Erkki Hartikainen (b. 1942, Finland) is the chairman of Atheist Association of Finland ("Suomen Ateistiyhdistys" in Finnish, a very small atheistic association in Finland). He qualified as a Master of Science in the University of Helsinki in 1967. His subjects were mathematics, a theoretical philosophy and computer science. Hartikainen has been the chairman of Atheist Association of Finland since the year 1985. On his career Hartikainen has served as the actuary in the end of the 1960s, for nearly 20 years as the teacher of mathematics, physics and chemistry in schools, and after that since the year 1989 as teacher of information technology in the adult college of Vantaa. He was working in 1994–1998 as a statistician in the city of Vantaa. Hartikainen retired in 2005. ^[1] A masters degree is an academic degree usually awarded for completion of a postgraduate course of one or two years in duration. ... The University of Helsinki (Helsingin yliopisto in Finnish, Helsingfors universitet in Swedish) is a university located in Helsinki, Finland. ... For other meanings of mathematics or uses of math and maths, see Mathematics (disambiguation) and Math (disambiguation). ... The division of philosophy into a practical and a theoretical discipline has its origin in Aristotles natural philosophy and moral philosophy categories. ... Computer science, or computing science, is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their implementation and application in computer systems. ... Damage from Hurricane Katrina. ... For university teachers, see professor. ... A magnet levitating above a high-temperature superconductor demonstrates the Meissner effect. ... For other uses, see Chemistry (disambiguation). ... Information and communication technology spending in 2005 Information Technology (IT), as defined by the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA), is the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer-based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware. ... Founded 1974 Province Southern Finland Region Uusimaa Sub-region Greater Helsinki Area - Of which land - Rank 243 km² 240,84 km² ranked 316th Population - Density - Rank 190 058 (2007) 790. ... Statisticians are mathematicians who work with theoretical and applied statistics in the both the private and public sectors. ...

In Union of Freethinkers of Finland ("Vapaa-ajattelijan liitto" in Finnish, the biggest atheistic association in Finland) Hartikainen operated for 40 years, as a chairman in 1999–2005. He has been one of the leading atheistic freethinkers in Finland^[2]. He was the editor in chief of the Freethinkers Union's Vapaa Ajattelija magazine for several periods since 1969. In 1982–1983 as secretary general of the Union of Freethinkers his objective was get to Finland the teaching of the ”elämänkatsomustieto” (”life stance education” ^[3], a non-religious alternative to religion teaching in schools), which indeed came true later. ^[1] Editing is the process of preparing language, images, or sound through correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications in various media. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A life stance or lifestance is a persons relation with what he or she accepts as of ultimate importance, the commitments and presuppositions of this, and the theory and practice of working it out in living. ...

Hartikainen complained to the human rights committee of the United Nations from the curriculum of the comprehensive school subject of the ”uskontojen historia ja siveysoppi” (history of religions and ethics) in 1978. ^[4] The complaint was successful and ”elämänkatsomustieto” was adopted by schools as a subject. UN redirects here. ...

Hartikainen has been the chairman of Finland's Atheist Association (Suomen Ateistiyhdistys) since its establishment in May 16th, 1985. Atheist Association was founded as an allowance organisation in case other organisations give up the defending of the atheist's human rights. Hartikainen was one of the head organisers of The Third World Atheist Conference with Madalyn Murray O'Hair and other of American Atheists. Conference was held in Helsinki in 1983. Human rights are rights which some hold to be inalienable and belonging to all humans. ... Madalyn Murray OHair (April 13, 1919 – September 29, 1995) was an American atheist and activist. ... The American Atheists logo, based on the atomic model. ...

In addition to the domestic operation, Hartikainen has participated in the operation of the atheistic business through the foreign countries visits and corresponded regularly with other foreign atheist activists. In the 1980s he delivered the doctrine material of the ”elämänkatsomustieto” of the irreligious (the history of religions and ethics of that time) into use. It was intended for WSOY to publish it but the project was cancelled. Nowadays the material is available freely on the Internet. ^[5] SanomaWSOY is the leading media group in the Nordic countries with operations in 20 European countries, based in Helsinki. ...

As a thinker, Hartikainen supports atheism and ontological materialism. He favours the words 'reality research', 'realityconception' (conception of reality) and 'lifeconception' as better alternatives for words 'science', 'world view' and 'philosophy of life' (life stance). He supports Finnish physicist Kari Enqvist’s view, that emergence means 'coarsening' and the losing of information relating to the description of reality (examples: statistical thermodynamics, classical electrodynamics, thinking of an animal etc.) Hartikainen is a modern logical empiricist and he recommends not using words “a priori truth” and saying “correct by definition” or “derivable from axioms” instead. ^[6] Atheist redirects here. ... For other uses, see Reality (disambiguation). ... A magnet levitating above a high-temperature superconductor demonstrates the Meissner effect. ... A world view (or worldview) is a term calqued from the German word Weltanschauung ( ) Welt is the German word for world, and Anschauung is the German word for view or outlook. It is a concept fundamental to German philosophy and epistemology and refers to a wide world perception. ... A life stance or lifestance is a persons relation with what he or she accepts as of ultimate importance, the commitments and presuppositions of this, and the theory and practice of working it out in living. ... Not to be confused with physician, a person who practices medicine. ... Kari-Pekka Enqvist (born February 16th 1954 in Lahti, Finland) is a professor of cosmology in the Department of Physical Sciences at the University of Helsinki. ... A termite cathedral mound produced by a termite colony: a classic example of emergence in nature. ... The ASCII codes for the word Wikipedia represented in binary, the numeral system most commonly used for encoding computer information. ... Statistical mechanics is the application of statistics, which includes mathematical tools for dealing with large populations, to the field of mechanics, which is concerned with the motion of particles or objects when subjected to a force. ... Classical electromagnetism is a theory of electromagnetism that was developed over the course of the 19th century, most prominently by James Clerk Maxwell. ... Thought or thinking is a mental process which allows beings to model the world, and so to deal with it effectively according to their goals, plans, ends and desires. ... For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... This article is about a logical statement. ...

Hartikainen is member of Social Democratic Party of Finland. The Social Democratic Party of Finland (SDP) is one of the most influential political parties in Finland, along with the Centre Party and the Coalition Party. ...

Bibliography

• Hartikainen, Erkki (1980): Tieteellinen maailmankatsomus. Helsinki: Vapaa-ajattelijain liitto ry.

• Hartikainen, Erkki (Editor in chief) (1982): Yläasteen etiikka: Peruskoulun uskontojen historian ja etiikan oppikirja 1–3. (Experiment hand-out accepted by the national board of education for school years 1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85.) Additional edition in 1985. Helsinki: Vapaa ajatus.

• Hartikainen, Erkki, Kyösti Kiiskinen & Jussi Rastas (Editors) (2005): Suomalaisen filosofian ’enfant terrible’: Kriittinen ajattelija ja tiedepoliittinen keskustelija: Juhlakirja tohtori Pertti Lindforsin 75-vuotispäivänä: Monitieteinen antologia. Contains texts in Finnish, English and German. Helsinki: Luonnonfilosofian seura. ISBN 951-98191-1-8.

Translations into Finnish

• Shibles, Warren (1979): Etiikkaa lapsille ja nuorille. (Original work: Ethics, 1978.) Translator into Finnish: Erkki Hartikainen. Helsinki: Vapaa-ajattelijain liitto ry.

• Shibles, Warren (1979): Emootiot: Lisää etiikkaa lapsille ja nuorille. (Original work: Emotion, 1978.) Translator into Finnish: Erkki Hartikainen. Helsinki: Vapaa-ajattelijain liitto ry.

• Baggini, Julian (2005): Ateismi: Lyhyt johdanto. (Original work: Atheism: A Very Short Introduction, 2003.) Translators into Finnish: Erkki Hartikainen, Suvi Laukkanen ja Paula Vasama. Kustannus Oy Vapaa Ajattelija. ISBN 951-98702-1-0.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Muiden uskontojen opetusta varten opetussuunnitelman perusteet
2. ^ Uskonnonfilosofia. ISBN 951-0-27403-8
3. ^ Usein kysyttyjä kysymyksiä
4. ^ University of Minnesota Human Rights Library
5. ^ elämänkatsomustieto
6. ^ Atheism

External links

• Homepage (English)
• Atheist Association of Finland (English)
• Erkki Hartikainen: Lecture on Atheism in The Finnish Society for Natural Philosophy 10/30/2003 (English)