Understanding Humanism
Join Humanist Heritage Coordinator Madeleine Goodall, school teacher Lisa O'Connor, and Understanding Humanism textbook authors Andrew Copson, Luke Donnellan, and Richard Norman for a fun and lively exploration of the humanist worldview at this online event.
Andrew Copson
Andrew is Chief Executive of Humanists UK. He became Chief Executive in 2010 after five years coordinating Humanists UK’s education and public affairs work. Andrew is also current President of Humanists International.
He is the author of Secularism: A Very Short Introduction and, with Alice Roberts, The Little Book of Humanism and The Little Book of Humanist Weddings. The Little Book of Humanist Funerals, also with Alice Roberts, will be published in May 2023.
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Luke Donnellan
Luke is responsible for promoting the understanding of humanism, especially in formal education settings. He manages Humanists UK’s school speakers programme; teacher training and CPD; and the production of educational resources.
He is also the writer and editor of two online courses on humanism: Introducing humanism and Humanist lives.
![](https://humanists.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023-03-24-v1-IS-Luke-Donnellan-jpg.webp)
Madeleine Goodall
Madeleine is the Humanist Heritage Coordinator for Humanists UK, researching and writing about the history of humanism to celebrate the organisation's 125th birthday. She has a background in education, museums, and community history, and is also Humanists UK's Wikimedian in Residence.
She currently leads on a two-year National Lottery Heritage Fund project – Humanist Heritage: doers, dreamers, place makers – which focuses on the remarkable freethinkers and activists who changed the world, and the communities they built around them.
![](https://humanists.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023-01-27-v1-IS-Madeleine-Goodall-jpg.webp)
Richard Norman
Richard Norman taught philosophy at the University of Kent for many years, working mainly in the areas of moral and political philosophy, including both theoretical and practical ethics, and is now Emeritus Professor of Moral Philosophy. His books include: The Moral Philosophers; Free and Equal; Ethics, Killing, and War; and On Humanism.
He is an active member of Kent Humanists and was a founder-member of the Humanist Philosophers' Group in 1999, as well as of the Humanist Peace Forum, Humanists for a Better World, and Humanist Climate Action.
![](https://humanists.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023-03-24-v1-IS-Richard-Norman-jpg.webp)
Lisa O'Connor
Lisa O’Connor is a humanist who has taught Religious Education for over 20 years. She has previously been the Humanists UK representative on the RE Council and a member of the NATRE executive. She has provided teacher training on humanism and is active in Birmingham Humanists. She now leads a large Religious Studies and Philosophy A level department in a Sixth Form College in the West Midlands where she is also a Director of Faculty for Humanities and Visual Arts.
![](https://humanists.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023-03-24-v1-IS-Lisa-OConnor-jpg.webp)
About Understanding Humanism
Understanding Humanism is an easy-to-read and informative overview of the beliefs, practices, and values of humanism as a non-religious worldview. The short and lively book explores humanism both as a broad historical tradition of thought and as a stance embodied in organised institutions. It sets out clearly and systematically the beliefs and values of humanism as well as the reality and personal experience of living as a humanist today.
As well as the title of the new book, Understanding Humanism is also the name of our dedicated education service providing free school resources, including videos and classroom activities, free school speakers, and much more, to teachers and parents. It’s an important part of our work making sure that everyone has a chance to learn about the humanist approach to life – in or out of school.
Location
United Kingdom