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More to life: Introduction

Watch Alice Roberts introduce the way humanists believe we can find depth and wonder in life
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Humanists believe the world is a natural place and that human beings are material and mortal creatures. Some critics ask whether the humanist understanding of human beings and reality leaves any room for depth or wonder and if so, where this can be found. This week we’ll learn how humanists believe the answer is a resounding yes! And we’ll hear about some of the different ways that humanists express their humanism and the joy of being human.
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We’ll ask: Where do humanists find colour and richness in their lives? Where do they find awe and wonder in the natural and human world? What draws them to science, to history, and to the arts? To help you explore these questions, this week we’ll meet humanists scientists, artists, historians and others. We’ll hear about their curiosity and their hunger for knowledge. We’ll learn about the wonder they find in the natural world and their sense of connection with it. We’ll discover their passion for creativity and the pleasures and meaning they find in the creativity of others, and we’ll reveal their fascination with human beings and the human story.
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Hopefully by the end of the week you’ll have developed a better understanding of the ways that humanists embrace their human talents, capacities, and potential, and how by doing so they believe we can all enrich our lives.

Over the last three weeks, we’ve explored some of the ways humanists devote their time to support other people in times of crisis and to causes which they believe will improve freedom and equality. However, to lead a full and flourishing life, many humanists believe that we also need to make some time for ourselves. We need to cultivate our own talents and passions in order to make the most of the one life we know we have.

This week we’ll learn about some of the many different ways humanists celebrate our human capacities and potential, about the sources of colour and richness in their lives, and about how depth and meaning can come from connecting with something bigger than ourselves: the natural world, our community, or the human story.

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Humanist Lives, with Alice Roberts

Created by
FutureLearn - Learning For Life

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