By their nature, religion and humanism are largely seen as foes. But this is not always true in every respect. In fact, parts of Pope Francis’ recent encyclical on human ecology and the environment, Laudato Si (Praise be to you), share elements of humanist philosophy. 

In the encyclical, Francis points to a “solid scientific consensus” documenting global warming and says humanity is called to recognize the need for changes in lifestyle in order to guarantee a planet that can sustain its inhabitants. He said we cannot “legitimize the present model…where a minority believes that it has the right to consume in a way that can never be universalized.” “We must,” he wrote, “regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world.”

Compare this to the writings of Fred Edwords, longtime humanist activist and former executive director of the American Humanist Association. In an article for The Humanist magazine titled “The Humanist Philosophy in Perspective,” Edwords wrote that humanists base their understanding of the world on what can be perceived by the senses and comprehended with the mind. These are base elements of scientific study, which was also an underpinning for Francis’ encyclical.

Humans can agree on basic values, Edwords said, “because we most often share the same needs, interests, and desires and because we share the same planetary environment.” Because of that, Edwords said, “we support the current trend toward more global consciousness.” Underscoring this humanistic outlook, Edwords also wrote that “We measure the value of a given choice by how it affects human life, and in this we include our individual selves, our families, our society, and the peoples of the earth.”

This is consistent with Francis’ emphases on planetary survival and people’s shared responsibilities.

Francis and Edwords diverge sharply on other topics, notably the role of population control as this affects environmental sustainability. On a planet with finite resources and growing scarcities triggered in part by the climate change he is addressing, Francis oddly argues that demographic growth in general is not the problem; rather it is unequal distribution of resources and “extreme consumerism.” So he decries people seeking to exercise power over their bodies through contraception. By contrast, Edwords says worldwide education on limiting population growth is one way to foster sustainability for everyone. He deems individual autonomy a paramount value.      

It’s also true that Francis includes religious faith in his reasoning, insisting we should not risk displacing God by “claiming an unlimited right to trample his creation underfoot.” He goes so far as to suggest that snubbing God can provoke “a rebellion on the part of nature,” a clear abandonment of scientific thinking on causes and effects. But Edwords argues human values make sense only in context of human welfare, and our ethical decisions are not grounded in any “alleged concerns of supposed deities.”

While Francis appeals to God as well as our shared humanity to justify Laudato Si’s defense of the environment, Edwords shows one can reach a similar ecological posture with no appeal to supernaturalism. Secular humanism is routinely derided by religious conservatives as an intrinsic evil. But the leader of 1.2 billion Christians has found considerable common ground with humanism in the ethics of caring for people and planet.

By Ken Burrows

Published July 22, 2015