The COHE glossary of humanist and related terms is offered as a public service to our site visitors. We hope that it will assist you with not only academic work, but also your pursuit of general knowledge about humanism, science, religion, psychology, ethics, politics, and more.

Because glossary terms are defined by the authors of COHE courses in our diverse Study Areas, some show multiple definitions depending on context within those modules. Note also the offering of synonyms (words with identical meanings) for some terms.

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hard determinism
Ethics [ETH 100]

The view that people have no free will -- that every action performed is the result of causes over which one has no control.

humanistic moral theories
Ethics [ETH 100]

Secular moral theories which also emphasize a respect or concern for the welfare and the rights of human individuals.

Hume's dictum
Science and Humanism [SCH 100]

The idea that highly unusual hypotheses should be backed up by a large amount of evidence. Carl Sagan summarized it as, "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."

hypothesis
Science and Humanism [SCH 100]

A human mental construct that is used to provide a reasonable, preliminary, causal explanation of a set of facts.

hypothetical constructs
Psychology and Humanism [PSH 100]

Agents or factors that are guessed to cause one or more aspects of human cognition (thinking), affect (feelings/emotion), or behavior.

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