New Humanist: Ideas for godless people

Supporters

The Rationalist has many eminent supporters, this gallery gives you a glimpse of some of our current honorary associatesGallery

RA Supporter DinnerDistinguished supporters of the Rationalist Association

The Rationalist Association has a long history of collaboration with eminent figures from academia, politics and the arts, be it as contributors to New Humanist or as honorary associates of the charity.

Great names from the past include:

Bertrand Russell, HG Wells, Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud and Francis Crick.

Current honorary associates are:

David Aaronovitch, Peter Atkins, Lord Birt, Colin Blakemore, Alan Brownjohn, Colin Campbell, Philip Campbell, Noam Chomsky, Helena Cronin, Richard Dawkins, Marcus du Sautoy, Sanal Edamaruku, Ekow Eshun, AC Grayling, Trevor Griffiths, Stuart Hall, Tony Harrison, Simon Heffer, Eric Hobsbawm, Ted Honderich, Robin Ince, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Harry Kroto, Steve Jones, Richard Leakey, Stewart Lee, Kenan Malik, Haydn Mason, Jonathan Meades, Edwin Mullins, Alice Onwordi, John Postgate, Philip Pullman, Jonathan Rée, Amartya Sen, Alom Shaha, Simon Singh, David Starkey, Ralph Steadman, DJ Stewart, Ian Stewart, Raymond Tallis, Hazhir Teimourian, Claire Tomalin, David Tribe, Baroness Turner of Camden, Arnold Wesker, Francis Wheen, Elizabeth Wilson, Richard Wiseman and Lewis Wolpert.

In their words...

Here’s what some of our supporters and contributors said about the importance of supporting rationalism today…

“Rationalism will always be important if we want to live in a reasonable, fair and balanced society.” Christina Martin, comedian

“Because there is a backlash in our culture against Enlightenment values, expertise, intellectualism, and rigorous argument. There's a belief that 'true' democracy is based on everyone having a say, and that all views are equally valid. There's a new emphasis on personal and subjective experience and on 'narrative' over analysis.” Eliane Glaser, author

“Rationalism is especially important today because the battles against the irrational that were won a century ago are being re-fought” Ian Stewart, Mathematician

“It is surely more important now than 30 years ago, as the worship of cults has become more widespread.” Haydn Mason, Professor of French Literature

“Both capitalism and religion are guilty of undermining the capacity of human beings to decide for themselves – their model of the human being is that of a frightened animal, rather than an autonomous thinking being. Rationalism can both explain the assumptions of capitalism and religion and move beyond their traps and lures.” Nina Power, Lectuer in Philosophy

In your words…

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Not a Member? Join the Rationalist Association today or Donate to support our work

  • The Rationalist has many eminent supporters, this gallery gives you a glimpse of some of our current honorary associates
  • David Aaronovitch is a regular columnist for The Times and the author of Voodoo Histories: The role of Conspiracy Theory in Shaping Modern History. He is an honorary associate of the Rationalist Association.
  • Peter Atkins is Professor of Chemistry at Oxford University.
  • Colin Blakemore, since 2007 holds the position of Professor of Neuroscience in the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics at the University of Oxford. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society and a frequent contributor to news media and radio
  • Alan Brownjohn is a critic, poet, novelist and supporter of humanism. His latest books include Windows on the Moon (2009) and Ludbrooke and Others (2010)
  • Colin Campbell is the Emeritus professor for the Department of Sociology at University of York. He addressed the Centenary Conference of the Rationalist Press Association in 1999, speaking on “The Easternization of the West'
  • Helena Cronin is Co-Director of the Centre for Philosophy of Natural and Social Science at the London School of Economics. She contributed to the Centenary Conference the Rationalist Press Association, 1999 with the paper “Natural born co-operators'
  • Richard Dawkins is an is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and former Charles Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University. He has also authored a number of bestsellers including The God Delusion and The Blind W
  • Sanal Edamaruku is a journalist and the President of the Indian Rationalist Association and has contributed a number of articles to the New Humanist magazine
  • Ekow Eshun is the former director of the Institute of Contemporary Arts (2005-2010). In 2005 he was nominated for the Orwell Prize for his memoir Black Gold of the Sun. He continues to contribute to a number of newspapers and broadcast for the BBC.
  • Anthony Grayling is the Master of the New College of the Humanities, and a Supernumerary Fellow of St Anne's College, Oxford. Until 2011 he was Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London.
  • Stuart Hall is cultural theorist and Sociologist, in 1958 he became founding editors of the New Left Review. Hall was also Professor of Sociology at the Open University from 1979–1997 and president of the British Sociological Society from 1995-1997.
  • Eric Hobsbawm A distinguished British Historian, well know for his trilogy, The Age of Revolution, The Age of Capital and The Age of Empire In 2003 he also published his autobiography, Interesting Times: A Twentieth Century Life
  • Linton Kwesi Johnson is a dub poet and founding member of LKJ records. You can read more about Johnson on our website, Leggo Relijan: Laurie Taylor interviews Linton Kwesi Johnson
  • Richard Leakey is a paleoanthropologist and conservationist. Leakey is also well known for his work tackling the problems of elephant poaching.
  • Jonathan Meades is a broadcaster, critic, and writer
  • Philip Pullman is one of Britains ' most successful and highly regarded writers. Amongst his numerous books are the series His Dark Materials and the Sally Lockhart series. His most recent book is The Good Man Jesus and The Scoundrel Christ.
  • Professor Amartya Sen won the 1998 Nobel Prize for Economics; he is currently Lamont University Professor, and Professor of Economics and Philosophy, at Harvard University and was previously Master of Trinity College, Cambridge.
  • Simon Singh is a science writer and the co-author, with Edzard Ernst, of Trick or Treatment? Alternative Medicine on Trial.
  • David Starkey is a historian and radio and television presenter. He also contributes to BBC programmes such as the Moral Maze and Question Time and has published a number of works on Biritsh Hostory.
  • Ian Stewart, a mathmatician, science writer and science fiction writer. Stewart currently holds the positions of Emeritus Professor of Mathematics and Digital Media Fellow at the University of Warwick.
  • Raymond Tallis is a retired gerontologist and a prolific philosopher and author. After a long career as a medical practictioner during which he was Professor of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Manchester
  • Claire Tomalin is a writer, former New Statesman literary editor and literary biographer; her most recently published work is Charles Dickens: A Life
  • Francis Wheen's book Shooting Out the Lights: A Short History of Modern Delusions, will be published next year.
  • Elizabeth Wilson is Visiting Professor of Cultural Studies at the London College of Fashion. Her many books include Adorned in Dreams: Fashion and Modernity.
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