
Can critical thinking be learned? How can we design humanistic lessons? Should the humanistic view of man change? All these questions are addressed in the new issue of our humanist magazine.

Can critical thinking be learned? How can we design humanistic lessons? Should the humanistic view of man change? All these questions are addressed in the new issue of our humanist magazine.

At the Council of Delegates of the HVD Federal Association last Saturday, a new expert committee was founded and two new board members were elected, so that the Federal Board is now fully staffed again.

For the winter semester 2021/22, the humanistic Bertha von Suttner-Studienwerk (BvS) is awarding scholarships to students and doctoral candidates for the first time. In addition to financial support, the Suttner scholarship holders receive comprehensive non-material support.

We mourn for the people who have died in the context of the pandemic, side by side with their families, companions, friends, neighbors and colleagues. The HVD is calling on people to symbolically participate in a central memorial service on Sunday by lighting a candle.

Many non-denominational people do not feel sufficiently recognized in our society. This is why secular groups are pushing for greater visibility. To this end, the Coordination Council of Secular Organizations (KORSO) wants to present itself more strongly as a secular lobby organization in the future. The Humanist Association of Germany – Federal Association (HVD) will no longer be represented.

After many years of preparation, the Humanist Association of Germany (HVD), the Giordano Bruno Foundation (gbs), the Humanist Academy of Germany (HAD) and the Federal Association of Humanist Students (BAG) have founded the Bertha von Suttner-Studienwerk. With its help, humanist students are to receive the same support as their religious fellow students.

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time – if not the greatest. In the current issue of our humanist magazine, we therefore ask: What relationship do humanists actually have with nature? Should it change? What can we do to prevent excess in the use of our limited natural resources? And how do we move from knowledge to action?

Many people are hoping that 2021 will be better than last year – thanks to the vaccinations, overcoming the Covid-19 pandemic now seems within reach. But the pandemic is far from our only problem. Thoughts on the new year from Erwin Kress, Spokesman of the Board of the Humanist Association of Germany.

The Humanist Association of Germany (HVD) has welcomed a new regional association, HVD Bavaria, and is now active in 13 federal states. We look forward to working together!

At this year’s General Assembly of the European Humanist Federation (EHF), HVD Federal Representative Katja Labidi was elected to the new Board. Labidi announced that she would actively support the EHF in its reorganization in order to facilitate good cooperation between humanist organizations at European level.