Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #HumanistHeritage
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Extraordinary to watch the mind of the American humanist playwright Lorraine Hansberry at work here in 1960. A true talent and inspiration, Hansberry was the first black woman to have a play produced on Broadway – wonderful to see her passion shine through. #HumanistHeritage
Her most famous play, A Raisin in the Sun (which debuted in 1959), is a fearless commentary on racial discrimination, segregation, and the 'American dream'. It's a fantastic piece of drama, which you can watch in full on YouTube.
Hansberry was good friends with musician Nina Simone, and after Lorraine's death in 1965, Simone went on to write the song 'To Be Young, Gifted and Black' in her memory, subsequently becoming an anthem of the Civil Rights movement. #IWM2023
A wonderful moment caught in a #HumanistHeritage photo! Architect of modern humanism and our first Executive Director, Harold Blackham, appearing to crack wise at his retirement party: (pictured, right, @ConwayHall in 1968). Best of Blackham. 🧵👇 
'Nothing is exempt from human question...no immemorial tradition, no revelation, no authority, no privileged knowledge.' – Harold Blackham, the architect of modern humanism & our first Executive Director, on the importance of questioning everything and everyone.
'Humanism is the ordinary way of taking hold of the world...Contrary to what many suspect or complain of, humanism not only has no mumbo-jumbo, it has no experts. Intellectuals and the man in the street speak the same language.'
T.H. Huxley coined the term 'agnostic' to clarify that debating god’s existence was pointless. He's also famously known for saying he'd rather be descended from an ape than a bishop during a debate in 1860, a real 19th century mic drop moment, so to speak. heritage.humanists.uk/thomas-henry-h…
Huxley was born #OnThisDay in 1825 and was tireless & vociferous promoter of Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection, and became known as 'Darwin’s bulldog'. Most notably, he helped to create the new professional class of scientists in Britain... #HumanistHeritage
He promoted a modern approach to the purpose & rewards of science. He started a series of lectures for working men in 1855, established the scientific journal 'Nature' in 1869, & the 'Normal School of Science' in 1881, later becoming @imperialcollege #HumanistHeritage
Thomas Henry Huxley coined the term 'agnostic' to clarify that debating god’s existence was pointless. He's known, perhaps most famously, for saying he'd rather be descended from an ape than a bishop during a debate in 1860 - a real 19th century mic drop moment, so to speak.
Huxley was a tireless & vociferous promoter of Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection, and became known as 'Darwin’s bulldog'. Most notably, he helped to create the new professional class of scientists in Britain... #HumanistHeritage
He promoted a modern approach to the purpose & rewards of science. He started a series of lectures for working men in 1855, established the scientific journal 'Nature' in 1869, & the 'Normal School of Science' in 1881, later becoming
@imperialcollege
#HumanistHeritage
@imperialcollege
#HumanistHeritage
It’s #internationaldogday! So what better way to celebrate than a mega-thread featuring prominent & historic humanists and their canine companions? Let us begin. Here's British philosopher and humanist Bertrand Russell, sharing a lovely moment with his dog.
Einstein was profoundly involved in the humanist movement on both sides of the Atlantic. He also worked with Bertrand Russell to write the Einstein-Russell manifesto which called for peace during the Cold War. It's quite nice to see him here having a break. #internationaldogday
This one comes from our #HumanistHeritage project. Florence Dixie was a war correspondent, suffragist, & traveller who threw off the restraints of Victorian domesticity. She was a humanist, & also had a St Bernard called Hubert. Shout out to Hubert. #Internationaldogday
All this year we are celebrating the fact that it's our 125th anniversary.
#OnThisDay 125 years ago, activists from every part of the UK gathered at our first Annual Congress, driven to create a national force for non-religious values and ethics in society: today's Humanists UK.
#OnThisDay 125 years ago, activists from every part of the UK gathered at our first Annual Congress, driven to create a national force for non-religious values and ethics in society: today's Humanists UK.
When that small group of radicals met in 1896, they could scarcely have imagined what they were setting in motion.
Today we are a growing movement at the forefront of social change, backed by 100,000 members and supporters committed to creating a kinder, more rational society.
Today we are a growing movement at the forefront of social change, backed by 100,000 members and supporters committed to creating a kinder, more rational society.
This year we're shining a light on the stories of the people & ideas that made the humanist movement influential in the UK - changing society for the better along the way
Our #HumanistHeritage website charts the considerable impact of humanism in history heritage.humanists.uk
Our #HumanistHeritage website charts the considerable impact of humanism in history heritage.humanists.uk
Up next at #Humanists2021! #HumanistHeritage and we couldn't have asked for a better line-up. @GUhumanisthub, @nashhistory, @drcharlielynch, & @maddyogoodall form a truly expert panel. It’s time to explore its rich history. See you in 5! heritage.humanists.uk.
This year is our 125th birthday! To celebrate we launched the #HumanistHeritage website (linked above!). Please do explore the website. We're proud to host our panel of esteemed historians, says @maddyogoodall, as she kicks session two off!
@maddyogoodall @GUhumanisthub @nashhistory @drcharlielynch are currently researching this project! The Humanist Movement in Britain 1896-2021: A History. @GUhumanisthub introduces the project, and how Humanists UK started out as the Union of Ethical Societies.
An hour to go until the first session of our #Humanists2021 Convention!🕑Our Chief Exec, @AndrewCopson will be kick-starting the session to be followed by @Sathnam (Sanghera) & @SamiraAhmedUK in conversation. They'll be discussing Sathnam's Sunday Times bestseller #Empireland!
Just ten minutes to go until session one of #Humanists2021 Convention. We hope you’re ready!
And we’re off 🎉
@Andrewcopson begins by welcoming Convention attendees joining us from across the globe, including from North America & Australia. 🌍
It’s our biggest Convention yet – over 1000 people are in attendance! #Humanists2021
@Andrewcopson begins by welcoming Convention attendees joining us from across the globe, including from North America & Australia. 🌍
It’s our biggest Convention yet – over 1000 people are in attendance! #Humanists2021
1/6 #HumanistHeritage: The newspaper publisher Henry Hetherington – who championed freedom of the press, freedom of thought, & the rights of the working class – was born #onthisday 1792. He fought to make radical ideas accessible to everyone, regardless of wealth or status.
2/6 He believed in social reform & cooperation, motivated not by religious belief but by a humanist sense of duty to his fellow man. During the 1820s, he joined variety of radical, reformist causes, particularly in support of universal suffrage & democratic politics.
3/6 Hetherington’s defining cause, however, was that of the ‘taxes on knowledge’. These taxes on newspapers & printed materials were designed – many felt – to prevent the poor being exposed to radical ideas.
