Humanism Now | Secular Ethics, Curiosity and Compassionate Change

“I changed my mind because I cared about alleviating energy poverty.”
Order now: Energy is Life: Why Environmentalism Went Nuclear, by Zion Lights
Amazon
Guardian Bookshop
Natural History Book Service
Zion Lights is an award-winning science communicator and environmental advocate whose work sits at the intersection of energy, climate, and public understanding of science. In this conversation, Zion shares her journey from prominent renewable-only activism to evidence-led support for a broader clean energy mix, and why energy abundance matters for health, dignity, and human progress.
Connect with Zion 
Website – zionlights.co.uk
Newsletter –substack.com/@zionlights1
Topics we cover
How Zion’s views shifted after revisiting the evidence on nuclear risk, safety, and climate mitigation 
Why “clean energy” beats “renewables-only,” and what grid reality means for net zero pathways 
Energy poverty, global fairness, and what reliable power enables for health systems and development
SMRs, fusion, and what is realistic now versus what is still “next decade” tech
Resources & further reading
“Could we even ‘just stop oil’?” – The Holyoake Lecture 2023, with Zion Lights (video)
Global Warming of 1.5°C (SR15) – Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2018)
Death rates per unit of electricity production – Our World in Data
What are the safest and cleanest sources of energy? – Our World in Data
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Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe.
Contact us to get starting in podcasting today at humanise.live or [email protected]

Music: Blossom by Light Prism
Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.

In this short update epsiode, we are pleased to welcome back Nathan Stilwell, Humanists UK's Assisted dying Campaign Coordinator, Campaigns and Communications Manager at My Death My Decision and a member of The Assisted Dying Coalition Secretariat.

Nathan explains what has happened since the Assisted Dying Bill passed the House of Commons, why it now risks falling in the House of Lords, and what supporters can do to help ensure it becomes law.
This episode follows Nathan’s first appearance on Humanism Now in November 2024 and offers a timely update on one of the most significant ethical debates in UK politics.
References & further reading
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill – Publications  
– UK Parliament, bill text, amendments, and parliamentary documents
Ask the House of Lords to support assisted dying
– Humanists UK campaign tool for contacting peers
26. Nathan Stilwell on the Need for Compassionate Assisted Dying Legislation & End of Life Care
– Humanism Now, November 2024.
MPs back proposals to legalise assisted dying
– BBC News, 29 November 2024.
What has happened to the assisted dying bill?
– BBC News, 12 December 2025.
Assisted dying bill ‘near impossible’ to pass House of Lords, say supporters
– The Guardian, 22 January 2026.
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Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe.
Contact us to get starting in podcasting today at humanise.live or [email protected]

Music: Blossom by Light Prism
Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.

“Most people want community, and yet these communities keep disappearing.”

Dr. Darrel Ray is a psychologist, author, and organizational leader who has spent decades helping individuals leave religious belief systems and supporting secular communities around the world. He founded Recovering from Religion and the Secular Therapy Project, wrote influential books such as The God Virus, and recently launched the Institute for Secular Leadership to strengthen secular and humanist organisations through better leadership practices

Register interest in the Secular Leadership Course here.

Dr. Ray's Organisations & Projects
Recovering from Religion – international nonprofit supporting people leaving religion
Secular Therapy Project – connects secular clients with vetted secular therapists
Institute for Secular Leadership – newly launched leadership training for secular organisations 
Books by Dr. Ray
The God Virus: How Religion Infects Our Lives and Culture – Darrel Ray (2009) 
Sex and God: How Religion Distorts Sexuality – Darrel Ray (2012)
Teaming Up: Making the Transition to a Self-Directed, Team-Based Organization – Darrel W. Ray & Howard Bronstein
The Performance Culture: Maximizing the Power of Teams – Darrel W. Ray & Howard Bronstein
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Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community!
Follow @HumanismNowPod | YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Threads | X.com | BlueSky
Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe.
Contact us to get starting in podcasting today at humanise.live or [email protected]

Music: Blossom by Light Prism
Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.

"I blame dinosaurs, and I blame London." 
Astrophysicist and science communicator Dr Alfredo Carpineti (IFLScience, The Big Questions; creator of The Astroholic Explains; founder and chair of Pride in STEM) joins Humanism Now  to explore why the cosmos still sparks childlike wonder, how great science communication balances accuracy with storytelling, and why his upcoming book Invisible Rainbows pairs “unseen light” with the human stories too often left out. 
Connect with Alfredo Carpineti
Website – https://www.theastroholic.co.uk/
X (Twitter) – @DrCarpineti 
LinkedIn – Alfredo-Carpineti
Resources & Further Reading
Book (Invisible Rainbows) – https://www.rarewaves.com/products/9781806770441-Invisible-Rainbows
Facebook
Pride in STEM – https://prideinstem.org/
The Astroholic Explains Podcast – https://open.spotify.com/show/6dbgVUYZDYQ95Uci2RlCFN
IFLScience: The Big Questions Podcast – https://iflsciencethebigquestions.podbean.com/
Meet Alfredo in London!
Space and Humanism in Fiction and Reality, with Dr Alfredo Carpineti
London Humanists | Wednesday, 28 Jan 2026 | 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM GMT | Old Diorama Arts Centre, NW1, London

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Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe.
Contact us to get starting in podcasting today at humanise.live or [email protected]

Music: Blossom by Light Prism
Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.

As Humanism Now wraps up 2025, host James Hodgson is joined by familiar voices from across the UK humanist movement to reflect on the year just gone and look ahead to 2026. Together, they explore community-building, youth engagement, activism, collaboration, and why humanism continues to resonate in uncertain times.
Guests & Links
Lola Tinubu – Association of Black Humanists (ABH)
Association of Black Humanists – https://www.meetup.com/association-of-black-humanists/
Festival of Freethinking 2025 – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/festival-of-freethinking-2025-tickets-1755211267149/
Secular Sankofa podcast – https://secularsankofa.buzzsprout.com/2532796/follow
ABH on TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@assoc_of_black_humanists
Mark Agathangelou – Central London Humanists (CLH)
Central London Humanists – https://www.centrallondonhumanists.org.uk/
CLH on Meetup – https://www.meetup.com/central-london-humanists/
What Humanism Means To Me Event - https://www.meetup.com/central-london-humanists/events/310597525/
Nicole Shashar – Leicester Humanists & Young Humanists
Leicester Humanists – https://humanists.uk/local-group/leicester/
Young Humanists – https://humanists.uk/community/young-humanists
Looking Ahead: Major 2026 Events
Humanists UK Convention & Festival 2026 – https://humanists.uk/events/festival2026/

World Humanist Congress 2026 – https://humanists.international/event/world-humanist-congress-2026/
Send us a text
Support the show
Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community!
Follow @HumanismNowPod | YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Threads | X.com | BlueSky
Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe.
Contact us to get starting in podcasting today at humanise.live or [email protected]

Music: Blossom by Light Prism
Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.