NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Brights movement

The brights movement was started by Paul Geisert and Mynga Futrell in 2003 to provide a positive-sounding umbrella term, bright, to describe various types of people who have a naturalistic worldview, without casting that worldview as a negative response to religion (as the terms atheist, infidel or non-believer may be seen as doing). The hub of the brights movement is the The Brights' Net web site.^[1] Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1250x1253, 56 KB) I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1250x1253, 56 KB) I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... For the adjective, see brightness; for people named Bright see this list. ... For the adjective, see brightness; for people named Bright see this list. ... The expression umbrella term means a word that provides a superset or grouping of related concepts. ... For information about the band, see Atheist (band). ... An infidel (literally, one without faith) is one who doubts or rejects central tenets of a religion, especially those regarding its deities. ...

Co-founder of the Brights' Net Paul Geisert coined the term, and Mynga Futrell defined a bright to be "a person whose worldview is naturalistic—free of supernatural and mystical elements. A bright's ethics and actions are based on a naturalistic worldview."^[2] The naturalistic worldview may take many forms, ranging from methodological naturalism to metaphysical naturalism. For the adjective, see brightness; for people named Bright see this list. ... Look up Supernatural in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Naturalism is any of several philosophical stances, typically those descended from materialism and pragmatism, that do not distinguish the supernatural (including strange entities like non-natural values, and universals as they are commonly conceived) from nature. ... Metaphysical naturalism is any worldview in which nature is all there is and all things supernatural (which stipulatively includes as well as spirits and souls, non-natural values, and universals as they are commonly conceived) do not exist. ...

History

Paul Geisert was a biology teacher in Chicago in the 1960s, a professor in the 1970s, an entrepreneur and writer in the 1980s, and the co-developer of learning materials and a web site for teaching religion in public schools in the 1990s. He attended the "Godless Americans March on Washington" in 2002, which subsequently led to the idea of coining the noun bright. Geisert intended his coinage to allude to humanity's illumination during the Age of Enlightenment, an optimistic era when science and reason seemed to offer the key to the future. Geisert is now co-director of The Brights Net. The usage has been publicized and endorsed for its persuasive potential by Richard Dawkins in articles for The Guardian^[3] and Wired,^[4] and by Daniel Dennett in the New York Times.^[5] GAMOW logo The Godless Americans March on Washington (GAMOW) occurred in Washington, DC on November 2, 2002. ... The Age of Enlightenment (from the German word AufklÃ¤rung, meaning Enlightenment) refers to eighteenth century in European and American philosophy, or the longer period including the seventeenth century and the Age of Reason. ... Clinton Richard Dawkins (born March 26, 1941) is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and popular science writer who holds the Charles Simonyi Chair for the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University. ... The Guardian is a British newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ... Wired is a full-color monthly magazine and on-line periodical published in San Francisco, California since March 1993. ... Daniel Clement Dennett (b. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ...

The Brights' Net

Geisert and Futrell co-direct a network of Brights (the upper-case usage indicates registration into a constituency with specified aims). The Brights' Net includes tens of thousands of individuals from 138 nations. The Brights' Net serves as the hub of communication and action projects in a civic justice movement. It has three major purposes:

The Brights' Net states that it is not an anti-religious organization in either principle or action, and that it is working through educational means to create a level social and civic playing field for individuals, whether their worldviews are naturalistic or include supernaturalism.

Those who register as Brights at the Brights' Net are deemed members of the "Brights internet constituency". There are Brights' local constituencies in London, Paris, several cities in Canada and the United States, and various other locations worldwide. This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur (Latin: Tossed by the waves, she does not sink) Paris Eiffel tower as seen from the esplanade du TrocadÃ©ro. ...

Brights

Within the definition of bright,^[2] many, but not all, brights also identify variously under other terms or identities, including atheist, humanist, secular humanist, freethinker, rationalist, naturalist, agnostic, skeptic, and so on. One of the purposes of the Brights' Net is to include the umbrella term bright in the vocabulary of this existing "community of reason".^[6] The 18th-century French author Baron dHolbach was one of the first self-described atheists. ... This article discusses Humanism as a non-theistic life stance. ... Secular humanism is a humanist philosophy that upholds reason, ethics, and justice and specifically rejects rituals and ceremonies as a means to affirm a life stance. ... Freethought is a philosophical doctrine that holds that beliefs should be formed on the basis of science and logical principles and not be comprised by authority, tradition or any other dogmatic or other belief system that restricts logical reasoning. ... For other uses, see Rationalism (disambiguation). ... Naturalism is any of several philosophical stances, typically those descended from materialism and pragmatism, that do not distinguish the supernatural (including strange entities like non-natural values, and universals as they are commonly conceived) from nature. ... Agnosticism (from the Greek a, meaning without and gnosis, knowledge, translating to unknowable) is the philosophical view that the truth value of certain claimsâ€”particularly theological claims regarding metaphysics, afterlife or the existence of God, god(s), or deitiesâ€”is unknown or (possibly) inherently unknowable. ... For the Finnish funeral doom metal band, see Skepticism (band). ...

However, "the broader intent is inclusive of the many-varied persons whose worldview is naturalistic" but are in the "general population", as opposed to associating solely with the "community of reason". So persons who can declare their naturalistic worldview using the term bright extend beyond the familiar secularist categories. Registrations even include some members of the clergy, such as Presbyterian ministers and a Church History Professor and ordained priest. Secularity is the state of being without religious or spiritual qualities. ... Presbyterianism is part of the Reformed churches family of denominations of Christian Protestantism based on the teachings of John Calvin which traces its institutional roots to the Scottish Reformation, especially as led by John Knox. ...

Dawkins' analogy in the aforementioned Guardian article is instructive, comparing the coining of bright to the "triumph of consciousness-raising" from the term gay. Clinton Richard Dawkins (born March 26, 1941) is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and popular science writer who holds the Charles Simonyi Chair for the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University. ... The Guardian is a British newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ...

Notable brights include biologists Richard Dawkins and Richard J. Roberts, cognitive scientist Steven Pinker, philosopher Daniel Dennett, and stage magicians and debunkers James Randi, Penn Jillette, and Teller. Other brights include Amy Alkon, Sheldon Lee Glashow, Babu Gogineni, Edwin Kagin, Mel Lipman, Massimo Pigliucci, and Charlie Richmond. Clinton Richard Dawkins (born March 26, 1941) is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and popular science writer who holds the Charles Simonyi Chair for the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University. ... Richard J. Roberts (b. ... Steven Pinker Steven Arthur Pinker (born September 18, 1954) is a prominent American experimental psychologist, cognitive scientist, and popular science writer known for his spirited and wide-ranging advocacy of evolutionary psychology and the computational theory of mind. ... Daniel Clement Dennett (b. ... Debunkers are skeptics who attempt to disprove and pursues what they consider to be false, unscientific, bizarre or abnormal claims. ... James Randi (born August 7, 1928), stage name The Amazing Randi, is a stage magician and scientific skeptic best known as a debunker of pseudoscience. ... Penn Fraser Jillette (born March 5, 1955 in Greenfield, Massachusetts) is an American illusionist, juggler and comedian known for his work with fellow illusionist Teller in the team known as Penn & Teller. ... Teller (born Raymond Joseph Teller on February 14, 1948) is an American magician, best known as the smaller, silent half of the comedy magic duo known as Penn & Teller. ... Amy Alkon, also known as the Advice Goddess, writes an advice column, Ask the Advice Goddess, which is published in more than 100 newspapers within North America. ... Sheldon Glashow at Harvard University Professor Sheldon Lee Glashow (born December 5, 1932) is an American physicist. ... Babu Gogineni is a Hyderabad-based radical humanist and former Executive Director of International Humanist and Ethical Union. ... Edwin Frederick Kagin, J.D., (born November 26, 1940) is an attorney at law in Union, Kentucky, and the founder of Camp Quest, the first secular summer camp in the United States for the children of freethinkers. ... Dr. Massimo Pigliucci received his doctorate in genetics at the University of Ferrara, Italy, and PhD in botany from the University of Connecticut. ... Charlie Richmond is an entrepreneur and inventor born 1950-01-05. ...

Criticism

Some people (both religious and non-religious) have objected to the adoption of the title "bright" because it suggests that the individuals with a naturalistic worldview are more intelligent ("brighter") than the religious (cf. religiosity and intelligence).^[7] For example, the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry published an article by Chris Mooney titled Not Too "Bright" in which he stated that, although he agreed with the movement, Richard Dawkins' and Daniel Dennett's "campaign to rename religious unbelievers 'brights' could use some rethinking" because of the possibility that the term would be misinterpreted.^[8] Religiosity and intelligence is a subject that studies the correlation, if any, between religiosity and intelligence. ... The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI), formerly known as the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP) is a U.S. nonprofit organization whose stated purpose is to encourage the critical investigation of paranormal and fringe-science claims from a responsible, scientific point of view and... Chris C. Mooney is an American journalist who focuses on science in political policy. ...

Similarly, Michael Shermer, who is considered an "enthusiastic Bright" by the Brights' Net, for his past advocacy of the term bright, has nevertheless resisted using the term to describe himself, saying, "I don't call myself a Bright. Mainly because, I guess, the natural implication is that if you weren't a Bright, you'd be a Dim." Michael Shermer Michael Shermer Ph. ...

In his Wired article Dawkins states, "Whether there is a statistical tendency for brights [noun] to be bright [adjective] is a matter for research." Daniel Dennett, in his book Breaking the Spell, suggests that if non-naturalists are concerned with this connotation of the word bright, then they should invent an equally positive sounding word for themselves, like supers (i.e., one whose worldview contains supernaturalism). Geisert and Futrell maintain that the neologism has always had a kinship with the Enlightenment, a movement which celebrated science, free inquiry, and a spirit of skepticism. Daniel Clement Dennett (b. ... Cover of Breaking the Spell Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon (published 2006) is a book by the American philosopher Daniel C. Dennett, which attempts a scientific analysis of the origins of religion and of its pros and cons. ...

References

For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... November 4 is the 308th day of the year (309th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 57 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... November 4 is the 308th day of the year (309th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 57 days remaining. ...

External links

Categories: Social movements | Social change | Activism | Secularism | Humanism | Atheism | Agnosticism | Skepticism | The Enlightenment | Neologisms Clinton Richard Dawkins (born March 26, 1941) is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and popular science writer who holds the Charles Simonyi Chair for the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University. ... The Guardian is a British newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ... Daniel Clement Dennett (b. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... Logo of the St. ... ... Psychology Today is a monthly magazine published in the United States. ... The Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, or CSICOP, is an organization formed to encourage open minded, critical investigation of paranormal and pseudoscientific claims from a responsible, scientific point of view. ...

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