世俗人文主義斷定人類無需依賴宗教或者一位神祇來作出合乎道德和正義的判斷。然而它並不假設人類在本質上是惡的或者天生下來就是善的，它也不認為人類優越於自然。相反地，人文主義的人生觀強調面對人性的獨特責任以及人類決定所帶來的道德後果。作為世俗人文主義的基礎觀點是，不管是宗教的還是政治的思想體系必須由每一個個人徹底地來檢驗，而不能憑信心來接受或者拒絕。因此，世俗人文主義的一個根本部分是主要通過科學和哲學對真理的持續適應性的追求。很多世俗人文主義者從功利主義、倫理自然主義、或者演化倫理學等哲學中獲得其道德準則，有些人則倡導道德科學（英語：Science of morality）。
^Edwords, Fred. What Is Humanism?. American Humanist Association. 1989 [2009-08-19]. （原始內容存檔於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.
