The Principles of Secularism

This work defines secularism as the view that moral duty and ethics should be grounded in considerations pertaining to this life, and distinguishes secular education from broader secularist aims. It argues that a secular ethical framework can serve people who reject or are indifferent to religious authority by making reason and experience the sources of obligation, connecting conscience with intelligence and duty with self-respect. The author sets out principles and practical maxims, laws for conducting controversy, proposals for association and organization such as a secular guild, and discusses the public place and characteristics of a secular moral movement aimed at promoting verifiable, useful conduct.