世俗人文主义断定人类无需依赖宗教或者一位神祇来作出合乎道德和正义的判断。然而它并不假设人类在本质上是恶的或者天生下来就是善的,它也不认为人类优越于自然。相反地,人文主义的人生观强调面对人性的独特责任以及人类决定所带来的道德后果。作为世俗人文主义的基础观点是,不管是宗教的还是政治的思想体系必须由每一个个人彻底地来检验,而不能凭信心来接受或者拒绝。因此,世俗人文主义的一个根本部分是主要通过科学和哲学对真理的持续适应性的追求。很多世俗人文主义者从功利主义、伦理自然主义、或者演化伦理学等哲学中获得其道德准则,有些人则倡导道德科学(英语:Science of morality)。
^Edwords, Fred. What Is Humanism?. American Humanist Association. 1989 [2009-08-19]. (原始内容存档于2010-01-30). Secular Humanism is an outgrowth of eighteenth century enlightenment rationalism and nineteenth century freethought... A decidedly anti-theistic version of secular humanism, however, is developed by Adolf Grünbaum, 'In Defense of Secular Humanism' (1995), in his Collected Works (edited by Thomas Kupka), vol. I, New York: Oxford University Press 2013, ch. 6 (pp. 115–48)
^Compact Oxford English dictionary. Oxford University Press. 20072007. humanism n. 1 a rationalistic system of thought attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters.