This episode explores the humanist ideas and individuals that helped to shape the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). From H. G. Wells’ pioneering wartime declaration to the concept of a ‘common human family’.
Bill Cooke, historian, senior editor of Free Inquiry magazine, and author of A Wealth of Insights: Humanist Thought Since the Enlightenment and H.G. Wells and the 21st Century. secularhumanism.org/authors/cooke-bill/
Francesca Klug, human rights scholar, visiting professor at the LSE Centre for the Study of Human Rights, and author of Values for a Godless Age and A Magna Carta for All Humanity. lse.ac.uk/people/francesca-klug
Human rights, Social reform, Second World War, Enlightenment, Internationalism, UNESCO, United Nations, Civil liberties, Science, Humanity, Freedom, Responsibility, Humankind
H.G. Wells (1866–1946) One of the 20th century’s most influential writers and an activist for social reform. In 1940, Wells published The Rights of Man, a humanitarian manifesto calling for equal protections for all and asking – in the shadow of an ongoing war – what kind of world was being fought for. In the same year, he was a key contributor to the Sankey Declaration of the Rights of Man, which established 11 fundamental human rights. Both documents directly influenced the drafters of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948. Read more about H.G. Wells.
Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822) A major poet of the Romantic period, Shelley’s was a humanist creed of love for humankind, respect for nature, and equality for all, expressed in work which was considered radical and dangerous: promoting atheism, rebelling against authority, and expressing the desire for greater freedoms for everyone. His early 19th century Declaration of Rights is believed to have been an inspiration for Wells over a century later. Read more about Percy Bysshe Shelley.
Julian Huxley (1887–1975) An eminent biologist and the first Director-General of UNESCO. Huxley co-authored The Science of Life with H. G. Wells, and his evolutionary humanist philosophy deeply infused UNESCO’s founding vision—asserting that since war begins in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed. Read more about Julian Huxley.
Barbara Wootton (1897–1988) An influential public intellectual, sociologist, and Vice President of the Ethical Union (now Humanists UK). Wootton broke barriers as the first woman to lecture in economics at Cambridge and collaborated with Wells on the Rights of Man committee, later continuing her human rights advocacy in the House of Lords, being the first woman life peer. Read more about Barbara Wootton.
Bertrand Russell (1872–1970) The philosopher, logician, peace activist, and humanist who stood alongside Wells as a titan of 20th century thought. A passionate defender of human liberty, Russell served as President of the Rationalist Press Association and spent decades challenging religious orthodoxy. Read more about Bertrand Russell.
Joseph McCabe (1867–1955) A former Franciscan monk who became one of the most prolific humanist polymaths and secular speakers of the modern era, writing nearly a hundred books and giving thousands of lectures. Read more about Joseph McCabe.
Values for a Godless Age: The Story of the United Kingdom’s New Bill of Rights by Francesca Klug (2000)
A Magna Carta for All Humanity: Homing in on Human Rights by Francesca Klug (2015)
H.G. Wells and the Twenty-First Century by Bill Cooke (2023)
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights | United Nations