Episodes

  • Introducing: Humanism Ireland Podcast | James Hodgson on Humanism, Curiosity and the Story So Far | Bonus Crossover

    Introducing: Humanism Ireland Podcast | James Hodgson on Humanism, Curiosity and the Story So Far | Bonus Crossover
    Oct 15 2026
    Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community! www.humanism.now Follow @HumanismNowPod | YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Threads | X.com | BlueSky ******** "We are rationalising animals. We feel first, and then we look for reason — so you have to actively push against that all the time." Something a little different this week. James recently sat on the other side of the microphone as a guest on the Humanism Ireland podcast, the show from the Humanist Association of Ireland, hosted by Megan De Siún. We're sharing that conversation here as a bonus episode. About this episode This is a crossover with the Humanism Ireland podcast from the Humanist Association of Ireland (HAI), hosted by Megan De Siún, where it first appeared as a special crossover episode. If you enjoy it, please head over and subscribe to support another humanist and secular group. Humanism Now returns to its regular interviews next week. In this episode James's path to humanism: What 90+ episodes have taught him Where humanism goes next Links and references Humanism Ireland podcast (Humanist Association of Ireland): https://rss.com/podcasts/humanismireland Humanist Association of Ireland: https://www.humanism.ie Humanists International Freedom of Thought Report: https://fot.humanists.international Sikivu Hutchinson, author and humanist (Humanism Ireland relaunch episode): https://sikivuhutchinson.com ******** Contact Humanist Ireland Podcast https://media.rss.com/humanismireland/feed.xml ⁠Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.⁠ Join Megan for a chat with James Hodgson, host of Humanism Now podcast as they explore the world of humanist podcasting, and the wins and challenges along the way in this special crossover episode of Humanism Ireland Podcast. Want to get in touch, or share your feedback? Contact megan@humanism.ie ******** Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live, a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe. Contact us to get started in podcasting today at humanise.live or hello@humanise.live. Music: Blossom by Light Prism Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation. Contact Humanist Ireland Podcast Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note. Join Megan for a chat with James Hodgson, host of Humanism Now podcast as they explore the world of humanist podcasting, and the wins and challenges along the way in this special crossover episode of Humanism Ireland Podcast. Want to get in touch, or share your feedback? Contact megan@humanism.ie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    29 mins
  • Massimo Pigliucci on How to Be a Happy Skeptic | The Power & Joy of Doubt

    Massimo Pigliucci on How to Be a Happy Skeptic | The Power & Joy of Doubt
    Oct 4 2026
    "I'm a skeptic, which means I'm entitled to change my mind — and that's not a bug, it's a feature." — Massimo Pigliucci Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community!⁠ Check out our new website! www.humanism.now Skepticism has a reputation problem. To many it sounds like cynicism, a reflex of doubt that drains the colour out of the world. But what if doubt is actually a path to a richer, more honest, happier life? James Hodgson is joined by scientist-turned-philosopher Massimo Pigliucci to reclaim skepticism as a way of life, from its ancient Greek roots to the vaccine debates and demagogues of today. We trace the two great schools of ancient skepticism, explore why "skeptic" originally meant inquirer rather than denier, and get practical: how to judge expertise when you're not an expert, why changing your mind is a strength, and how doubt and happiness belong together. About the guest Massimo Pigliucci is the K.D. Irani Professor of Philosophy at the City College of New York, with doctorates in both evolutionary biology and philosophy. Best known for How to Be a Stoic and his work on philosophy as a way of life, his new book is How to Be a Happy Skeptic: The Power of Doubt in a Meaningful Life. In this episode Who the ancient Skeptics really were, from the Pyrrhonists to the Academic skeptics, and why "skeptic" means inquirer, not cynic Proportioning belief to evidence, how to judge expertise when you can't be an expert yourself, and why changing your mind is a feature, not a flaw Why doubt and happiness belong together: eudaimonia, "a life worth living," and the ethics of belief Links and references Massimo Pigliucci, How to Be a Happy Skeptic: The Power of Doubt in a Meaningful Life: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/806907/how-to-be-a-happy-skeptic-by-massimo-pigliucci/ Massimo Pigliucci, How to Be a Stoic: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35102306-how-to-be-a-stoic Massimo Pigliucci's writing, Figs in Winter: https://figsinwinter.medium.com Massimo in conversation with the Central London Humanists: https://www.meetup.com/central-london-humanists/events/316243117/ Chapters 00:00 Introduction: can you hold doubt and joy? 00:57 Who were the Skeptics? Inquiry, not cynicism 03:52 How skepticism survived: the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Hume 06:30 Pyrrhonists vs Academic skeptics: suspending judgment 10:00 Degrees of belief: Carneades, Cicero and proto-Bayesian reasoning 15:21 The problem of expertise: who to trust 22:30 Why changing your mind is a feature, not a bug 23:47 Certainty, demagogues and the ethics of belief 29:38 Why a "happy" skeptic? Eudaimonia and a life worth living 34:28 The Stoics, the Skeptics and humanism 39:39 Changing Minds Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community! www.humanism.now Follow @HumanismNowPod | YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Threads | X.com | BlueSky Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live, a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe. Contact us to get started in podcasting today at humanise.live or hello@humanise.live. Music: Blossom by Light Prism Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    48 mins
  • Janet Ellis on the Joy of this One Life | New President of Humanists UK

    Janet Ellis on the Joy of this One Life | New President of Humanists UK
    Sep 27 2026
    ⁠Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community!⁠ Check out our new website! www.humanism.now "I genuinely find comfort in the fact that life is finite." — Janet Ellis She shaped the childhoods of millions on Blue Peter, and now she's making the case for living well without religion. Janet Ellis, broadcaster, actress, novelist and the new President of Humanists UK, joins James for a warm, wide-ranging conversation about how she came to humanism, what it offers in turbulent times, and why she finds genuine comfort in the idea that this life is the only one we get. We talk about her film All We Have Is Each Other, grief and mortality after the loss of her husband, finding joy without guilt, whether Blue Peter was quietly humanist, how to talk to children about belief without indoctrination, the joy of writing, and her hopes for her time as President. About the guest Janet Ellis MBE is a broadcaster, actress and novelist, known to generations for presenting Blue Peter and Jigsaw. She is the author of the novels The Butcher's Hook and How It Was, hosts the podcast Twice Upon a Time, and in 2026 became President of Humanists UK. Links and references All We Have Is Each Other, the Humanists UK film with Janet Ellis: https://humanists.uk/janetellisfilm/ Janet Ellis, Humanists UK profile: https://humanists.uk/about/our-people/patrons/janet-ellis/ Twice Upon a Time, Janet's podcast on favourite childhood books (@twiceuponapod): https://linktr.ee/twiceuponpod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/missjanetellis/ Substack: https://janetellis925764.substack.com/ Janet's novels: The Butcher's Hook (2016): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35407568 How It Was (2019): https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/45901019-how-it-was In this episode Her slow realisation of being a humanist, joining Humanists UK, and stepping up from patron to president Grief, mortality and the film All We Have Is Each Other: why she finds comfort, not fear, in a finite life Finding joy in turbulent times, talking to children about belief without indoctrination, and a call for humanists to be "out and proud" Chapters: 00:00 Introduction: meet Janet Ellis 01:10 A slow realisation: discovering humanism 02:47 From patron to President of Humanists UK 05:07 Being publicly affiliated, and the conversations it starts 07:53 "All We Have Is Each Other": grief and a finite life 11:45 Finding joy in turbulent times 18:45 Blue Peter: was it a humanist show? 23:07 Talking to children about belief without indoctrination 27:18 Books that shaped her worldview 32:05 The joy of writing 36:53 Her hopes as President of Humanists UK 44:24 Closing question: changing minds Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community! www.humanism.now Follow @HumanismNowPod | YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Threads | X.com | BlueSky Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live, a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe. Contact us to get started in podcasting today at humanise.live or hello@humanise.live. Music: Blossom by Light Prism Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    51 mins
  • United by Hope: Live from the World Humanist Congress 2026 Part 2

    United by Hope: Live from the World Humanist Congress 2026 Part 2
    Sep 23 2026
    Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community! Part two of our dispatches from the World Humanist Congress 2026 in Ottawa. On the second and final day, James Hodgson caught up with more attendees, from the humanist chaplains bringing secular pastoral care into the Canadian Armed Forces, to the local Ottawa organisers who hosted the event, an Icelandic politician on humanist values in turbulent times, and two returning Humanism Now guests reflecting on the movement's past and future. Across every conversation the theme of the Congress, humanism as resistance, keeps surfacing: resisting the erosion of truth, the normalisation of dehumanising rhetoric, and the complacency that assumes rights won can never be lost. "It just takes one person in a room to change a whole conversation and change the course of history." — Roslyn Mould Featured in this episode Silvana Morales-Boiardi, humanist chaplain with Humanist Canada, training as a military humanist chaplain in the Canadian Armed Forces Buela Nokutubo, member of Humanist Ottawa Dr Richard Thain, Humanist Ottawa, long-time humanist and recipient of a service award at the Congress Arndís Anna Kristínardóttir Gunnarsdóttir, President of Siðmennt (the Icelandic Humanist Association) and former member of Iceland's parliament Chris Cameron, historian and author, representing the Association of Black Humanists Roslyn Mould, of Accra Atheists and outgoing Vice President of Humanists International Highlights Building humanist chaplaincy in the Canadian Armed Forces, and how the first humanist military chaplain opened the door for the next generation Why local groups matter: Humanist Ottawa on community, and Dr Richard Thain on four decades in the movement Arndís Anna on resisting the normalisation of dehumanisation, and Roslyn Mould reflecting on stepping down after years of leadership at Humanists International CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro 01:06 Silvana Morales-Boiardi, Humanist Canada, humanist chaplaincy in the Armed Forces 08:12 Buela Nokutubo, Humanist Ottawa, finding community 13:50 Dr Richard Thain, Humanist Ottawa, four decades in the movement 20:17 Arndís Anna Kristínardóttir Gunnarsdóttir, Siðmennt, humanist politics as resistance 29:02 Chris Cameron, Association of Black Humanists, humanism and history 35:15 Roslyn Mould, reflections on leaving the Humanists International board Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community! www.humanism.now Follow @HumanismNowPod | YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Threads | X.com | BlueSky Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live, a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe. Contact us to get started in podcasting today at humanise.live or hello@humanise.live. Music: Blossom by Light Prism Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation. World Humanist Congress, Humanists International, humanism, resistance, Ottawa, humanist chaplaincy, military chaplaincy, Humanist Canada, Humanist Ottawa, Siðmennt, Arndís Anna Kristínardóttir Gunnarsdóttir, Chris Cameron, Association of Black Humanists, Roslyn Mould, Accra Atheists, secularism, Humanism Now Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    45 mins
  • Christian Nationalism, Free Speech and Gen Z | Tess Sumner

    Christian Nationalism, Free Speech and Gen Z | Tess Sumner
    Sep 13 2026
    Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community! "Evidence is most powerful when it's paired with empathy." What is it like to come of age when politics has never felt calm? Tess Sumner has spent her entire adolescence inside a permanent sense of political crisis, and she has turned that into advocacy. In this episode, James speaks with Tess Sumner, a Harvard student and humanist writer, about her article "When Christian Nationalism Becomes Public Policy" and what the fight over church and state looks like to the next generation. We discuss how student accountability gets reframed as "religious discrimination", why so many young people feel exhausted and cynical about democracy, how the threat of doxxing and backlash quietly polices free expression, and why Tess believes humanism has a genuinely hopeful offer for Gen Z. About the guest Tess Sumner is a student at Harvard University studying government and English, and a youth advocate from New Hampshire focused on child welfare policy and church-state separation. A former intern with the American Humanist Association, she wrote the widely shared article "When Christian Nationalism Becomes Public Policy" for The Humanist. In this episode What a University of Oklahoma essay controversy reveals about how accountability gets reframed as religious discrimination Coming of age in permanent political crisis: why many in Gen Z feel exhausted, cynical and unsure what a functioning democracy looks like How the threat of doxxing and backlash quietly polices free expression, and what humanism offers as a response Chapters 00:00 Introduction: meet Tess Sumner 01:32 The article, and the Oklahoma essay controversy 05:31 Coming of age in constant political crisis 07:21 Where a disillusioned generation turns 08:51 Christian nationalism and the threat to democracy 10:59 Young Christian influencers and who they represent 13:08 What humanism offers Gen Z 14:34 Making the humanist case better 15:34 Where humanism meets everyday life 17:09 Self-policing and the chilling of free expression 19:23 Doxxing, threats and real-world consequences 23:59 How to resist: dialogue and rebuilding institutions 26:30 What's next for Tess 27:55 A vision for the future 28:46 Closing question: changing her mind Links and references Tess Sumner, "When Christian Nationalism Becomes Public Policy" (The Humanist): https://thehumanist.com/news/national/when-christian-nationalism-becomes-public-policy Tess Sumner, contributor page at The Humanist: https://thehumanist.com/contributor/tess-sumner/ American Humanist Association: https://americanhumanist.org Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community! www.humanism.now Follow @HumanismNowPod | YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Threads | X.com | BlueSky Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live, a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe. Contact us to get started in podcasting today at humanise.live or hello@humanise.live. Music: Blossom by Light Prism Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    28 mins
  • Humanism as Resistance: Live from the World Humanist Congress 2026 Part 1

    Humanism as Resistance: Live from the World Humanist Congress 2026 Part 1
    Sep 8 2026
    Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community! Something a little different this week. James Hodgson took Humanism Now on the road to the World Humanist Congress 2026 in Ottawa, hosted by Humanists International and Humanists Canada, where more than 500 attendees from over 60 countries gathered around a single theme: resistance. Between sessions, James grabbed five minutes each with fellow attendees, some returning guests and many new faces, to hear what brought them there and what they are building back home. The result is a whistle-stop tour of the global humanist movement: civic participation and chaplaincy, coalition-building between atheists and humanists, humanist confirmations and ceremonies, and a first look at where the next Congress will be held. "One of the ways we build power to ensure society better reflects our values is by coming together." — James Croft Featured in this episode Bob Reuter, president of the Alliance of Humanists, Atheists and Agnostics (AHA) Luxembourg and co-host of the radio show Iwwer Gott an d'Welt James Croft, humanist chaplain and lead faith advisor at the University of Sussex Nick Fish, president of American Atheists Urtė Žukauskaitė-Zabukė, founder of HERE (formerly Happy Human Lithuania) Christian Lomsdalen, president of the Norwegian Humanist Association Maggie Ardiente, president of Humanists International Highlights Why "humanism as resistance" is the theme for this moment, and Maggie Ardiente on a movement responding to authoritarianism worldwide (plus a first look at the next Congress) James Croft and Nick Fish on civic participation, building coalitions, and why atheists and humanists share the same fight How Norway's 75 years of humanist confirmations built a movement approaching 198,000 members, and Lithuania's drive to scale humanist ceremonies around the world Chapters 00:00 Introduction: live from the World Humanist Congress 2026 00:52 Bob Reuter, AHA Luxembourg 02:44 James Croft, humanist chaplaincy at the University of Sussex 10:16 Nick Fish, American Atheists 17:06 Urtė Žukauskaitė-Zabukė, HERE (Lithuania) 20:53 Christian Lomsdalen, Norwegian Humanist Association 26:34 Maggie Ardiente, President of Humanists International Links and references Bob Reuter, AHA Luxembourg: https://www.aha.lu James Croft: https://www.croftspeaks.org Nick Fish, American Atheists: https://www.atheists.org Urtė Žukauskaitė-Zabukė, HIA: /https://www.hia.lt/en/ Christian Lomsdalen, Norwegian Humanist Association: https://www.human.no Maggie Ardiente, Humanists International: https://humanists.international Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community! www.humanism.now Follow @HumanismNowPod | YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Threads | X.com | BlueSky Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live, a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe. Contact us to get started in podcasting today at humanise.live or hello@humanise.live. Music: Blossom by Light Prism Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    37 mins
  • Is Humanism a Subculture? Rory Booth on Style, Space and Belonging

    Is Humanism a Subculture? Rory Booth on Style, Space and Belonging
    Aug 30 2026
    Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community!⁠ "It's harder for the mass market to hit a moving target." — Rory Booth Punks had the mohawk. Ravers had the warehouse. What does humanism have? Historian and filmmaker Rory Booth studies how subcultures form, thrive and die, from 19th century Parisian bohemians to the British rave scene of the 1990s. He is also a founding member of Leicester Humanists. In this episode, we ask whether humanism qualifies as a subculture, and what organisers can steal from scenes that got it right. Rory argues that the visual definition of subculture, all style and shock, has been overplayed. What actually holds a scene together is language, humour, and above all space: the shared understanding that in this room, with these people, you are allowed to be a slightly different version of yourself. That, he suggests, is exactly what a humanist group offers, and it is why the venue you pick matters far more than most organisers realise. We also get into the life cycle problem. A subculture dies the moment the mainstream understands it, or worse, misunderstands it. So is being small and slightly illegible an advantage? And has the internet, with its infinite choice and its everyone-is-a-creator economy, made real subcultures impossible? Rory Booth is a historian and filmmaker specialising in cultural and urban history, with a focus on 19th century bohemianism and the 1990s rave scene. He is a founding member of Leicester Humanists, where he leads on events and works on school speaking and interfaith engagement. He also plays in punk and noise rock bands. In this episode Definitions of subculture as style, and why Rory thinks the visual emphasis has been overdone Why a scene often dies the moment the mainstream can name it, and what that means for a movement trying to grow Frame analysis, and the practical reason your venue changes what people feel able to say Did the internet killed the subculture? Too much choice, no physical presence, and a scene where everyone is a creator and nobody is the audience Hard-won advice for anyone starting or running a local group Links and references Leicester Humanists: https://humanists.uk/local-group/leicester/ Find your local humanist group (Humanists UK): https://humanists.uk/community/local-humanism/ Dick Hebdige, Subculture: The Meaning of Style (1979): https://www.routledge.com/Subculture-The-Meaning-of-Style/Hebdige/p/book/9780415039499 Erving Goffman, Frame Analysis (1974) and The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life E. M. Forster, Howards End, chapter 9, source of the "conversational hare": https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/howardsend/full-text/chapter-9/ Leicester Secular Hall, the world's first purpose-built secular hall: https://heritage.humanists.uk/leicester-secular-hall/ Related Humanism Now episodes Nicole Shasha, Rory's co-founder at Leicester Humanists, has appeared on the show several times, including Ep. 014, Ep. 019 and Ep. 059. Chapters: 00:00 Rory Booth on Exploring Subcultures: Definitions and Context 08:00 The Role of Subcultures in Society 13:38 Humanism as a Subculture 18:43 The Impact of the Internet on Subcultures 25:43 Creating and Sustaining Subcultures 31:40 Reflections on Change and Growth Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe. Contact us to get starting in podcasting today at humanise.live or hello@humanise.live Music: Blossom by Light Prism Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    40 mins
  • "Am I a Humanist?" Shay Leonia on Discovering Humanism in Public

    "Am I a Humanist?" Shay Leonia on Discovering Humanism in Public
    Aug 23 2026
    "I've never heard of humanism, but is this what I've been all along?" What happens when you discover the word for what you've believed your whole life? Shay Leonia came to humanism only recently, and rather than hide the learning curve, she has made it the heart of her work. In this episode, James Hodgson talks with Shay about her journey into humanism, the art of admitting what you don't know, and how to bring humanist values to people who have never heard the term. We discuss growing up with everyday kindness as a lived value, letting go of the supernatural without losing what matters, the AHA Creator Program and building coalitions beyond the secular space, and why humanism needs to become more accessible and more representative if it is going to grow. About the guest Shay Leonia is the communications manager at the American Humanist Association (AHA), where she hosts the How to Humanist podcast and runs AHA's Creator Program, partnering with content creators to bring humanism to new audiences. A lifelong musician based in Philadelphia, she founded the media company 44th Minute Media and came to humanism recently, arriving, as she puts it, curious, a little confused, and glad she stayed. In this episode How Shay discovered humanism through a job posting and realised it named the values she'd held all along Learning out loud: the "fourth wall break" behind How to Humanist, and why admitting what you don't know builds trust The AHA Creator Program, giving people a "soft landing" into humanism, and why the movement must become more accessible and representative Chapters 00:00 Introduction: meet Shay Leonia 01:18 Growing up, and early humanist values 03:11 A reformed Jewish upbringing 04:01 Discovering humanism through a job posting 05:17 Learning humanism in public 06:00 Talking across belief systems, and reforming your own views 08:53 Letting go of the supernatural 10:05 Breaking the fourth wall on How to Humanist 14:39 The AHA Creator Program 17:12 Building coalitions beyond the secular space 19:59 Giving people a "soft landing" into humanism 22:57 Humanism's blind spots: accessibility and representation 25:51 What role should the AHA play? 28:24 Advice for talking with allies 31:04 Leading with curiosity and compassion 31:32 Changing minds and letting go Links and references How to Humanist podcast: https://americanhumanist.org/how-to-humanist-podcast/ American Humanist Association: https://americanhumanist.org Greg Epstein, Good Without God (mentioned in the episode): https://www.gregmepstein.com Check out our new website and subscribe for updates: www.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: 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    37 mins