misinformation.
  • Richard highlighted the importance of education in teaching critical analysis, citing a former Microsoft executive who warned that information alone isn’t enough—it must be processed wisely.
  • He introduced the term “truthiness”—information that feels true because it fits our beliefs.
  • Tim noted that humanists encourage scepticism, including scepticism of one’s own biases, emphasizing intellectual humility.

Political Truth and Accountability

  • Tim brought up Trump’s attacks on journalist Natasha Bertrand, suggesting that being attacked by power can be a mark of truth-telling.
  • Mike expanded on that, referencing the weather-related tragedies in Texas and arguing that truth eventually reveals itself, even if delayed by political obfuscation.

The Role of Community

  • As the meeting drew to a close, Tim and others reflected on the format and value of these discussions.
  • Bruce expressed discomfort with filtering out disagreeable views on social media, noting the danger of ideological bubbles.
  • Tim agreed, adding that community must allow for disagreement. He cited Baggini again, noting that building non-religious communities is one of humanism’s key challenges.
  • Richard concluded by proposing that this question—how to build community—should be the topic of the next meeting.

Next Meeting Topic:

“How to Build a Humanist Community” – a continuation of the broader discussion on truth, trust, and collective understanding will be at 6.30 pm on Monday 21st July – we hope to see you there!

Faye Yerbury

Tim Maguire on July 8, 2025

We are very sad to learn of the death of one of our founder members, Faye Yerbury.

A Master Photographer specialising in Classic Nudes, Faye and her husband Trevor were together for 46 years, married for 42 of them, and she died a day before their wedding anniversary.

Faye had lived since the age of twelve with only one lung. Last year, on being diagnosed with terminal cancer, she decided to give her body to medical science which prompted her and Trevor to get in touch to ask what they might do, given that a conventional funeral was out of the question.

I suggested she have a living funeral, so that’s what we did on Sunday the 21st of July last year, and I wrote an account of it for The Herald newspaper.

As I said in the article, “It takes courage to accept our own mortality”, and that was one quality Faye had in abundance. One of the guests who spoke at the party said “she had the body of a wren and the heart of an eagle”.

A few weeks ago, a team from the BBC’s Morning Live programme got in touch, and Esther Rantzen’s daughter, Rebecca Wilcox interviewed Faye and Trevor for the episode that was broadcast yesterday.

You can see the interview here, on the BBC Morning Live page on Facebook.

A World in Chaos – what should humanists do?

Tim Maguire on June 24, 2025

It was back in March that we decided to form Humankind, in response to the attacks on humanist values around the world. 

Two months later we got together in the immediate aftermath of the US bombing of Iran, so it was impossible to ignore the obvious question with which Bill kicked off – “If you do anything at all, what are you hoping to achieve?”

Dawn said, “I find it very frustrating that one man appears to be controlling the (wrong) direction the world is going in. A man incapable and unwilling it seems to find diplomatic solutions. And no-one wants to stop the bullying. What can we do? What can I do? I see kind loving people all around the world yet hatred ‘rules’. How can we persuade our leaders to stand up for our values?”

Richard said, “I guess individual influence is so minuscule, but actually it is, and it isn’t. It comes down to your influence on the people whose lives you touch, and the choices you make. 

It’s about communicating the values, spreading the word, and through your actions, perhaps inspiring someone else to boycott, to have a conversation. It’s important not to accept that as individuals we have very little agency. The one thing we can do is have conversations and try to influence the people we talk to.”

Tim agreed, saying “that’s pretty much what Gandhi said when he advocated peaceful resistance – we have to be the change we want to see in the world,” (although AI now tells me those aren’t precisely the words he used…)

Ellie said, “I agree that in times of seismic political events, you can feel impotent – especially with the despots currently in charge, and the truth is we are pretty impotent – as individuals, at any rate. But as Richard (and Gandhi) say, it is about the connections you make as an individual; being the change.”

“Yes, maybe, one conversation at a time. But most of us live in echo chambers, possibly even more so in the digital age, so maybe it’s about continuing to express solidarity, in every way possible, with those suffering at the hands of Trump, Netanyahu, Putin – even when it seems hopeless – and probably not on social media, because it’s the biggest echo chamber of all.”

And while, it’s good to ‘be the change’ I like collective action over individual action; i.e. organising or attending a benefit gig to raise money for medical supplies over an individual boycott of Israeli goods. At risk of sounding glib, it’s like recycling. Crushing one milk carton changes nothing, but recycling the whole community’s cartons might (as long as they don’t go in landfill anyway).”

We reflected on the failure of historical protests, such as the one against the Iraq War, and the challenges of mass protest in the digital age, but as Ellie said, “I still believe in shouting too. Protests might seem pointless, but all revolutions start with gatherings…”

We also discussed the fragmentation of attention due to multiple communication channels and the erosion of trust in news sources.

Susie remembered how when she was growing up, her family sat down to watch the news together and read the paper every morning, but as she said, there are now so many competing sources of information it’s hard to know who to trust. 

Ellie said, “My area of interest is mis/disinformation, so I’d also stress the importance of continuing to raise consciousness, our own first, although as Susie said, this is complicated in the multi-platform and disinformation age. I’m sure others have noticed how the only eyewitness accounts coming from Gaza in recent weeks have been from humanitarian workers. You really have to piece it together now.”

Sharon said she feels that none of the leaders of the world are being honest or truthful with us, and that’s worrying, because it undermines people’s faith and trust in the democratic process.

Richard drew our attention to a podcast called ‘The Third Information Crisis’ in which Naomi Alderman asks what we can learn from the past to help us cope with the enormous wave of information and disinformation we face today from the internet and social media.

We debated the effectiveness of boycotts and non-engagement, noting limited individual influence, but we also remembered the surprising effectiveness of lone individuals like Greta Thunberg and her school gate protests that led to much greater awareness of the Climate Crisis. Again, Ellie said, “Greta is a great example of how people/ideas can become lightning rods.”

In conclusion, we agreed with Barack Obama that ‘despair is not an option’ and that conversations like this are a good first step towards creating positive change.

PS We want to say a particular thanks to Ellie who put together these impressive Mis and disinformation resources…

How to survive the broligarchy: Carole Cadwalladr remains peerless in UK investigative journalism, especially the ways social media is manipulating our views and traditional media is failing us.

Stop Hate UK is a leading national organisation working to challenge all forms of Hate Crime and discrimination, based on any aspect of an individual’s identity:

Snopes, the original fact-checking & investigative journalism site – (be warned, not all stories will match your biases!)

The BBC’s dedicated fact-checking service is another good resource – however you you feel about Auntie these days – as are BBC Monitoring and Channel 4’s fact-checking service.

Closer to home, there’s The Ferret, Scotland’s non-partisan investigative journalism and fact-checking platform and finally check out CaptainFact which is an open source, collaborative fact-checking service for YouTube videos, and Bellingcat the famous independent investigative collective of researchers, investigators and citizen journalists.

 Suggested listening

“The Third Information Crisis” by Naomi Alderman

Suggested reading

A Short History of Truth, by Julian Baggini, in which the philosopher explores different perspectives on truth, emphasising that there is no single, universally accepted definition and that understanding its various forms is crucial. He argues that while absolute certainty about truth is elusive, it’s still a valuable concept to pursue and defend, especially in an age often labeled as “post-truth”. 

We’re hoping to organise another meeting soon to talk about that, and the working title will be ““Truth in the Age of Truth Social”. If you’d like to be part of it, you know what to do… Join Humankind

We can marry you anywhere in Scotland – with two exceptions

Tim Maguire on May 6, 2025

Humankind celebrants have decided not to conduct weddings at any venue owned by Donald Trump. 

In an article in the Daily Record, Humankind celebrant Tim Maguire, who is also the Honorary Chaplain to the University of Edinburgh and Napier University said, “It took a long time for humanists to win the right to conduct legal marriage in Scotland, and we won that right because we have certain distinctive beliefs; beliefs based upon the same enlightenment values on which the USA was founded.  

The change in leadership in the United States represents a backward step for human rights and secular values that has repercussions across the world. Core humanist values of widespread human flourishing, individual dignity and autonomy, freedom of belief, and truth-telling are being abandoned.

As it says in The Amsterdam Declaration, humanists ‘affirm the worth and dignity of the individual and the right of every human to the greatest possible freedom and fullest possible development compatible with the rights of others. To these ends we support peace, democracy, the rule of law, and universal legal human rights. We reject all forms of racism and prejudice and the injustices that arise from them. We seek instead to promote the flourishing and fellowship of humanity in all its diversity and individuality’.

We very much doubt that anyone who wants a humanist wedding would now choose to get married at Turnberry, but if anyone is thinking about it, we hope they will take time to think about the values they are choosing to support.

Funerals – Joyous, Funny, Inspiring, Uplifting

Tim Maguire on April 29, 2025

According to new research almost 70% of us want our funeral to be a celebration of life, rather than a time for reflection.

It’s not news to me, but it does show how attitudes to death have changed during the course of this century. 

Funeral rituals change very slowly, which is why in their top hats, frock coats and striped trousers, funeral directors still look like members of Queen Victoria’s household. What has changed though is the content of the funeral ceremony, as I discovered when I trained to be a humanist celebrant in 2005.

At the time, all I knew about funerals was that I didn’t like them. The few I’d attended had been doleful affairs, so I agreed with university lecturer Tony Walter, who in a paper called ‘Ritualising Death in a Consumer Society’ summed up the worst of them as, “20-minute jobs in the ‘crem’, where the duty clergyman is lucky to get the name right”.

My experience of funerals was that you arrived sad and left miserable, but the humanist attitude was different. Joyful not miserable, uplifting rather than depressing, humanist funerals were happy, not sad. Humanists didn’t mourn death, they celebrated life. That paradox appealed to me, and I soon discovered that I was not alone. 

Unlike marriage where records are kept, there are no statistics for funerals, but anecdotally, humanistic ceremonies now account for more than half the funerals in the UK. People choose them less because ‘they’re not religious’, more because they are focussed on the life lived, with all its joys and sorrows, triumphs and disasters. 

Tony Walter went on to become Emeritus Professor of Death Studies at the University of Bath, and he wrote a book called “Funerals And How To Improve Them” that still sits on my shelves. In it, he said, “a good funeral should be intensely and creatively personal; it should involve as many of the mourners as possible, cherish the individual who died and weave together the survivors in bonds of love.” 

I agree. In a funeral, we’re not talking about death; we’re talking about life and more importantly, we’re talking about the thing we most value, love. Just as there is no one way to express our love, there’s no one way to leave our life, and I hope Professor Walter would be as pleased as I am to see how funerals are continuing to change. Not only are families increasingly participating themselves, but inviting friends and colleagues to do so as well. 

Not all funerals can be celebrations of life though, and it would be wrong to insist that they should be. I once had to conduct a funeral for a young woman who had fallen to her death in the Alps, the morning after she had accepted her boyfriend’s proposal of marriage. Hers was an excruciatingly tragic death, but as the mourners filed past me afterwards, an elderly gentleman seized me by the shoulders and said, “thank you, thank you – that was so uplifting!” What he helped me realise was that the only way to come to terms with such an appalling situation is to talk about how we feel, openly and honestly, and that is why what celebrants do is such a challenge – and such a privilege.

This article first appeared in The Scotsman