“It was a very safe space to be able to say, I got that wrong.”

CampQuest UK Programme Director Alistair Lichten (Humanist Dad) and camper-turned-volunteer Katy Pugh join Humanism Now to unpack why a secular camp matters, and how a weekend of outdoor adventure, hands-on science, and Philosophy for Children helps young people practise curiosity, confidence, and respectful disagreement.

Discover CampQuest UK

• 2026 Family Camp – dates, location, pricing, booking– https://campquest.uk/2026-family-camp-pilot/
• More info on Humanists UK Website
• Follow Alistair on the HumanistDad Blog

Topics we cover

 ✔︎ Why CampQuest began, and what a secular camp offers that most camps do not
 ✔︎ How outdoor challenge makes speaking up feel less scary
 ✔︎ The 2026 family camp, and what the weekend format looks like
 ✔︎ Philosophy for Children: stimulus, question-voting, and “speaking object” rules
 ✔︎ Encouraging values without dogma: standards of behaviour that protect freedom of thought
 ✔︎ What kids actually take home: reasoning, confidence, and not taking disagreement personally
 ✔︎ Alumni impact, volunteer growth, and rebuilding community year to year
 ✔︎ Practical booking and arrival expectations for the May bank holiday camp

Resources & further reading

• Philosophy for Children (P4C): SAPERE / Thoughtful – training and overview of the method – https://www.sapere.org.uk/
  and “What is P4C?” 
• The Ship of Theseus (identity over time): Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Send a text

Support the show

Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community!

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 starting in podcasting today at humanise.live or [email protected]

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.

“Humanism is increasing well-being and decreasing suffering for as many people as possible.”  - Wil Jeudy

 In this episode, Wil Jeudy, a secular humanist and political organiser based in Texas, shares how empathy shaped his journey from disengaged voter to coalition-builder, why secular government protects believers and non-believers alike, and how coordinated local action can push back against Christian nationalism.

Topics we cover

•  Humanism as empathy in action and a guide for political engagement
•  Why secular government safeguards freedom for everyone
•  Texas as a frontline in the rise of Christian nationalism
•  Building coalitions across secular and religious communities
•  Turning community into political influence without burnout

Resources & further reading

• Follow Wil on Instagram: @wil_jay3
• Secular Houston – Coordinating local secular groups to amplify political impact:  secularhouston.org
• Houston Oasis – A welcoming, community-focused secular gathering with talks and music: houstonoasis.org
• Secular Coalition for America – Coalition advocating for secular public policy at the federal level:  secular.org
• Secular Texas PAC Announcement  – State-level PAC supporting candidates who defend church–state separation
  • Donate & Support the Secular Houston PAC

Send us a text

Support the show

Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community!

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 starting in podcasting today at humanise.live or [email protected]

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.

“I changed my mind because I cared about alleviating energy poverty.”

Order now: Energy is Life: Why Environmentalism Went Nuclear, by Zion Lights

• Amazon
• Guardian Bookshop
• Natural History Book Service

Zion Lights is an award-winning science communicator and environmental advocate whose work sits at the intersection of energy, climate, and public understanding of science. In this conversation, Zion shares her journey from prominent renewable-only activism to evidence-led support for a broader clean energy mix, and why energy abundance matters for health, dignity, and human progress.

Connect with Zion 

• Website – zionlights.co.uk
• Newsletter –substack.com/@zionlights1

Topics we cover

• How Zion’s views shifted after revisiting the evidence on nuclear risk, safety, and climate mitigation 
• Why “clean energy” beats “renewables-only,” and what grid reality means for net zero pathways 
• Energy poverty, global fairness, and what reliable power enables for health systems and development
• SMRs, fusion, and what is realistic now versus what is still “next decade” tech

Resources & further reading

• “Could we even ‘just stop oil’?” – The Holyoake Lecture 2023, with Zion Lights (video)
• Global Warming of 1.5°C (SR15) – Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2018)
• Death rates per unit of electricity production – Our World in Data
• What are the safest and cleanest sources of energy? – Our World in Data

Send us a text

Support the show

Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community!

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 starting in podcasting today at humanise.live or [email protected]

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.

In this short update epsiode, we are pleased to welcome back Nathan Stilwell, Humanists UK's Assisted dying Campaign Coordinator, Campaigns and Communications Manager at My Death My Decision and a member of The Assisted Dying Coalition Secretariat.

Nathan explains what has happened since the Assisted Dying Bill passed the House of Commons, why it now risks falling in the House of Lords, and what supporters can do to help ensure it becomes law.

This episode follows Nathan’s first appearance on Humanism Now in November 2024 and offers a timely update on one of the most significant ethical debates in UK politics.

References & further reading

• Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill – Publications  
  – UK Parliament, bill text, amendments, and parliamentary documents
• Ask the House of Lords to support assisted dying
  – Humanists UK campaign tool for contacting peers
• 26. Nathan Stilwell on the Need for Compassionate Assisted Dying Legislation & End of Life Care
  – Humanism Now, November 2024.
• MPs back proposals to legalise assisted dying
  – BBC News, 29 November 2024.
• What has happened to the assisted dying bill?
  – BBC News, 12 December 2025.
• Assisted dying bill ‘near impossible’ to pass House of Lords, say supporters
  – The Guardian, 22 January 2026.

Send us a text

Support the show

Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community!

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 starting in podcasting today at humanise.live or [email protected]

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.

 “Most people want community, and yet these communities keep disappearing.”

Dr. Darrel Ray is a psychologist, author, and organizational leader who has spent decades helping individuals leave religious belief systems and supporting secular communities around the world. He founded Recovering from Religion and the Secular Therapy Project, wrote influential books such as The God Virus, and recently launched the Institute for Secular Leadership to strengthen secular and humanist organisations through better leadership practices

Register interest in the Secular Leadership Course here.

Dr. Ray's Organisations & Projects

• Recovering from Religion – international nonprofit supporting people leaving religion
• Secular Therapy Project – connects secular clients with vetted secular therapists
• Institute for Secular Leadership – newly launched leadership training for secular organisations 

Books by Dr. Ray

• The God Virus: How Religion Infects Our Lives and Culture – Darrel Ray (2009) 
• Sex and God: How Religion Distorts Sexuality – Darrel Ray (2012)
• Teaming Up: Making the Transition to a Self-Directed, Team-Based Organization – Darrel W. Ray & Howard Bronstein
• The Performance Culture: Maximizing the Power of Teams – Darrel W. Ray & Howard Bronstein

Send us a text

Support the show

Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community!

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 starting in podcasting today at humanise.live or [email protected]

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.

"I blame dinosaurs, and I blame London." 

Astrophysicist and science communicator Dr Alfredo Carpineti (IFLScience, The Big Questions; creator of The Astroholic Explains; founder and chair of Pride in STEM) joins Humanism Now  to explore why the cosmos still sparks childlike wonder, how great science communication balances accuracy with storytelling, and why his upcoming book Invisible Rainbows pairs “unseen light” with the human stories too often left out. 

Connect with Alfredo Carpineti

• Website – https://www.theastroholic.co.uk/
• X (Twitter) – @DrCarpineti 
• LinkedIn – Alfredo-Carpineti

Resources & Further Reading

• Book (Invisible Rainbows) – https://www.rarewaves.com/products/9781806770441-Invisible-Rainbows
  Facebook
• Pride in STEM – https://prideinstem.org/
• The Astroholic Explains Podcast – https://open.spotify.com/show/6dbgVUYZDYQ95Uci2RlCFN
• IFLScience: The Big Questions Podcast – https://iflsciencethebigquestions.podbean.com/

Meet Alfredo in London!

• Space and Humanism in Fiction and Reality, with Dr Alfredo Carpineti
  London Humanists | Wednesday, 28 Jan 2026 | 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM GMT | Old Diorama Arts Centre, NW1, London

Send us a text

Support the show

Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community!

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 starting in podcasting today at humanise.live or [email protected]

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.

As Humanism Now wraps up 2025, host James Hodgson is joined by familiar voices from across the UK humanist movement to reflect on the year just gone and look ahead to 2026. Together, they explore community-building, youth engagement, activism, collaboration, and why humanism continues to resonate in uncertain times.

Guests & Links

Lola Tinubu – Association of Black Humanists (ABH)

• Association of Black Humanists – https://www.meetup.com/association-of-black-humanists/
• Festival of Freethinking 2025 – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/festival-of-freethinking-2025-tickets-1755211267149/
• Secular Sankofa podcast – https://secularsankofa.buzzsprout.com/2532796/follow
• ABH on TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@assoc_of_black_humanists

Mark Agathangelou – Central London Humanists (CLH)

• Central London Humanists – https://www.centrallondonhumanists.org.uk/
• CLH on Meetup – https://www.meetup.com/central-london-humanists/
• What Humanism Means To Me Event - https://www.meetup.com/central-london-humanists/events/310597525/

Nicole Shashar – Leicester Humanists & Young Humanists

• Leicester Humanists – https://humanists.uk/local-group/leicester/
• Young Humanists – https://humanists.uk/community/young-humanists

Looking Ahead: Major 2026 Events

Humanists UK Convention & Festival 2026 – https://humanists.uk/events/festival2026/

World Humanist Congress 2026 – https://humanists.international/event/world-humanist-congress-2026/

Send us a text

Support the show

Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community!

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 starting in podcasting today at humanise.live or [email protected]

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.

“[Magical beliefs in childhood] serve an important function.”  - Dr Lois Lee

For our festive special, Dr. Lois Lee, Senior Lecturer in Religious Studies at the University of Kent and one of the world’s leading scholars of non-belief, joins Humanism Now to explore why atheism spreads culturally and what Christmas reveals about humanist meaning in everyday life.

Connect with Dr. Lee

• University of Kent profile
• Explaining Atheism Profile
• Explaining Atheism Project

Topics we cover

 ✔︎ Why atheism still needs explaining in the 21st century
 ✔︎ Why socialisation and cultural visibility matter more than intelligence or education
 ✔︎ What children’s belief in Santa reveals about evidence, reason, and doubt
 ✔︎ Magical belief as a bridge between childhood and adult worldviews
 ✔︎ Christmas as a modern, child-centred ritual with humanist ethics
 ✔︎ Ritual, meaning, and non-religious culture
 ✔︎ Humanist privilege, school Christmas, and questions of inclusion

Resources & further reading

• Becoming Non-Believers (childhood research) – Dr. Lee & Dr. Anna Strhan
• Towards a Sociology of Irreligion – Colin Campbell (1971)
• A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens
• A Visit from St. Nicholas (“’Twas the Night Before Christmas”) 
• The Snowman –  Raymond Briggs
• “Father Christmas Executed” – Claude Lévi-Strauss

Send us a text

Support the show

Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community!

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 starting in podcasting today at humanise.live or [email protected]

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.

“Humans didn’t evolve to believe in gods — we evolved to learn from culture, and sometimes culture points away from gods.”

Dr Will M. Gervais, psychologist and author of Disbelief, joins Humanism Now to examine one of the most persistent puzzles in the study of religion: why a species capable of deep religiosity also produces millions of convinced non-believers. Drawing on cultural evolution, cognitive science, and cross-cultural data, Will shows why belief and disbelief are shaped less by raw rationality than by social signals, security, and learning environments.

Contact & resources;

• Website – http://willgervais.com/
• University profile – https://www.brunel.ac.uk/people/will-gervais
• ResearchGate – https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/Will-M-Gervais-16312567
• Disbelief – Gervais (2023) – https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Disbelief-by-Will-M-Gervais/9781633889248
  
  

Topics we cover

• Why humans evolved a capacity for religion, not a destiny to believe
• The twin puzzles of belief and disbelief explained scientifically
• Why comfort-based and “God-spot” theories fall short
• Cultural signals, credible displays, and how communities transmit belief
• Why atheism often emerges where signals are mixed or muted
• Weak and fragile links between analytic thinking and non-belief
• Moral distrust of atheists — and what behavioural data actually show
• Differences in moral style rather than moral behaviour
• Agnosticism as a distinct epistemic position, not a midpoint
• Existential security and why stable societies secularise
• Cultural evolution and the “big gods” hypothesis
• Why scientific self-correction matters more than tribal loyalty

Send us a text

Support the show

Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community!

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 starting in podcasting today at humanise.live or [email protected]

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.

 “Activism is the rent we pay to live on this world.”  Alavari Jeevathol

AJ  board member of Humanists International, founding trustee of the National Multifaith Youth Centre, and National Coordinator of Young Humanists UK — returns to Humanism Now to explore a humanism shaped by South Indian pluralism, UK youth organising, and a lifelong commitment to duty, solidarity, and awe. This conversation traces India’s rationalist heritage, the case for humanistic spirituality, and why resistance must be global, hopeful, and rooted in material realities.

Connect with AJ

• Website – alavari.info
• Instagram – @alavarij
• Facebook – @alavari
• X (Twitter) – @alavarij
• LinkedIn – in/alavari/
• TikTok – @alavarij
• Young Humanists UK
• National Multifaith Youth Centre 

Resources & further reading

• Disenchanting India: Rationalist Criticism and Cultural Politics – Quack (2012) 
• Humanist Society Scotland  Statement on Palestine & Israel (2023) 
• AJ's events & talks
  • Humanists UK Event: “India’s Rationalist Heritage” 
  • CLH Discussions | Gaza: genocide, ceasefire, and future prospects
  • CLH Talk:  Roots of Rationalism in India - Origins of Humanism Series
• Humanists International World Humanist Congress 2026 

Send us a text

Support the show

Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community!

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 starting in podcasting today at humanise.live or [email protected]

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.