By Dr Mike Flood Mike is Chair of Milton Keynes Humanists and of Humanism for the Common Good. Humanism for the Common Good, an independent and collaborative project, is developing a series of Humanist Response Guides exploring the theme of “Living a Worthwhile and Fulfilling Life in Challenging Times”. This article presents a short version of one of the first guides. Mike Flood weighs the ethical, environmental and practical arguments for and against eating meat, eggs and dairy. Rather than...

By Dr Mike Flood Mike is Chair of Milton Keynes Humanists and Humanism for the Common Good. He is writing here in a personal capacity and he would very much welcome readers’ thoughts on the various ideas proposed in this piece. In a ground-breaking 1942 report, William Beveridge, the distinguished politician and social reformer, proposed widespread reforms to the system of social welfare in the UK. He identified five ‘evil giants’ that he saw as impediments to reconstruction: want, disease,...

By Dr Mike Flood Mike has worked hard to provide a forensically-detailed survey of the health of the humanist movement in the UK and around the world. His findings serve as a sobering reality check. He concludes that humanist organisations are not currently in touch with the ‘spirit of the age’ and that our core concerns look ‘increasingly parochial’ when set against the big ethical and existential challenges of our day. Mike is Chair of Milton Keynes Humanists and Humanism for the Common...