Applied Sentience is a National Platform for the Next Generation of Humanist Thinkers

Applied Sentience is the voice of a new generation.  Our networking and mentoring program works with dozens of up-and-coming Humanist thinkers and activists around the country.  This is possible through our close connection with the growing number of Humanist university chaplaincies and communities.

Applied Sentience aims to construct a new, positive humanist worldview.  There are more than enough blogs decrying the evils of religion and the toll is clearly visible as the role religion plays fades away for more and more people.  A new problem for a new generation is now “What Comes Next?”  Our mission at AS is nothing less than to find beauty in the world and explore how to live in it.  With a range of staff writers from our participating universities’ current students and recent alumni, Applied Sentience publishes everything from poetry to philosophy, from science to politics.

To contact us, email us at Applied.Sentience@gmail.com

What do you mean by ‘Humanism’?

Labels aren’t really important.  By humanist we’re referring to a wide group of terms people identify with.  So if you don’t go by anything or instead identify as a none, skeptic, atheist, non-religious, agnostic, freethinker, bright, etc – you’re more than welcome.

More specifically by “Humanist,” we just mean we have our roots in Humanism, which is often summed up as secular progressivism, being good without god, or (one of our favorites) this-is-it-ism.  The American Humanist Association defines Humanism as “a progressive lifestance that, without supernaturalism, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead meaningful, ethical lives capable of adding to the greater good of humanity.”

If Humanism doesn’t sound interesting, or you flat out disagree with it, that’s fine .  The content of what we publish is for everyone and should speak for itself.  Regardless of what worldview you’re coming from, we hope you’ll grapple with it, mull it over for a while, and then leave it behind if it doesn’t make sense or bear fruit.  Without any dogmas, Humanism is about everyone – Humanist and not – coming together to reason through our issues and then test them with our experiences.  Our shared goals?  To find beauty and live well.

Participating Universities

Applied Sentience works in cooperation with all nine university Humanist chaplaincies and communities – our participating universities.  We currently have close partnerships with Harvard, Yale, American, Columbia, Rutgers, and Stanford; and are developing relationships with Tufts, Southern California, and New York University.

Staff writers come from the ranks of these six universities’ undergraduates, graduate students, and recent alumni.  Through our link with the various Humanist university communities we also report on a range of campus lectures and events, including interviews and original content from university faculty and chaplains.

Although staff writers come from participating universities, we also take contributions from students and recent alumni from any university.

Our Mentoring Program

The aim of Applied Sentience is first to provide a platform for young Humanists that is informal and conversational, while still rigorous in exploring academic ideas – a cross between an academic think tank and a personal blog.  A ‘thinkblog’ if you will.  Through this platform we hope to spread ideas and strengthen a new voice in the discussion of what comes after religion.

Our second aim at Applied Sentience is to provide personal and professional development for these up-and-coming thinkers.  With an Editorial Board comprised of leading Humanist activists, bloggers, and academics, we aim to provide an opportunity for our writers and contributors to develop their thoughts, improve their writing skills, and connect with others.

What kind of content are we looking for?

What we care about at Applied Sentience is that a piece adds to the story of being human and the challenge of navigating the world we find ourselves in.  To this end, our goal is to help develop and spread the ideas of up and coming Humanist thinkers and activists.

Given this broad goal, our content is equally as expansive.  Our articles cover a wide range of topics from history, science, religion, pop culture, literature, and philosophy, as well as current issues such as poverty, free speech, education, marriage equality, inter-religious dialogue, living in a post-religious world, and human and animal rights. Articles take the form of everything from opinion pieces, book and event reviews, interviews, poems, photo-journalistic articles, and most everything else.

If you have an idea, make sure to send us a pitch! While AS works more intimately with our Participating Universities, we take contributions from undergraduates, graduates, and recent alumni from any university.  You can check out our contact and submission guidelines in the link.