"The
Carpe Diem Society of BC relentlessly strives towards human
excellence on the personal, community and global scale through
the strident application of reason, progressive ethics, a
pro-active lifestyle and an optimistic world view steeped
in personal responsibility for positively shaping the future."
FOUNDING
PRINCIPLES
1. SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE / EPISTEMOLOGY:
Critical thought and science are fallible and error
prone, but are the best sources of knowledge available and
are the only methods with a proven track record of differentiating
between true and false claims or amassing reliable knowledge.
Only empirical, independently verifiable and potentially falsifiable
claims are legitimate candidates for knowledge and constitute
the basis of our philosophy and lifestyle. Mysticism, divine
revelation, faith, authority, ideology, superstition, pseudo-science
and dogma are rejected as invalid sources of knowledge because
they are incapable of objectively differentiating true and
false claims.
2. ONTOLOGY / METAPHYSICS:
Based upon our empirical observations of the world we adopt
a monistic materialism derived from philosophic naturalism.
This means we hold that the universe is composed of nothing
more than matter and energy as revealed by scientific observation
- the supernatural realm is an archaic myth left over from
our primitive past. Claims to the contrary require strong
empirical evidence of the same veracity as the evidence in
support of gravity, electricity, or evolution. If such evidence
were forthcoming we would be happy to entertain such claims
as potentially valid. However the striking failure of evidence
renders such claims tantamount to belief in Santa Claus.
3. HUMANS AS PART OF NATURE:
As a logical consequence of our epistemological and
metaphysical positions it follows that human beings have evolved
as a part of nature and are living organisms that are dependent
upon the health and well being of the earth and our environment;
the mind is an emergent property of the brain that evolved
through strictly physical process, and ceases to exist upon
our death. No part of our consciousness survives the death
of the body.
4. HUMAN SELF-RESPONSIBILITY:
The world is what we make of it, and humans are,
within certain physical and biological limits, capable of
shaping our own destiny - we must take responsibility for
our own continued survival and well-being. Our decisions will
determine not only our own destiny but the fate of our planet,
and such decisions are only as good as the knowledge that
they are based upon. For this reason it is vital to the well-being
of all humanity that we cultivate as clear and accurate an
understanding of the world as possible.
As Jean Paul Sartre highlighted, this is an inescapable
duty - failing to make a choice is still a choice, and we
are still responsible for the outcomes of our choices. This
responsibility is a burden, but it also represents the unlimited
potential of the human condition.
Cultural values and societal practices such as religion, tradition,
and ideology are based upon an aggregate of individual choices,
can be changed by a similar aggregate of individual choices,
and as such are not dictated by anything outside of our collective
control. Life does not have some externally imposed meaning
or purpose dictated by God, Nature or the Universe, and all
theories of universal determinism, fatalism, teleology or
predestination that disempower humanity from taking responsibility
for our own fate must be repudiated in the strongest terms.
Mysticism, superstition and religion serves to lull us into
a false sense of deluded security by abdicating the responsibility
that humans have for ensuring our own wellbeing, placing instead
the responsibility for our fate into the hands of a fictitious
supernatural being or force. As an intellectually mature species
we are responsible for our own actions; we must be vigilant
against self-destruction while proactively promoting the betterment
of life. Only our own intelligence and an ever-increasing
understanding of the world that we inhabit can safeguard our
continued prosperity and survival, and only an accurate understanding
of the world that we live in will provide us with reliable
information upon which to make appropriate decisions towards
that end.
5.
ETHICS:
Ethics
and morality must be based upon reason and observed consequence,
rather than superstition or the say-so of religious leaders
claiming to speak for a God whose very existence cannot be
substantiated. The individual attains the good life by harmoniously
combining personal responsibility and continuous self-development
with activities that contribute to the welfare of the community.
6. PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT:
We must each find our own answers to life's questions
through a process of skeptical analysis and exploration of
the human experience. We have a responsibility to constantly
strive for deeper and more significant levels of understanding
of our existence so as to ensure the knowledge upon which
we base the decisions that determine our destiny will achieve
the best possible outcomes. Existential angst and nihilism
are challenges that must be overcome by each individual through
a process of eclectic personal growth and exploration, not
by blind faith in dogma or unverifiable claims. Human change
and improvement is possible on the individual, communal, societal
and global levels.
7. A RELEVANT PHILOSOPHY:
A good philosophy of life should inform and guide
all aspects of our lifestyle. An active and eclectic lifestyle
full of a diverse range of personal experience has intrinsic
value and is a vital tool in each of our own personal quests
for enlightenment and self-fulfillment; participation in a
community of individuals with such a purpose allows each of
us to grow richer from one another while sharing valuable
insights and experiences.
8. HUMAN RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES:
Democracy and civil liberties are not perfect, but
are the only methods of societal organization with a proven
track record of improving the welfare and well-being of humanity.
Tolerance is a grounding value that forms the underpinning
of all social interaction. We support the development and
refinement of fundamental human rights such as freedom of
speech and expression, the separation of church and state,
freedom of religion including the freedom from religion, freedom
of association, and equality of opportunity and justice regardless
of colour, ethnic origin, language, gender, sexual orientation,
disability or other demographic feature
9. ALL THINGS ARE INTERCONNECTED:
Ecology and many other sciences have provided a groundswell
of evidence to show that all things in nature are co-dependent.
Such principles apply to human culture as strongly as they
apply to the broader ecosystem. Altruism and self-sacrifice
for the betterment of others improves the welfare of all and
must be encouraged. Human beings are dependent upon the health
and well being of the earth and our environment, and our personal
wellbeing is strongly dependent upon the wellbeing of those
around us. Human decisions impact everyone and everything
around us, and we must take responsibility for our decisions
by insuring that the choices we make are informed by and grounded
in the most reliable knowledge of the world that we are capable
of possessing.
10. CRITICAL THINKING AND SKEPTICISM:
We advocate critical thought and the development
of new ideas, but remain skeptical of untested claims to truth.
We promote the unending questioning of basic assumptions and
convictions, including our own. Humanism is not a new dogma,
but is a developing philosophy ever open to experimental testing
of consequences, newly discovered facts, and more rigorous
reasoning.
MEMBERSHIP
Membership
in the Carpe Diem society of BC has several levels.
Associate Members pay fees to participate
in specified Carpe Diem activities or programs, but are not
entitled to participation beyond that specified for the particular
event or activity.
Annual Members of the society pay yearly
dues, can participate fully in the activities and events of
the society, but can not vote or stand for elected office
within the society.
Lifetime Members must be invited to join
by the sponsorship of a current lifetime member who is willing
to vouch for the character of the applicant. Life members
constitute the governing body of the society membership. Only
Life Members may hold positions on the Executive, stand for
elected office within the society or vote on admitting new
life members. They are also exempt from annual membership
fees.
A current Life Member must sponsor the applicant for Life
Membership. The sponsor acts as a reference for the applicant
and must vouch for the character and suitability of the individual
as a Life Member of the CDS-BC. The sponsor also takes responsibility
for ensuring that the applicant abides by and fulfils society
guidelines and regulations.
Applicants must have been annual members for at least 4 months
to be considered for Life Membership status and must fulfil
other membership requirements as set by the Executive Committee.
Once all requirements of the board have been fulfilled all
life members vote by secret ballot on whether to grant life
membership status. A single vote against the applicant defeats
the application. A unanimous vote in favour grants the applicant
temporary status as Nominee Life Member.
The Nominee Life Member must fundraise $300 or devote 30 hours
of volunteer time to a charity of the applicant's choice in
the name of CDS-BC. Once this is complete the nominee can
be certified as a new Life Member by a simple resolution of
the board.
