Welcome to the February Edition of Humanistically Speaking.

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Humanistically Speaking is now well into its fifth year of publication! If you have an original hard copy of the January 2020 issue hold onto it – it may be worth a bob or two as a rare piece of humanist heritage! Thanks again to the inspiration of our founding editor, David Brittain, and his continuing belief in our humanistic enterprise. David has included a very special questionnaire in this issue of Humanistically Speaking. Link below.

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Our main theme this month is our human relationship with land. In my article on housing I suggest that, in the UK at least, we’re already living in a dystopian future where land is severely rationed. Guest writer Alice McCarthy Sommerville asks whether high-rise is the answer to our climate and housing crises while retired energy expert Anthony Lewis warns against the industrialisation of our remaining unspoilt landscapes by renewable energy technologies. Sophy Robinson is ambivalent about the fashion for ‘rewilding’ and guest writer Paul Benton explains why so much of the countryside is closed to us. Maggie Hall looks at the problems faced by indigenous peoples fighting to protect their ancestral lands from exploitation, and George Askwith interviews two ex-Muslim women struggling to navigate new identities and build a sense of belonging in a foreign land. I'm also particularly pleased this month to publish Jason Croasdell’s highly original articles about what it’s like for people with autism to navigate the neurotypical world.

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There’s plenty more to explore in this issue of Humanistically Speaking, but we hope this gives you a taste of what’s in store. 

We wish you a very happy Darwin Day on or around 12th February. We’ll be back in April with articles on the ongoing culture wars. If you’d like to contribute an article or news report, do get in touch.

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Thank you for your encouragement, friendship and support.

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David Warden Editor