The American Humanist website sports a Happy Human logo. I wonder, since one person's happiness often causes another's misery, whose happiness wins? If abandoning your family makes you happy, but leaves your family heartbroken, who is most important?
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Blessed has a COAT of many colors
ANSWERS: 9
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A humanist would probably say that the family needs to find happiness on their own, and not depend on other people for joy.
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Humanist philosophies are about the inherent worth and dignity of ALL humans. Not about simply doing what makes one happy. A true humanist wouldn't pursue his or her happiness to the detriment of others.
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It's just not generally true that "one person's happiness causes another's misery". If someone thinks like that, they're misunderstanding the nature of being human -- which is another way of saying "they don't know who they are". We are interconnected, you can't go around thinking of yourself as an isolated island and find real happiness that way.
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I can't imagine taking my happiness at the expense of someone else's and I'm a humanist.
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You know, I asked the same question the first time I read Emerson's self-reliance. I'd say that in the hypothetical scenario you mentioned, the family might be better off if an unhappy member leaves. As the adage goes, when momma (or daddy or hubby or the wife) ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!
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It depends on your ethical philosophy. I'm something of a utilitarian in that I believe the general statement that what is morally good is what provides the greatest net benefit for the greatest number of people, while what is morally wrong is what provides the most harm for the greatest number of people. In your hypothetical situation, the happiness of the family would take priority over abandoning the family for personal gains.
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Opposites day again in Christian land I guess. Secular Humanists affirmations and statement of principles: http://www.secularhumanism.org/index.php?section=main&page=affirmations Jesus in Matthew 19:29 19:29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. Just one of Jesus' proclamations to abandon ones family--which won't exist in heaven anyway--to make that selfish claim for everlasting life. Secular Humanism: A philosophy that shows respect for others Christian: cognitive dissonance that makes them think they're the only ones with respect for others, when the vast majority of them have no such thing.
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i think your family should be more important
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The scriptures answer this very clearly...always regard " the other person" as superior to you... (Philippians 2:3) Do nothing out of contentiousness or out of egotism, but with humility consider others superior to you, So the family should be PUT FIRST...in any dealings. Q.E.D.
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