by Lewis Loflin
The divine origin of rights, a cornerstone of America’s founding, stands in contrast to the secular humanist perspective, which often views the Constitution as a “living document” open to reinterpretation rather than a fixed expression of its framers’ intent. Former President Obama has noted the Constitution’s resistance to frequent amendment, a deliberate design to protect its core principles. Secular humanism challenges this foundation by rejecting the divine basis of individual rights, liberty, and property, suggesting that without such a framework, these rights lack enduring substance.
Humanist Perspective: Secular humanists argue that rights stem from the collective will of humanity, often mediated through the state, which reflects the majority’s preferences. This approach allows the state to define or alter rights as it sees fit, shifting their foundation from immutable principles to contingent decisions.
Historical Antecedents: This philosophy traces its origins to the French Revolution (1789-1799), considered the first humanist revolution. Its proponents believed human nature was inherently good, with societal conditions as the sole source of malevolence—a premise that has often undermined humanist social and welfare initiatives. The welfare state concept emerged later in 19th-century Germany under Bismarck, who saw material support as a means to strengthen state control, aligning with humanist tendencies.
Secular humanism posits that a flawed society can be reformed to perfect humanity, a concept championed by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a key humanist philosopher and professed deist. Rousseau argued that humanity’s decline resulted not from the biblical Fall, but from the introduction of private property, a view that fueled the French Revolution’s radical agenda to dismantle divine authority and tradition in favor of the “collective good” over individual rights. This led to efforts to redistribute property from the nobility, guided by reason alone, and laid the intellectual foundation for communism.
Ideological Convergence: As David McNally notes in *Socialism from Below*, “The great French revolution of 1789-1799 involved the most massive popular struggles… rising on the backs of the masses of poor people in Paris who united under the banner of ‘liberty, equality and brotherhood’… Out of the French Revolution… emerged the essential socialist idea that democracy and freedom require a society of (material) equality.” This synthesis of socialism, the welfare state, and Enlightenment humanist thought in the 19th century prioritized state authority over individual liberty.
Fundamental Flaw: Rousseau’s belief in innate human goodness proved challenging to sustain. The revolution’s attempt to reshape society resulted in significant discord rather than the anticipated harmony.
David McNally’s *Socialism from Below* reflects on the French Revolution: “The great French revolution of 1789-1799… came up with the poor folks in Paris shouting ‘liberty, equality, brotherhood’… It kicked out the big socialist idea that democracy and freedom require a society of (material) equality.” Today, those who question this ideology may face labels like fascist, Nazi, or white supremacist.
Modern secular humanists, Leftists, and Progressives have reframed this narrative around race and identity, moving beyond class considerations. They often view family and faith as barriers to their belief system, which, lacking a deity, functions as a quasi-religion with significant societal impact. McNally’s closing thought, “that genuine freedom presupposed the liberty of all to participate equally in producing and sharing the wealth of society,” underscores this shift.
Science Abandoned: Contemporary humanists frequently struggle to support claims on issues like climate change or abortion with empirical data, often dismissing evidence-based science. McNally attempts to separate Soviet Communism from “true” socialism and humanism by calling it “state capitalism,” maintaining that material inequality and religion are society’s primary issues—suggesting liberty, equality, and brotherhood can only be achieved through humanist principles and state intervention.
Human Nature Ignored: By overlooking inherent human traits like greed or ambition, humanism focuses on controlling culture, economy, and life to engineer an ideal society. Concepts like “re-education” and “enemies of the people” originated here, overseen by a deist regime that resulted in approximately 200,000 deaths through executions and imprisonment during this initial humanist experiment.
France marked the beginning; Marxism later expanded humanism’s promises and pitfalls. Explore the second revolution here (Part 3). Return to the start (Part 1).
Acknowledgment: I’d like to thank Grok, an AI by xAI, for helping me draft and refine this article. The final edits and perspective are my own.
Quoting Thomas Paine:
I believe in one God, and no more; and I hope for happiness beyond this life. I believe the equality of man, and I believe that religious duties consist in doing justice, loving mercy, and endeavoring to make our fellow-creatures happy.
