Key terms & definitions

A hormone that can be detected in urine by a pregnancy test.

The shared characteristics and experiences of human life, including the capacity for love and cooperation as well as anger, selfishness and wrongdoing.

The spiritual goal towards which a person works; in Buddhism, this concerns the path towards enlightenment and freedom from suffering.

Improvement in people’s well-being and opportunities, including their ability to live healthy lives, gain an education and meet their needs.

A measure combining life expectancy, education and income per person. Values range from 0 to 1; a higher value indicates greater human development.

The inherent worth of every human being, which means each person deserves respectful treatment.

Physical, psychological and social characteristics of people that affect how products should be designed.

A feature created or substantially modified by people, such as a road, settlement or drainage ditch.

Human weakness and vulnerability, which can cause people to fail to act according to their beliefs or intentions.

An international research project, carried out from 1990 to 2003, that produced the first essentially complete reference sequence of the human genome.

The study of people, their activities and the places they shape, including settlements, transport and economic activity.

Human actions that alter natural conditions or the way resources are used and managed.

An intellectual outlook which emphasised human reasoning and enquiry, encouraging people to question accepted explanations.

An outlook that places human welfare, sympathy and responsibility at the centre of moral life, without necessarily grounding them in religious belief.

A non-religious approach to life that uses reason and concern for human welfare to guide moral decisions.

A person whose non-religious outlook emphasises reason, human wellbeing and ethical responsibility.

A person who leads a non-religious ceremony reflecting Humanist beliefs and the lives of the people involved.

A Humanists UK network bringing humanists together to take individual and collective action on climate change and promote environmentally sustainable ways of living.

Practical assistance intended to save lives, relieve suffering and protect people's dignity during a crisis.

Emergency assistance, such as food, shelter and medical care, provided to people affected by conflict or disaster.

Help provided to protect life and meet people's essential needs during emergencies, including food, clean water, shelter and healthcare.

An emergency, such as a conflict or natural disaster, that threatens people's lives, health, safety or access to essentials and creates a need for substantial assistance.

An approach that emphasises human welfare and the reduction of suffering.

Assistance intended to meet urgent needs and protect people at risk during or after a crisis.

The features of an area created or shaped by people, including its population, economic activities and settlements.

A group of viruses, some types of which can infect cervical cells and increase the risk of cervical cancer.

The business function concerned with managing employees, including recruitment, training and appraisal.

The part of a business responsible for identifying and meeting its workforce needs and managing employees.

Having a duty to make moral choices and being responsible for one’s own actions.

A basic freedom or protection to which every person is entitled simply because they are human.