Reason, compassion, imagination
Humanesia is an Indonesian community of people who are open to Humanism as a lifestance and worldview. We come from diverse backgrounds and are united by a vision of a civil, rational, and diversity-celebrating Indonesia.
Humanesians do not adhere to dogma or ideology, but are inspired to practice humanism in everyday life. We strive to advance a culture of care and compassion, critical thinking and evidence-based decision-making, and freedom in arts, science, and journalism.
Humanesians started to gather regularly in late 2019. We were motivated by the desire to live meaningful lives of impact despite our lack of faith.
After realizing our shared Humanist values and our concern for Indonesia, we then chose the name Humanesia. We also designed a symbol based on “the happy human”, an icon adopted by Humanist organizations around the world. We registered the brand and it was accepted in 2020.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, we secured digital channels, started to network, and then organized online activities. Everything was done independently, through donations, and by volunteers.
The pandemic passed and, despite the challenges and difficulties, we are still going strong. We continued to organize discussions both limited and public, with speakers from within and outside the country.
In 2024, almost five years after it was initiated, Humanesia applied and was ratified as a member of Humanists International, the global representative body of the humanist movement.
Humanesia envisions “A Just and Civilized Humanity” that is more than a slogan.
To that end, Humanesia participates in:
- Encouraging a more intelligent life of the nation by developing reason and countering ignorance.
- Supporting evidence-based decision-making; rejecting policies based on untested assumptions.
- Upholding justice beginning in the mind; fighting oppression, suppression, and exploitation; rejecting money, status, and power as ends.
- Celebrating diversity, striving for equality, and eliminating discrimination based on religion or beliefs.
- Investigating, with data and studies, the best ways to save humans, animals, and the natural environment from suffering, extinction, and destruction.
The Happy Human is the internationally recognized symbol of Humanism. Originally designed by Dennis Barrington in 1965, it was selected through a competition organized by the British Humanist Association. Since then, the symbol has been embraced globally, either in its original form or adapted to reflect the identity of individual organizations.
At Humanesia, our logo reimagines the Happy Human with a clean and modern aesthetic. The dark blue symbolizes our steadfast dedication to humanist values and issues, while the beige represents our grounded, compassionate approach to promoting understanding and progress.
Executive Committee
Adam Pantouw
Adam works in the fields of language, law, and human rights. He believes that we, together, have the ability and responsibility to make the Indonesian society more equal and to make its natural environment more sustainable.
Difa Kusumadewi
Difa works in the fields of science, technology, and society. She believes that science can contribute to people's lives and that people can contribute to the development of science. Difa is interested in the relationship between ethics and technology.