Institute for Humanist Studies
From Philosopedia
Institute of Humanist Studies
According to its website, the Institute of Humanist Studies (IHS) was founded in 1999 and is headquartered at the Humanist Center (48 Howard Street, Albany, New York 12207):
- is a think tank, the mission of which is to promote greater public awareness, understanding, and support for humanism. The Institute specializes in pioneering new technology and methods for the advancement of humanism;
- provides accessible and authoritative information about humanism and the nonreligious to the media, academia, and the general public. It also performs a distinctive role within the organized humanist community. As a non-membership organization, IHS is able to complement other humanist organizations rather than competing for members and subscribers. It not only cooperates with other humanist groups, but actively supports them by publicizing their activities and providing financial support to their best programs;
- provides free Web hosting, e-mail and tech support to humanist and related websites.
IHS developed and now operates the Continuum of Humanist Education, the world's first interactive, online curriculum centered around humanist thought;
- offers interactive courses in humanist thought ;
- encourages the Carl Sagan Academy , the first humanist charter school;
- hosts and teaches seminars on topics relating to humanism, church-state separation, and freedom from and of religion or belief.
The Institute has a free weekly e-zine, Humanist Network News, that delivers news, humor, and opinion
The IHS Public Policy department lobbies the New York legislature on issues of concern to freethinkers. As a founding member of the Secular Coalition for America, IHS has now brought this lobbying initiative to the U.S. Congress.
