Lesson video

Hello there, my name's Mr. Robertson.

I love RE.

I can't wait to teach you this amazing lesson that we've created.

It's called Humanism, a Natural Origin and a Precious Planet.

And it's all about our big inquiry question, "Humanists, how can you lead a happy and meaningful life?" As part of this lesson, we're going to consider that big question about origins and also think about what humanists say about that, and how they think we should treat this beautiful planet that we all share.

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to explain how humanists describe the origins of the world and why they try to care for it.

We've got four keywords for you in this lesson.

I'm going to say the word first and then I'm gonna ask you to repeat it back to me.

Are you ready? Have you got your big word voices? Let's go.

Evidence.

Amazing.

Reason.

Oh, that's good.

Empathy.

A little harder.

And finally, connection.

Oh, fantastic.

I can hear those really loudly and clearly.

Let's just check what they mean.

So evidence is proof supporting a claim.

Reason is the use of logic and facts to make sense of the world.

Empathy is understanding and sharing the feelings, thoughts and experiences of another person.

And connection is the responsibility and care a person might feel towards something or someone.

All of these will become really clear as we make our way through the lesson, so don't worry if you don't understand them just yet.

So in this lesson we've got two questions that we're going to answer, and our first question is this, how do humanists explain our origins? This lesson is a philosophy lesson and in this lesson we're going to be thinking philosophically.

Sofia's going to remind us how we use philosophy in religious education.

Sofia says, "Philosophy is interested in what we know and how we know it.

Philosophers ask questions about how people think or reason and how we can know what is true or real.

We can better understand worldviews by using philosophical tools like thought experiments, critical thinking and reasoning." Well, how does that work in this lesson then? Well, in this lesson, we're going to speak to different humanists to understand where they believe humans come from, and we'll find out about how this affects their relationship with the natural world.

Let's start.

Lucas and Aisha are discussing ultimate questions.

Lucas says, "Some questions are big questions.

'What shall I do when I grow up?' is a big question, but what is an ultimate question?" Hmm.

Interesting, Lucas.

Aisha says, "An ultimate question is a really big and important question that people ask when they want to understand life or the world better.

It's the kind of question that doesn't always have a simple answer.

Sometimes no one really knows the answer for sure." Wow.

I love this idea of ultimate questions, don't you? Here are some examples of ultimate questions.

Why are we here? What happens when we die? Is there a God? Can you think of any ultimate questions? These are really big questions to which there is not a simple answer or an answer that we can definitely know.

I wonder if you can.

I bet you can think of some ultimate questions, can't you? Lucas and Aisha are thinking of a particular ultimate question.

"I've been wondering how did humans come to be on this planet?" Hmm.

Great question, Lucas.

Aisha says, "I think the answer depends on your religion or worldview.

Some people might say we were created by God.

I wonder how a humanist might answer this question?" Mm, that is a really good point, Aisha.

I think you're probably right.

I wonder how we do think a humanist might answer that question.

Hmm, what do you know about humanism so far? I wonder if you could predict what they might think? Lucas meets Nell.

Nell has a humanist worldview.

Lucas says, "Nell, how would a humanist go about trying to answer the question, 'How did humans come to be on this planet?'" And Nell says, "To answer ultimate questions, humanists think you should question your beliefs carefully and look for evidence.

We call this using our reason.

As a humanist, I don't think you should believe something if it does not make sense or is not reasonable.

Look at these statements, which of them can you answer using reason? I believe my Gran's car is red because I saw it.

I believe aliens exist 'cause my friends do.

I believe it will snow tomorrow because I dreamed it would." Mm.

Lots of questions there.

Remember reason is about using logic and making sense.

Which of those three statements do you think uses reason? What about the others? This is a real opportunity if you want to think about this, to maybe pause and think carefully about this.

Let's start with, I believe my Gran's car is red because I saw it.

Did you think that was a reasonable statement? Lucas says, "I think the statement makes sense because the person used reason and the evidence from their eyes." Is that what you thought? Nell says, "Yes.

We can find out if Gran's car is red by going and finding it so we can find evidence for this statement." I believe it'll snow tomorrow because I dreamed it would.

I believe aliens exist 'cause my friends do.

Lucas says, "I don't think these statements make sense because they're not based on evidence." Nell says, "Exactly.

Dreaming something will happen does not mean it will.

We need to question what people say and see if they are using reason or just hoping it's true." Great point, Nell.

And that's really helpful, isn't it? So she's telling us that humanists use reason.

They don't just believe something because someone tells them they want to question it and look for evidence.

Let's check our understanding.

Which of the following statements is not based on evidence or reason? A, I believe plants need water because I did an experiment to test it.

B, I believe all cats are cuddly because I want them to be.

C, I believe dogs are carnivores because my dog is and my vet tells me they are.

So which of those is not based on evidence or reason? Pause a video.

Have a think.

Excellent, philosophers.

It B, isn't it.

All cats are definitely not cuddly.

I have a cat and he really doesn't like being cuddled at all.

So if you have a cuddly cat, that's great, but actually it's not a reasonable or evidence-based statement, it it? Brilliant if you got that right.

Let's carry on.

Ooh, look at that book that Nell's got there.

That looks really interesting, doesn't it? What's it called? Hmm? "The Book of Beginnings." Nell says, "When I was younger, my mom read me this book.

It answers the question, 'How did human beings come to be on this earth?' It uses evidence from science and scientists use this evidence and their reason to come up with the best theory.

Would you like to look inside?" Yes, Nell, I would.

Oh, look at that illustration there, isn't that marvellous.

What can you see in this picture? How might a humanist use this to explain human origins? What evidence might help 'em think this? Wow, is that beautiful? You might want to pause the videos, so you can look really carefully at this picture and see if you can work out what it's saying.

I can see volcanoes.

I can see lots of different animals of different types, even dinosaurs.

And I can see early humans with a baby.

Nell says, "As a humanist, I think that everything in the universe, the stars, the planets, and even life itself came about naturally.

Humanists talk about the Big Bang to explain where human life came from.

A huge explosion that created space, time, and everything we see around us." Hm, let's just check.

Who hasn't understood Nell correctly? Lucas says, "A humanist might use reason including evidence from science such as the Big Bang to conclude that humans have evolved from animals." And Aisha says, "A humanist might use reason such as evidence from the supernatural world such as God, the stars and the planets to explain where humans have come from." Who do you think was wrong? Yes, Aisha was wrong, wasn't she, 'cause she said a humanist might use evidence from the supernatural world, whereas actually we are talking that humanist believe in evidence from the natural world and science.

Well done if you got that right.

Lucas is talking to Nell again.

Lucas says, "So how might a humanist prove that humans have evolved naturally?" Nell says, "Have you ever looked at the fossil record? A humanist might use this as evidence to support the claim that humans have evolved over millions of years." Here's a diagram.

We can see lots of different fossils, can't we, with different animals that have died over millions of years.

Nell says, "Can you see how the fossils are different in each layer of rock? A humanist might reason that fossils at the bottom layers of rock are older and more simple than those close to the surface.

This can explain our origins showing that life has evolved over time." Maybe you've done a topic about fossils at school already and maybe you know this idea that the further back we go, the simpler things are.

As we've evolved over time, we've become more and more complex.

Let's see if we could check our understanding here.

I'd like you to complete this sentence with the correct keyword.

The use of logic and facts to make sense of the world is known as.

Pause the video, whisper the word.

It's reason, isn't it? Brilliant.

Reason is using logic and facts to make sense of the world.

Amazing if you got that right, philosophers.

Okay, I'd like us to look at our first task.

I'd like you to explain to me how a humanist might respond to the question, "Where do humans come from?" You might want to use the image of the fossil record to support your answer, or you might want to use beautiful illustration from Nell's book.

Can you include the words, reason and evidence in your response.

Think a little bit about where do humans came from? What ideas do they have about that and what evidence might they use to prove it? Can't wait to see what you come up with.

Off you go.

Oh, lots of great thinking here.

So you might have said something like this.

"A humanist might respond to the question 'Where do humanists come from?' by looking to reason and science for answers.

In order to find proof for evolution and the Big Bang, a humanist might look at evidence like the fossil record to show that life has evolved over millions of years from simple to complex life." If you said something about looking for reason and science, if you talked about evidence and fossils, if you mentioned the Big Bang and natural origins, then brilliant.

You've done a really great job.

Thank you.

So our second question for today is this, "Is humanism just about humans?" Hmm, good question.

Lucas and Aisha are reflecting on this idea of natural origins.

Lucas says, "I wonder how believing in the Big Bang theory and evolution makes a difference to how humanists think about the world?" Aisha says, "I wonder if humanists think that humans are special or unique?" I wonder what you think about that? What do you think humanists might think about humans? Aisha's talking to Nell again, she says, "How does believing in the Big Bang and evolution affect a humanist, Nell?" Nell says, "Knowing that humans have evolved from simple life forms helps me understand that we humans are very much part of nature.

We've evolved as part of nature.

We're not special or different from the rest of it." Aisha asks her, "Does that mean there's more to humanism than just humans?" Great question, Aisha.

Because the worldview is called humanism, isn't it? Nell says, "As a humanist, I definitely care about humans.

However, there is definitely more to humanism than just humans.

We depend on nature.

We need soil, air, water to grow food and survive.

We need to look after all of this planet." That's great, Nell.

So she's telling us that humanism doesn't just think about humans, it thinks about the whole world and nature as well.

Let's check her understanding here.

Which statement is not correct? A, humanists care about humans.

B, humanists only care about humans.

C, there is more to humanism than humans.

Which of those is not correct? Thinking about what Nell just told us.

Pause the video and have a think.

Excellent.

It's B, isn't it? Humanism does care about humans.

Humanists think there's more to humanism than just humans.

They don't only care about humans.

Brilliant if you got that right.

Mm, let's look at these photographs.

What can you see in these photographs? And what connection can you make to nature? You might want to pause the video and have a look here, mightn't you.

I can see these aren't very nice images, are they? I can see a plastic bottle in some horrible, oily, polluted water.

And I can see what looks like a fishing net and that's a bird there, a gannet, and it looks like the bird may have pulled that onto its nest.

I wonder what a humanist might think when they see these? Aisha meets with Elijah.

He also has a humanist worldview and he lives in Devon.

"Elijah," says Aisha, "How do you think about the planet?" Elijah says, "When I see the mess in our rivers and seas, I feel sad.

I think of birds or sea creatures losing their habitat or getting tangled in plastic.

This feeling is called empathy.

I feel a connection with these animals." So Elijah really does care about the planet, doesn't he? And he feels really sad when he thinks about the animals in those photographs.

Elijah goes on.

"We humans are part of nature.

I don't believe in God, but I do think we humans have a special responsibility.

Empathy means we can think about how other people feel.

Empathy tells me the planet is hurting.

I also listen to scientists who use reason to explain that if we don't care for our planet, it will become a difficult place for all life." So just because Elijah doesn't believe in God, it doesn't mean that he thinks humans aren't important.

He thinks that we have a special responsibility because we are the people who can help fix things, aren't we? Let's check what empathy means to Elijah.

Does empathy mean, A, thinking how others might feel.

B, using reason to make an argument.

Or C, caring about the planet.

Pause the video and have a think.

That's right.

It's about thinking how others might feel, isn't it? Humanists do use reason to make an argument and they do care about the planet, but the word empathy is about thinking how others might feel, and that's not just humans, that's animals and nature as well.

Oh, look at this photograph.

What's happening here? What can we see? I think I can see Elijah, that's his T-shirt, isn't it? And he's with a friend and it looks like they're collecting something on the beach.

Let's hear what he's got to say.

Elijah says, "I live near to the sea.

Each weekend a friend and I take a bag and remove some plastic from along the beach.

As a humanist, I asked, 'How can I stop the animals in the sea suffering?' I then decided to take action." Oh, that's brilliant, isn't it? That he's taking action and cleaning the beaches.

That's an amazing thing to do, Elijah.

Nell says, "Because I believe in our connection with nature and we should take care about animals and the environment, I decided to become vegetarian." Aisha says, "How do you reach that decision, Nell? What kind of questions did you ask?" Nell says, "I ask questions such as, will eating meat cause animals to suffer? And do I want to be part of that?" "What does scientists say about how meat affects the environment?" "Is being vegetarian one way I can live kindly and fairly towards other living things? Asking these questions help me to conclude that I should be vegetarian to avoid causing harm or suffering to animals in the environment.

Not all humanists will be vegetarian.

My mum tries to be meat free twice a week and only eats meat that comes from places where animals are treated well." Okay, I've got a practise task for you.

Now a final task.

We are asking the big question, "Do humanists just care about humans?" I want you to use the examples of Nell and Elijah below to help answer the question.

Nell says, "I believe in our connection with nature and we should care about animals in the environment.

As a result, I decided to become vegetarian." And Elijah says, "I feel empathy with animals in the environment.

I often feel sad when I see how much plastic there is on the beach." Can you use the examples of Nell and Elijah to answer that question to humanists just care about humans? Really looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

Wow, what a lot of great thinking you've done.

So you've probably come up with the ideas like, "Humanists do care about humans, but there's definitely not just humanism and humans.

Lots of humanists have a strong connection with nature.

So Nell decided to become vegetarian, concluding it was one way she could live kindly and fairly towards other living things.

Elijah showed great empathy towards the environment, spending some of his time helping to clean the beaches and remove plastic as a way of trying to help.

Humanists do care about humans, but they also care about other things too, and we could see how Nell and Elijah are trying to help all the world around them." If you've made some points like that, that's amazing and well done.

Let's summarise what we've learned today then.

We've been thinking all about Humanism, a natural origin and a precious planet.

And we've learned that humanists use reason and evidence to conclude that humans are part of nature.

We've learned that humanists believe that our actions can have an impact on animals and the planet.

And we've also learned that humanists use empathy and their connection with nature to help decide how to act.

I've really enjoyed learning about humanism with you today, and I'm looking forward to seeing another lesson with you soon.

Thanks ever so much for being here.

Goodbye.