Adopted at the Annual General Meeting of Atheist Freethinkers on 26^th October 2024

Publication Date: 2024-10-28

In 2022, we, Atheist Freethinkers, adopted our Manifesto for Universalism ^[1] in which we affirm our attachment to the universalism of the European Enlightenment and our opposition to ideologies which claim to be progressive but which have abandoned the Enlightenment. These ideologies are often referred to collectively as “wokism” but we prefer more accurate terms such as “post-left” or “anti-Enlightenment pseudo-left” because that set of ideologies rejects the very values which gave birth to the political left.

We see that these ideologies have spread throughout our societies: in universities, in media both large and small, in State institutions, within several civic associations, and even in the sciences. This situation is disastrous and we must confront this phenomenon.

In the opinion of some authors, “wokism” is literally a religion, because its doctrines are not only dogmatic, authoritarian, Manichaean and irrational, they also contain a strong dose of magical thinking. Others prefer to qualify that tendency as quasi-religious or parareligious. In either case, it must be understood and opposed.

The ideologies of the post-left encompass two main themes:

1. Neoracism, which claims to be antiracist but which fuels racism by grossly exaggerating the importance of racial identity.
2. Gender theory or Butlerian pseudoscience, which denies the reality and binarity of biological sex.

In each of these two themes, magical thinking is conspicuous.

According to neoracists, “White” people, i.e. of European ancestry, are essentially and inevitably racist while non-Whites are never racist. This doctrine closely resembles the Christian concepts of original sin and puritanism. Neoracists claim that “race” does not exist, but nevertheless continue to divide the human species into “Blacks,” “Whites,” and people of other skin colours, just as racists did in the 19^th century. They denounce white supremacy, but their ideology is perfectly designed to encourage a racist backlash by rekindling that supremacy.

According to gender theorists (such as philosopher Judith Butler), biological sex is fluid or a social construct, or even a fiction. As a result, an individual can, according to this doctrine, change sex by simply making a declaration to that effect. This myth has harmful consequences for women’s rights, as well as for the rights of lesbians and gay men. Even trans people, whom the adherents of this pseudoscience claim to defend, are negatively affected, because what is the point of changing from male to female or from female to male if these two categories have no clear definitions or do not even exist? Furthermore, it is dishonest to make people with gender dysphoria believe that they can literally change sex, because we know full well that this reassignment can only be cosmetic.

These ideologies are therefore riddled with pseudoscientific or antiscientific beliefs, just like religious beliefs, and thus must be excluded from science and from State institutions. As it is important to separate between religion and State, it is also necessary to separate post-leftist ideologies from the State. And as with religious belief, this secular approach does not imply the exclusion of individuals on the basis of their beliefs. On the contrary, it implies the exclusion of certain unacceptable behaviours. Here are some examples:

• Any discrimination based on “racial” identity or other criteria such as sex, sexual orientation, etc., must be prohibited. In fact, this prohibition already exists in many jurisdictions but it is not fully respected because of certain preferential hiring programs that have been imposed recently.
• DIE (diversity, inclusivity and equity) sessions must be eliminated from the civil service and from schools. These sessions spread neoracist propaganda and can foment racism. They should never be mandatory.
• Gender theory, that is, the idea that biological sex is fluid, must not be included in school curricula, especially for younger pupils. To teach such nonsense to children constitutes indoctrination and may even be considered a form of child abuse.
• The ability to define one’s own sex by a simple declaration must be eliminated.
• Sex reassignment should normally be reserved for adults, that is, those mature enough to give informed consent to an elective but very serious medical procedure, and patients should be informed of the cosmetic nature of the reassignment.

In conclusion, to achieve secularism, there must be separation between “wokeism” and State, just as there must be separation between religion and State.