Welcome to the multi- and interdisciplinary FEWD project area www.HumanisminEurope.eu !
With special focus on Central and Eastern Europe!
Already in the 1980th several researcher and member of the civil society movement from the CEEC inspired the FEWD team member to focus on this region.
Hereby especially worth to mention is that the two main FEWD founding and research members Prof. Peter Kampits and Prof. Manfred Wuketits - a multilingual Austrian / Burgenland Croat - teached in the 1980th humanistic philosophy at several CEEC universities.
Beside the different multi- and interdisciplinary academic research on CEEC, the FEWD received additional inspiration by the already 1952 founded Humanists International and the 1991 founded European Humanist Federation.
So, this multi- and interdisciplinary FEWD Humanism project at University of Vienna established two main goals:
The first is to provide inspiration to people from different academic disciplines as they explore avenues for their own research. The second is to encourage rational public discourse and dialogue about humanism, civil society and their social movements.
Since 2002 this FEWD umbrella project places six fundamentally relevant manifestos / declarations in the center of our analysis. These manifests are initiated by (inter)-national and European humanist associations and societies.
See more here at the FEWD page about humanist manifestos and other basic sources.
The FEWD started after years of preparation with the more focused multidisciplinary project, titled "Humanistic discourses, civil society and social movements in Bulgaria, Romania and the West Balkans"
The new main geographical focus starting in 2023 will be the so called Western Balkan 6 region.
Additonal a special focus is "Secular humanism and bioethics in CEE - Central and Eastern Europe. A multi- and interdisciplinary approach." Online via secular-humanism.net here at fewd.univie.ac.at/secular-humanism
Initiated is this research area by Prof. Peter Kampits and Prof. Manfred Wuketits.
Scientific coordinator is Erwin Lengauer
This main FEWD project page is easy reachable via humanismineurope.eu.
Definition of Humanism
"Humanism is a philosophical and ethical worldview affirming that individuals have the right and responsibility to give meaning and shape to their own lives. Deeply committed to the protection of Human Rights, humanism defends the right for everyone to choose their beliefs, values and lifestyles, subject only to them not interfering with other people's rights."
What is Humanism
"Many people are humanist or follow a humanist lifestance without knowing it. They believe that everyone should be allowed to live in accordance with their own beliefs, subject only to them not interfering with other people's rights. In this section, you can learn more about both aspects of humanism: humanism as a lifestance and humanism as a vision for society."
Source online at the European Humanist Federation.
Annotation:
This project honors especially the work of Prof. Manfred Wuketits. He was a specialist on philosophy of biology and ethics. And he supported since 2001 the main FEWD philosophy of liberal secular humanism in an evolutionary naturalistic tradition. Sadly Prof. Wuketits died on cancer in the age of just 63 in June 2018. And not to forget, he loved as Austrian / Burgenland Croats especially the Balkan region.