Brights movement facts for kids
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| Formation | 2003 |
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| Type | Non-profit |
| Purpose | Promotion of naturalism and the bright label |
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Region served
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Worldwide |
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Official language
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English |
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Co-directors
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Paul Geisert and Mynga Futrell |
The Brights movement is a group of people who share a similar way of looking at the world. Since 2003, members of this group call themselves Brights. They believe in philosophical naturalism. This means they think everything in the universe can be explained by natural laws and forces. They do not believe in anything supernatural.
Most Brights believe that important public decisions should be based on science. Science uses careful testing and observation to find out how things work. Brights often do not agree with making public rules based on ideas about the supernatural. Because of this, Brights can also be called secularists. This means they support separating government and public life from religious beliefs.
Contents
What the Words Mean
The Brights movement uses special words to describe different ways of seeing the world:
- super (noun): This is someone whose view of the world includes supernatural or mystical ideas.
- bright (noun): This is someone whose view of the world is naturalistic. They do not believe in supernatural or mystical things.
- Bright: This is a "bright" person who has officially joined the movement by registering on their website.
How the Movement Started
Paul Geisert helped start the Brights movement. He also came up with the word "bright." Paul was a biology teacher, professor, and writer. In 2002, he wanted to attend a march in Washington. He did not like the name "godless" for people who did not believe in a god. He felt this word sounded negative to many people.
Paul wanted a new, positive word. He hoped it would help people who do not believe in the supernatural. A few weeks later, he thought of the word "bright." He was very excited about it!
His wife, Mynga Futrell, also helped start the movement. Mynga Futrell is still a director of the organization today. Paul Geisert passed away on November 17, 2020.
After they thought of the term, they shared their idea with friends. They decided to introduce it at a conference in Tampa, Florida. They got permission to present their idea there.
Paul Geisert and Mynga Futrell shared their proposal in Spring 2003. This was at an atheist conference in Florida. Richard Dawkins was at this conference. They launched the Brights' Net website on June 4, 2003. Famous writers like Richard Dawkins and Daniel Dennett wrote articles about the movement. These articles helped the movement become well-known.
The movement kept growing. More people joined after books about "New Atheism" came out in 2006. These books included The God Delusion and God Is Not Great. The movement now has over 78,000 Brights. They live in 204 different countries and areas around the world.
Who Are the Brights?
Many Brights also identify as other things. Some are atheists, meaning they don't believe in a god. Others are humanists, focusing on human values and reason. Some are freethinkers, who form opinions based on logic, not tradition. They might also be skeptics, who question things.
The Brights movement is not tied to any specific set of beliefs. The Brights' Net website wants the term "bright" to be a big umbrella term. It helps bring together many people who think in a similar way.
The goal is to include many different people. This includes those whose worldview is naturalistic. It doesn't matter if they are part of a specific group or just regular people. As long as they don't have a supernatural worldview, they can be a "bright." Some members are even religious leaders, like Presbyterian ministers.
Richard Dawkins once wrote about the word "bright." He wondered if people who are "brights" (the noun) are also "bright" (the adjective, meaning smart). This is something that could be studied.
Many well-known people have called themselves Brights. These include scientists like Richard Dawkins and Steven Pinker. Philosophers like Daniel Dennett are also Brights. Magicians and debunkers James Randi and Penn & Teller have also identified as Brights.
Brights Compared to Supers
Daniel Dennett wrote in his book Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon. He suggested that if people who believe in the supernatural don't like the word "bright," they should invent their own positive word. He suggested "supers." A "super" is someone whose worldview includes supernatural ideas.
Paul Geisert and Mynga Futrell agree with using "super" as the opposite of "bright." They say the word "bright" is linked to the the Enlightenment. This was a time when people celebrated science and free thinking.
The Brights' Symbol
The Brights' symbol looks like a planet seen from space. In outer space, there is no up or down. So, the symbol can be seen in many ways. It is meant to show change and a slow increase of light. The symbol's meaning is a bit unclear on purpose. It asks an important question: Is the future of humanity becoming brighter or darker?
The Brights hope for a promising future. They want the symbol to make people think of Earth becoming more and more enlightened. This hopeful idea is summed up by their motto: "Embrightenment Now!"
See also
In Spanish: Movimiento Brights para niños
