About

Molleen Matsumura has been a humanist activist and writer for over 20 years. She has worked to defend reproductive freedom, separation of religious and government, evolution education, and marriage equality. Her writing has appeared in Free Inquiry, The New Humanist (UK), Humanistic Judaism, and Reports of the National Center for Science Education, among other publications. Molleen currently serves on the advisory boards of the Secular Students Alliance and Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

Before access to the World Wide Web was widely available, Molleen worked with other users to start humanist and atheist discussion boards on proprietary online services. Many discussions centered on people's efforts to apply humanist principles to their daily lives. These discussions were the foundation of Sweet Reason and its philosophy.

Some past columns are archived on this website, and more are coming soon. Meanwhile, here are links to some recent columns.

How is Sweet Reason different from other advice columns?

· Sweet Reason applies a specifically humanist approach to answering your questions.

· Sweet Reason is for you. Some well-known advice columnists make letter-writers the target of biting wit, even when they dispense good advice. Some others are moralizing and judgmental. Sweet Reason will always take you and your questions seriously, with personalized, nonjudgmental advice.

· Whenever possible, Sweet Reason includes suggested resources and alternative solutions, to help you find your own answers to your questions.

· Sweet Reason is also a community service that can use your help. Your letters show the world the human faces of our community. Our community's voices will also be heard in guest columns, and columns featuring reader reactions to Sweet Reason's advice (if you want to comment on a column, just use the Sweet Reason interactive web form). Many columns describe resources offered by the humanist community, and other reputable sources. You can help by suggesting additions to the resource page. You can also help by checking out the list of suggestions for spreading the word about Sweet Reason.

When and where does Sweet Reason appear?

Sweet Reason is published every Wednesday in Humanist Network News. Headlines linked to full articles can be emailed to you if you subscribe online. Please write to Sweet Reason if you would like to discuss local syndication.

Why the name "Sweet Reason"?

"Sweet Reason" calls to mind the familiar idea that calm and reasoned discussion yields the best solution to interpersonal conflicts, and it expresses the core values of humanism. Our emotions, our capacity for physical pleasure, and our ability to reason, are all important to leading meaningful, ethical lives.

Where can I read more?

The "Sweet Reason" blog on MySpace includes a growing photo gallery of Women in Humanism, links to a fascinating friends, and a blog emphasizing books about evolution and humanist approaches to living (plus a few that I just happen to enjoy!)

Not on MySpace? See the book blog without having to register!