By Dr David Mayston Why do periods of instability seem to spread and intensify across societies? Drawing on a systems perspective, David Mayston explores how interconnected pressures — from climate change and economic shocks to conflict and public services — can combine to create turbulence. He argues that humanism, with its respect for evidence, long-term thinking and shared human welfare, offers important tools for understanding and responding to these challenges. David has

By Dave Haith In this witty and thought-provoking piece, Dave Haith reflects on his surprisingly engaging exchanges with an AI chatbot – and the unsettling realisation that beneath the humour and rapport lies no genuine awareness at all. A timely reflection on illusion, authenticity, and the human tendency to project meaning onto the things that respond to us. Dave is a retired journalist and keen photographer. He lives in Bournemouth on the south coast of England. I’ve struc

By Ian Brent-Smith In an age of rapid change and uncertainty, Ian Brent-Smith explores the case for humanist leadership rooted in trust, transparency, and shared responsibility. Rather than relying on rigid top-down control, he suggests that resilient organisations are those where leadership is distributed and people are trusted to think and act. Following service as an officer in the British Army, Ian ran successful engineering businesses for 40 years, providing equipment an

One by one they fall, these people I have known, or loved, or merely liked – some far removed from worlds in which I lived; some with whom I laughed have also gone. To where I do not know. Oh, you departed: please come back and laugh again so I might laugh with you while railing at what’s yet to come. Tomorrow? Or perhaps a distant day? Who knows? Some knew; but some did not, and left abruptly, shock or sadness trailing in their wake – good friends or vague acquaintances who,

By Dr Viliem Kurtulaj In this provocative piece, Viliem examines the uneasy relationship between religion and philosophy, arguing that a commitment to unquestioned belief sits in tension with the philosophical pursuit of truth. Viliem is an Albanian lecturer, researcher and former diplomat, whose work focuses on politics, philosophy and education. Religion and philosophy meet in metaphysics – the study of the fundamental nature of reality – but beyond this, they often pull in

By David Warden Why do we so quickly cast political figures as villains? From Godwin’s Law to the figure of Trump, this piece examines how moral heuristics, culture and media shape our reactions – and how humanism can help us think more clearly and rationally. David is Editor of Humanistically Speaking and Chair of Dorset Humanists, UK. If you spend enough time in online discussion forums, you will eventually encounter Godwin’s Law. Formulated in 1990 by the American lawyer M