In 1973 the American Humanist Association publishes Humanist Manifesto II, drafted by Paul Kurtz and Edwin H. Wilson and signed by, among others, Isaac Asimov, Francis Crick, and B. F. Skinner. Where the 1933 manifesto spoke in religious tones, the second speaks politically: ethics without revelation, world community, and the control of technology for human ends.
Tagged: Secular Humanism
The Event
- Date
- 1973 (exact)
- Era
- The Secular Turn; Standard periodization of secular humanist history
- Location
- Buffalo; today Buffalo, New York
- Traditions
- Secular Humanism
- Streams
- Secular Humanism
- Key figures
- Paul Kurtz, Edwin H. Wilson
- Key texts
- Humanist Manifesto II
Connections
Primary Sources
- Humanist Manifesto II. The Humanist, September/October 1973.
Secondary Sources
- Kurtz, Paul, ed. Humanist Manifestos I and II. Buffalo: Prometheus Books, 1973.
- Lamont, Corliss. The Philosophy of Humanism. New York: Humanist Press, eighth edition, 1997.
- Walter, Nicolas. Humanism: What's in the Word. London: Rationalist Press Association, 1997.
Provenance: HIST-1393; confidence 0.95; accessed 2026-10-30.
Related on This Site
Art Tradition
Non-Theistic and Secular
Art without transcendence: humanist meaning-making, museums as secular temples, and protest art.
History Event
Julian Huxley takes the helm of UNESCO
1946
History Event
Kurtz founds the Council for Secular Humanism
1980
History Event
Lamont's The Philosophy of Humanism
1949
History Event
The British Humanist Association is founded
1967
History Event
The Center for Inquiry is founded
1991
History Event
The International Humanist and Ethical Union is founded
1952
History Event
Torcaso v. Watkins names secular humanism in law
1961