Humanism Now
Support Humanism Now and join our community.
Every episode, guest and transcript is at humanism.now.
Humanism Now is a weekly podcast for anyone curious about secular humanism and making the most of the one life we have.
Host James Hodgson, founder of podcast studio Humanise Live, is joined by scientists, philosophers, campaigners, authors and everyday people who are building a fairer world, cultivating human flourishing and celebrating the joy of being human. Every episode is a long-form interview that takes one hard ethical question seriously, using reason and evidence rather than dogma, and always with compassion for the people involved. Recurring themes include:
- secular ethics and moral philosophy
- freedom of religion or belief and human rights
- Resisting nationalism and the future of democracy
- AI ethics, technology and what it means to stay human
- climate action, equality and social justice
- science, scepticism and critical thinking
- awe, meaning and our place in the cosmos
You will come away with ideas you can actually use: better arguments, better questions, and practical ways to live an ethical, purpose-driven life while understanding more about yourself, other people and the universe.
Whether you are a lifelong humanist or simply curious about a naturalistic worldview, hit follow and join a global community working towards a fairer, kinder and more rational world, for this generation and the next.
Every episode, guest and transcript is at humanism.now.
Support Humanism Now and join our community
Follow @HumanismNowPod on YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Threads | X | Bluesky
Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live, a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies and individuals across the globe. To start your own podcast, visit humanise.live or email hello@humanise.live.
Music credit: Blossom by Light Prism
Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible and should not be treated as a fully accurate record of the conversation.
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67. Meet the British Army's First Ever Humanist...
“Chaplaincy is defined by function, it’s not defined by belief.” Padre Dr Neil Weddell, the first ever non-religious pastoral carer (humanist chaplain) appointed in the British Army, joins Humanism Now alongside Clare Elcombe Webber, Director of Humanist Care at Humanists UK. We explore what chaplaincy really is, why this appointment is a historic shift for belief-diverse Armed Forces, and what humanist pastoral care looks like in practice for serving personnel and their families. Topi...
41 min
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Introducing Freedom of Thought by Humanists Int...
SUBSCRIBE TO FREEDOM OF THOUGHT: Apple PodcastsSpotifyAmazon MusicPodcast AddictYouTubeAll other podcast platforms******** Sign up for the Humanists International Newsletter Welcome to Freedom of Thought a new podcast series by Humanists International! In this first episode hosts Gary McLellend and Leon Langdon introduce Humanists International, the global representative body at the heart of the humanist movement, how a global humanist network works inside the UN system, and why universal rig...
21 min
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66. Fish Stark on How The AHA Is Building a Hum...
"If science tells you what's real and compassion tells you what's right, you're a humanist" - Fish Stark Fish Stark, Executive Director of the American Humanist Association (AHA), joins Humanism Now to unpack what a modern humanist revival could look like in the United States. From creator-led storytelling to legal strategy and mutual aid, Fish shares how the AHA is building power, community, and a clearer public-facing vision of humanism rooted in empathy, agency, and responsibility. Conne...
49 min
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65. CampQuest UK Returns! How Kids Camps Build ...
“It was a very safe space to be able to say, I got that wrong.” CampQuest UK Programme Director Alistair Lichten (Humanist Dad) and camper-turned-volunteer Katy Pugh join Humanism Now to unpack why a secular camp matters, and how a weekend of outdoor adventure, hands-on science, and Philosophy for Children helps young people practise curiosity, confidence, and respectful disagreement. Discover CampQuest UK 2026 Family Camp – dates, location, pricing, booking– https://campquest.uk/2026-family-...
30 min
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64. Empathy in Action: Wil Jeudy on Uniting Sec...
“Humanism is increasing well-being and decreasing suffering for as many people as possible.” - Wil Jeudy In this episode, Wil Jeudy, a secular humanist and political organiser based in Texas, shares how empathy shaped his journey from disengaged voter to coalition-builder, why secular government protects believers and non-believers alike, and how coordinated local action can push back against Christian nationalism. Topics we cover Humanism as empathy in action and a guide fo...
27 min
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63. Powering A Humane Future with Zion Lights
“I changed my mind because I cared about alleviating energy poverty.” Order now: Energy is Life: Why Environmentalism Went Nuclear, by Zion Lights AmazonGuardian BookshopNatural History Book ServiceZion Lights is an award-winning science communicator and environmental advocate whose work sits at the intersection of energy, climate, and public understanding of science. In this conversation, Zion shares her journey from prominent renewable-only activism to evidence-led support for a broader cle...
43 min
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62. From Commons Victory To Lords Gridlock: Ter...
In this short update epsiode, we are pleased to welcome back Nathan Stilwell, Humanists UK's Assisted dying Campaign Coordinator, Campaigns and Communications Manager at My Death My Decision and a member of The Assisted Dying Coalition Secretariat. Nathan explains what has happened since the Assisted Dying Bill passed the House of Commons, why it now risks falling in the House of Lords, and what supporters can do to help ensure it becomes law. This episode follows Nathan’s first appeara...
17 min
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61. Empowering Leaders for Secular Groups that ...
“Most people want community, and yet these communities keep disappearing.” Dr. Darrel Ray is a psychologist, author, and organizational leader who has spent decades helping individuals leave religious belief systems and supporting secular communities around the world. He founded Recovering from Religion and the Secular Therapy Project, wrote influential books such as The God Virus, and recently launched the Institute for Secular Leadership to strengthen secular and humanist organisati...
39 min
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60. Dr Alfredo Carpineti on Invisible Rainbows,...
"I blame dinosaurs, and I blame London." Astrophysicist and science communicator Dr Alfredo Carpineti (IFLScience, The Big Questions; creator of The Astroholic Explains; founder and chair of Pride in STEM) joins Humanism Now to explore why the cosmos still sparks childlike wonder, how great science communication balances accuracy with storytelling, and why his upcoming book Invisible Rainbows pairs “unseen light” with the human stories too often left out. Connect with Alfred...
42 min
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59. 2025 in Humanism - Deconstruction, Collabor...
As Humanism Now wraps up 2025, host James Hodgson is joined by familiar voices from across the UK humanist movement to reflect on the year just gone and look ahead to 2026. Together, they explore community-building, youth engagement, activism, collaboration, and why humanism continues to resonate in uncertain times. Guests & Links Lola Tinubu – Association of Black Humanists (ABH) Association of Black Humanists – https://www.meetup.com/association-of-black-humanists/Festival of Freethinki...
38 min
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58. Dr. Lois Lee on the Magic of Santa, Secular...
“[Magical beliefs in childhood] serve an important function.” - Dr Lois Lee For our festive special, Dr. Lois Lee, Senior Lecturer in Religious Studies at the University of Kent and one of the world’s leading scholars of non-belief, joins Humanism Now to explore why atheism spreads culturally and what Christmas reveals about humanist meaning in everyday life. Connect with Dr. Lee University of Kent profileExplaining Atheism ProfileExplaining Atheism ProjectTopics we cover ✔︎ Why a...
47 min
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57. Will Gervais on the Origins of Religion, Di...
“Humans didn’t evolve to believe in gods — we evolved to learn from culture, and sometimes culture points away from gods.” Dr Will M. Gervais, psychologist and author of Disbelief, joins Humanism Now to examine one of the most persistent puzzles in the study of religion: why a species capable of deep religiosity also produces millions of convinced non-believers. Drawing on cultural evolution, cognitive science, and cross-cultural data, Will shows why belief and disbelief are shaped less by ra...
38 min
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56. Indian Rationalism to Global Humanist Resis...
“Activism is the rent we pay to live on this world.” Alavari Jeevathol AJ board member of Humanists International, founding trustee of the National Multifaith Youth Centre, and National Coordinator of Young Humanists UK — returns to Humanism Now to explore a humanism shaped by South Indian pluralism, UK youth organising, and a lifelong commitment to duty, solidarity, and awe. This conversation traces India’s rationalist heritage, the case for humanistic spirituality, and why...
50 min
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55. Sarah Levin on Secular Strategies to Mobili...
“We will lose a lot before we win — that’s just the reality of starting the race 50 years behind.” — Sarah M. Levin Sarah M. Levin - strategist, lobbyist, founder of Secular Strategies and co-founder of The Secular Vote, joins us to explore how secular voters are reshaping U.S. politics. She breaks down the real demographics behind the “nones,” why neutrality protects both believers and non-believers, and how church–state separation is at the heart of today’s fights over rights, democra...
51 min
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54. Nursing the Nation Hosts on Why Nurses Belo...
“Nursing is the most humanistic of professions — it operationalises the philosophical groundings of humanism.” — Jamie Bourgeois “Nurses have 24/7 eyes on the human experience — we see how policy shows up in real people’s lives.” — Melissa Anne DuBois Jamie Bourgeois and Melissa Anne DuBois are the co-hosts of Nursing the Nation — a podcast giving nurses a national voice in debates that shape health, policy, and our daily lives. Together they explore how an ethic of evidence and empathy...
43 min
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Introducing Sentientist Conversations: Jamie Wo...
This week we bring we are delighted to share the a guest episode from Sentientist Conversations, a podcast hosted by Jamie Woodhouse (Humanism Now Episode 4). In this episode, Jamie speaks with legendary primatologist Frans de Waal. Follow Sentientism Sentientism.infoAppleSpotifyYouTube“You cannot go wrong with compassion” – primatologist Frans de Waal – Sentientist Conversations Frans (fransdewaal.com) is a primatologist & ethologist. He is Professor of Primate Behavior at Emory Universi...
52 min
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Introducing The Secular Sankofa Podcast - Recla...
This week we bring we are delighted to share the first episode of The Secular Sankofa Podcast, from the Association of Black Humanists. Subscribe to The Secular Sankofa wherever you get your podcasts! Apple PodcastsSpotifyYouTubePodcast IndexOvercastPodcast AddictGoodpodsAll other directories & RSS FeedIf you enjoy the show, please follow, rate, and review. ***** "We believe in people, not prophets, we believe in freedom, not fear, and we believe in integrity, not doctrine" - ...
31 min
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53. David B McLaughlin on Five Humanistic Value...
“Human dignity is really the foundation for reasoned morality — there’s nothing we can do to increase it or decrease it. Even the worst people still deserve it simply because they’re human.” - David B. McLaughlin David B. McLaughlin, leadership coach and author of Humanism: Five Values for Living Well, joins us to map a practical, hopeful framework for meaning without dogma. From life in the U.S. Bible Belt to boardrooms wrestling with equity, we explore how meaning, dignity, reason, co...
34 min
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52. Michael Marshall on Compassionate Skepticis...
“Being a skeptic doesn’t make me smarter or infallible—it just means I’m trying to fail slightly less often.” Michael Marshall has spent more than 15 years investigating pseudoscience, conspiracy theories and the psychology that sustains them. As Project Director of the Good Thinking Society, President of the Merseyside Skeptics Society and Editor of The Skeptic, Marsh has gone undercover at flat-earth conventions, exposed fake psychics, and campaigned successfully to end NHS funding for home...
44 min
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51. Maggie Ardiente, President of Humanists Int...
"Another form of resistance is joy.” Maggie Ardiente, newly elected President of Humanists International, joins Humanism Now to share how humanism grounded in curiosity, compassion, and community can meet today’s rising threats to democracy and science. From a Catholic upbringing to global leadership, Maggie lays out a practical, joyful vision: build resilient humanist networks and live our values in the one life we know we have. Connect with Maggie: Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/magg...
38 min
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50. Andrew Copson on Why Humanism Remains Essen...
“No one ever said it was going to be easy. Humanists don’t think a better world is inevitable—we think a better world is possible, but we have to work for it.” Andrew Copson OBE, Chief Executive of Humanists UK and former President of Humanists International, joins us for our 50th episode to reflect on two decades of humanist leadership. From growing up in a secular working-class community to championing global human rights, Andrew explains why humanism remains vital in a time of rising extre...
50 min
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49. Morgan DeNicola on the Philanthropy of Ever...
“You don’t change the world. You change the way one person views the world—and then you’ve changed the world for that person.” What if true strength lies not in certainty, but in listening with respect? In this episode, Morgan DeNicola, Executive Director of the DeNicola Family Foundation, shares how dialogue across divides, cultural diplomacy and everyday acts of humanity redefine what philanthropy can mean. From working with to fostering cross-cultural understanding worldwide, Morgan shows ...
39 min
48
James Ogude on Ubuntu's Ethical Framework - Per...
Ubuntu: I am because we are. 🌍✨ In this bonus episode of Humanism Now, we’re sharing the live recording of Professor James Ogude’s talk from the online event Understanding Ubuntu Traditions part of the Global Origins of Humanism series (co-hosted by Central London Humanists and the Association of Black Humanists). Prof. Ogude is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for the Advancement of Scholarship, University of Pretoria, and a leading authority on Ubuntu—the African ethical tradit...
46 min
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48. David Livingstone Smith on the Psychology o...
“The arc of history bends towards justice only if you keep pushing it in that direction.” David Livingstone-Smith, Ph.D., award-winning author, Professor of Philosophy at the University of New England and a leading authority on dehumanization joins us to unpack how ordinary people come to see others as “less than human,” why that shift makes atrocities feel morally necessary, and what practical tools can help us resist it. His books include Less Than Human (Anisfield-Wolf Award), ...
51 min
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47. Victoria Mattingly on The Human Side of DEI...
“Inclusion is the behaviors that result in others feeling valued, respected, seen and heard.” Dr. Victoria Mattingly (Dr. V)—industrial-organizational psychologist, CEO & founder of Mattingly Solutions, and co-author of Inclusalytics—joins us to show how rigorous data and deeply human connection can coexist. We unpack practical, measurable ways to build cultures of belonging—at work and in communities—where people can thrive as their authentic selves. Connect with Dr. Victoria Mattingly W...
37 min