American philosopher (1925?2012)
Paul Kurtz
(December 21, 1925 ? October 20, 2012)
[2]
was an American
scientific skeptic
and
secular humanist
. He has been called "the father of secular humanism".
[3]
He was Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the
State University of New York at Buffalo
, having previously also taught at Vassar, Trinity, and Union colleges, and the New School for Social Research.
Kurtz founded the publishing house
Prometheus Books
in 1969. He was also the founder and past chairman of the
Committee for Skeptical Inquiry
(CSI, formerly the
Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal
, CSICOP), the
Council for Secular Humanism
, and the
Center for Inquiry
. He was editor in chief of
Free Inquiry
magazine, a publication of the Council for Secular Humanism.
He was co-chair of the
International Humanist and Ethical Union
(IHEU) from 1986 to 1994.
[4]
He was a Fellow of the
American Association for the Advancement of Science
, Humanist Laureate, president of the
International Academy of Humanism
and Honorary Associate of
Rationalist International
. As a member of the
American Humanist Association
, he contributed to the writing of
Humanist Manifesto II
.
[5]
He was an editor of
The Humanist
, 1967?78.
Kurtz published over 800 articles or reviews and authored and edited over 50 books. Many of his books have been translated into over 60 languages.
[6]
Early life and education
[
edit
]
Kurtz was born in
Newark
, New Jersey, into a secular Jewish family,
[7]
[8]
the son of Sara Lasser and Martin Kurtz.
[9]
Kurtz received his
bachelor's degree
from
New York University
, and the master's degree and Doctor of Philosophy degree from
Columbia University
.
[10]
Kurtz was left-wing in his youth, but has said that serving in the
United States Army
in
World War II
taught him the dangers of ideology. He saw the
Buchenwald
and
Dachau
concentration camps
after they were liberated, and became disillusioned with
Communism
when he encountered Russian slave laborers who had been taken to
Nazi Germany
by force but refused to return to the
Soviet Union
at the end of the war.
[11]
He was a professor at
Trinity College (Connecticut)
which was an Episcopal college.
[12]
Kurtz, addressing the Banquet at the 1983 CSICOP Conference in Buffalo, New York
Secular humanism
[
edit
]
Kurtz was largely responsible for the secularization of humanism.
[3]
Before Kurtz embraced the term "
secular humanism
," which had received wide publicity through fundamentalist Christians in the 1980s
[
citation needed
]
, humanism was more widely perceived as a religion (or a
pseudoreligion
) that did not include the supernatural. This can be seen in the first article of the original
Humanist Manifesto
which refers to "Religious Humanists" and by Charles and Clara Potter's influential 1930 book
Humanism: A New Religion
.
Kurtz used the publicity generated by fundamentalist preachers to grow the membership of the
Council for Secular Humanism
, as well as strip the religious aspects found in the earlier humanist movement. He founded the Center for Inquiry in 1991. There are now some 40 Centers and Communities
[
clarification needed
]
worldwide, including in Los Angeles, Washington, New York City, London, Amsterdam, Warsaw, Moscow, Beijing, Hyderabad, Toronto, Dakar, Buenos Aires and Kathmandu.
In 1999, Kurtz was given the International Humanist Award by the
International Humanist and Ethical Union
(IHEU). He had been a board member of IHEU between 1969 and 1994, and in a tribute by former colleague at both IHEU and the
Council for Secular Humanism
Matt Cherry, Kurtz was described as having "had a strong commitment to international humanism ? a commitment to humanism beyond US borders never seen matched by another American. He did a lot to expand IHEU as a member of the IHEU Growth and Development Committee (with
Levi Fragell
and
Rob Tielman
) and then when he was co-chair, also with Rob and Levi. He always pushed IHEU to be bigger and bolder."
[4]
In 2000, he received the International Rationalist Award by
Rationalist International
. In 2001, he debated Christian philosopher
William Lane Craig
over the nature of morality.
[13]
[14]
Kurtz believed that the nonreligious members of the community should take a positive view on life.
Religious skepticism
, according to Paul Kurtz, is only one aspect of the secular humanistic outlook. In an interview with
D.J. Grothe
, he stated that a categorical imperative of secular humanism is "genuine concern for the well-being of other humans."
[15]
At the Council of Secular Humanism's Los Angeles conference (October 7?10, 2010),
[16]
tension over the future of humanism was on display as Kurtz urged a more accommodationist approach to religion while his successors argued for a more adversarial approach.
[17]
On May 18, 2010, he resigned from all these positions.
[18]
Moreover, the Center for Inquiry accepted his resignation as chairman emeritus, board member, and as editor in chief of
Free Inquiry
as being the culmination of a years-long "leadership transition", thanking him "for his decades of service" while also alluding to "concerns about Dr. Kurtz's day-to-day management of the organization".
[19]
Kurtz renewed his efforts in organized humanism by founding The
Institute for Science and Human Values
and its journal
The Human Prospect: A NeoHumanist Perspective
in June 2010.
Critique of the paranormal
[
edit
]
Ray Hyman
, Paul Kurtz,
James Randi
, and
Ken Frazier
at TAM8, July 2010, Las Vegas, after their session on the history of the modern skeptical movement
Another aspect in Kurtz's legacy is his critique of the
paranormal
. In 1976,
CSICOP
started
Skeptical Inquirer
, its official journal. Like
Martin Gardner
,
Carl Sagan
,
Isaac Asimov
,
James Randi
,
Ray Hyman
and others, Kurtz has popularized
scientific skepticism
and
critical thinking
about claims of the paranormal.
Concerning the founding of the modern skeptical movement, Ray Hyman states that in 1972, he, along with James Randi and Martin Gardner, wanted to form a skeptical group, SIR (Sanity In Research). The three of them felt they had no administration experience, saying "we just had good ideas", and were soon joined by
Marcello Truzzi
who provided structure for the group. Truzzi involved Paul Kurtz, and they together formed CSICOP in 1976.
[20]
[21]
Kurtz wrote:
[An] explanation for the persistence of the paranormal, I submit, is due to the transcendental temptation. In my book by that name, I present the thesis that paranormal and religious phenomena have similar functions in human experience; they are expressions of a tendency to accept
magical thinking
. This temptation has such profound roots within human experience and culture that it constantly reasserts itself.
[22]
In
The Transcendental Temptation
, Kurtz analyzes how provable are the claims of Jesus,
Moses
, and
Muhammad
, as well as the founders of religions on American soil such as
Joseph Smith
and
Ellen White
. He also evaluates the activities of the most famous modern
psychics
and what he believes are the fruitless researches of
parapsychologists
.
The Transcendental Temptation
is considered among Kurtz's most influential writings.
[23]
He promoted what he called "Skepticism of the Third Kind," in which skeptics actively investigate claims of the paranormal, rather than just question them. He saw this type of skepticism as distinct from the "first kind" of extreme
philosophical skepticism
, which questions the possibility that anything can be known, as well as the "second kind" of skepticism, which accepts that knowledge of the real world is possible but is still largely a philosophical exercise.
[24]
On April 19, 2007, Kurtz appeared on
Penn & Teller
's television show
Bullshit!
arguing that
exorcism
and
satanic cults
are merely "hype and paranoia".
[25]
The office of Paul Kurtz at Center for Inquiry Transnational, Amherst, NY
Eupraxsophy
[
edit
]
Kurtz coined the term eupraxsophy (originally
eupraxophy
) to refer to philosophies or life stances such as
secular humanism
,
Confucianism
and
Taoism
that do not rely on belief in the transcendent or supernatural. A
eupraxsophy
is a
nonreligious
life stance or
worldview
emphasizing the importance of living an ethical and exuberant life, and relying on
rational
methods such as
logic
,
observation
and science (rather than
faith
,
mysticism
or
revelation
) toward that end. The word is based on the Greek words for "good", "practice", and "wisdom". Eupraxsophies, like religions, are cosmic in their outlook but eschew the supernatural component of religion, avoiding the "transcendental temptation," as Kurtz puts it. Although critical of supernatural religion, he has attempted to develop affirmative ethical values of naturalistic humanism.
[26]
The Paul Kurtz Lecture Series
[
edit
]
In June 2010, the
State University of New York at Buffalo
announced the establishment of the Paul Kurtz Lecture Series. The series will bring notable speakers to the university's campus in Amherst, New York, to speak on topics relevant to the philosophy of humanism and philosophical naturalism. Kurtz had made the bequest and charitable gift annuity to the university, where he taught from 1965 to 1991, to help promote the development of critical intelligence in future generations of SUNY at Buffalo students. On November 5, 2010, the university announced that cognitive scientist
Steven Pinker
would inaugurate the new Paul Kurtz Lecture Series on December 2, 2010.
Paul Kurtz Institute for Science and Human Values
[
edit
]
Paul Kurtz conceived of the
Institute for Science and Human Values
in 2009 as yet another branch of the umbrella group, the Center for Inquiry. Upon his resignation from the Center for Inquiry he launched the Institute for Science and Human Values as a separate entity.
[27]
[28]
[29]
In ISHV's first press release Kurtz said ISHV hoped to "rehumanize secularism" and "find out how to better develop the common moral virtues that we share as human beings."
[18]
Kurtz was editor-in-chief of ISHV's journal,
The Human Prospect: A NeoHumanist Perspective
.
[30]
In 2019, the institute's board of directors renamed the organization as the Paul Kurtz Institute for Science and Human Values.
[31]
Honors
[
edit
]
The
asteroid
6629 Kurtz
was named in his honor.
[32]
At a meeting of the executive council of CSI in
Denver
, Colorado in April 2011, Kurtz was selected for inclusion in CSI's Pantheon of Skeptics. The Pantheon of Skeptics was created by CSI to remember the legacy of deceased fellows of CSI and their contributions to the cause of scientific skepticism.
[33]
Gallery
[
edit
]
Bibliography
[
edit
]
- The Humanist Alternative
(Paul Kurtz, editor), 1973, Prometheus Books,
ISBN
0-87975-013-8
- Exuberance: An Affirmative Philosophy of Life
1978, Prometheus Books,
ISBN
0-87975-293-9
- A Secular Humanist Declaration
1980,
ISBN
0-87975-149-5
- Sidney Hook
: Philosopher of Democracy and Humanism
1983,
ISBN
0-87975-191-6
- In Defense of Secular Humanism
1983, Prometheus Books,
ISBN
0-87975-228-9
- The Transcendental Temptation
: A Critique of Religion and the Paranormal
, 1986
ISBN
0-87975-645-4
- A Skeptic's Handbook of Parapsychology
(Paul Kurtz, editor), 1985, Prometheus Books,
ISBN
0-87975-300-5
- Forbidden Fruit: The Ethics of Humanism
, 1988, Prometheus Books,
ISBN
0-87975-455-9
- The New Skepticism: Inquiry and Reliable Knowledge
, 1992, Prometheus Books,
ISBN
0-87975-766-3
- Challenges to the Enlightenment: In Defense of Reason and Science
by Paul Kurtz,
et al.
, 1994
ISBN
0-87975-869-4
- Living Without Religion: Eupraxophy
, 1994, Prometheus Books,
ISBN
0-87975-929-1
- Toward a New Enlightenment: The Philosophy of Paul Kurtz
(
Tim Madigan
, editor;
Vern Bullough
,
Introduction
), 1994, Transaction,
ISBN
1-56000-118-6
- The Courage to Become
, 1997, Praeger/Greenwood,
ISBN
0-275-96016-1
- Embracing the Power of Humanism
, 2000, Rowman & Littlefield,
ISBN
0-8476-9966-8
- Humanist Manifesto 2000
, 2000,
ISBN
1-57392-783-X
- Skepticism and Humanism: The New Paradigm
, 2001
ISBN
0-7658-0051-9
- Science and Religion
by Paul Kurtz,
et al.
, 2003
ISBN
1-59102-064-6
- Affirmations: Joyful And Creative Exuberance
, 2004
ISBN
1-59102-265-7
- What Is Secular Humanism?
, 2006
ISBN
1-59102-499-4
- The Turbulent Universe
, 2013, Prometheus Books,
ISBN
978-1-61614-735-8
See also
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
"Paul Kurtz, "giant" of humanism, dead at 86"
.
Reuters
. October 22, 2012.
- ^
"Paul Kurtz, 1925?2012"
. Center For Inquiry. October 22, 2012. Archived from
the original
on October 24, 2012
. Retrieved
October 22,
2012
.
- ^
a
b
"Paul Kurtz ? The New Atheism and Secular Humanism"
. CFI. September 14, 2007.
- ^
a
b
"Paul Kurtz an extraordinary proponent of Humanism, 1925?2012"
. International Humanist and Ethical Union. October 22, 2012
. Retrieved
October 22,
2012
.
- ^
"Humanist Manifesto II"
. American Humanist Association. Archived from
the original
on October 20, 2012
. Retrieved
October 15,
2012
.
- ^
Sandhu, Ranjit & Matt Cravatta. (2004).
Media-Graphy: A Bibliography of the Works of Paul Kurtz Fifty-One Years, 1952?2003
. Amherst, NY: Center for Inquiry, International.
ISBN
978-1-59102-273-2
.
- ^
Woo, Elaine (October 28, 2012).
"Paul Kurtz dies at 86; secular humanist philosopher"
.
Los Angeles Times
. Retrieved
June 3,
2024
.
- ^
Evans, Robert (October 23, 2012).
"Paul Kurtz, leading advocate of secular humanism, dead at 86"
.
Reuters
.com
. Archived from
the original
on January 1, 2013
. Retrieved
December 21,
2020
.
- ^
Kurtz, Paul; Bullough, Vern L.; Madigan, Timothy J. (1994).
Toward a New Enlightenment: The Philosophy of Paul Kurtz
. Transaction Publishers. p. x.
ISBN
9781560001188
.
- ^
Weber, Bruce (October 24, 2012).
"Paul Kurtz, 86, Humanist Publisher, Dies"
.
The New York Times
. pp. B19
. Retrieved
October 24,
2012
.
- ^
Smith, Dinitia
(June 19, 2002).
"A Vigorous Skeptic Of Everything but Fact; His Target: The Paranormal on TV and in Film"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
October 22,
2012
.
- ^
"Paul Kurtz Interview"
.
- ^
"Is Goodness Without God Good Enough?"
.
Franklin & Marshall College
. October 24, 2001 – via YouTube.
- ^
King, Nathan L. (January 16, 2009).
Is Goodness without God Good Enough?: A Debate on Faith, Secularism, and Ethics
. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
ISBN
978-0742551718
.
- ^
Grothe, D.J.
(August 14, 2009).
"Paul Kurtz - A Kinder, Gentler Secularism"
.
PointofInquiry.org
. Center for Inquiry
. Retrieved
July 10,
2017
.
- ^
"Setting the Agenda: Secular Humanism's Next 30 Years"
.
secularhumanism.org
. 2010. Archived from the original on September 15, 2010.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (
link
)
- ^
Landsberg, Mitchell
(October 10, 2010).
"Religious Skeptics Disagree on How Aggressively to Challenge the Devout"
.
Los Angeles Times
– via LATimes.com.
- ^
a
b
Kurtz, Paul (May 18, 2010).
"Apologia"
.
PaulKurtz.net
. Amherst, New York. Archived from the original on May 29, 2010
. Retrieved
December 21,
2020
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (
link
)
- ^
"CFI Board accepts Paul Kurtz's resignation"
.
centerforinquiry.net
. Center for Inquiry. May 18, 2010
. Retrieved
May 18,
2010
.
- ^
Archived at
Ghostarchive
and the
Wayback Machine
:
"Ray Hyman ? The Life of an Expert Skeptic, Part 2 ? For Good Reason"
.
James Randi Educational Foundation
. January 20, 2012
. Retrieved
May 21,
2012
.
- ^
Archived at
Ghostarchive
and the
Wayback Machine
:
Hyman, Ray
.
"IIG Award:Ray Hyman 2011"
.
YouTube
. Retrieved
September 30,
2012
.
- ^
Kurtz, Paul (July 2001).
"A Quarter Century of Skeptical Inquiry"
.
Skeptical Inquirer
. Archived from
the original
on March 5, 2008 – via csicop.org.
- ^
Karr, Barry
(May 11, 2001).
"Paul Kurtz to Receive Award From Univ.of Buffalo"
.
csicop.org
. Archived from
the original
on September 14, 2001
. Retrieved
June 2,
2016
.
- ^
Grothe, D. J.
(March 10, 2006).
"Paul Kurtz - Skepticism of the Third Kind"
.
Point of Inquiry
Podcast
. Center for Inquiry. Archived from
the original
on February 1, 2014
. Retrieved
January 17,
2014
.
- ^
"Episode 5: Exorcism"
.
Bullshit!
. Showtime.com. April 19, 2007. Archived from
the original
on April 25, 2007
. Retrieved
May 22,
2007
.
- ^
Cooke, Bill (2006). "Eupraxsophy".
Dictionary of Atheism, Skepticism, & Humanism
. Prometheus Books. p. 175.
a set of convictions and practices offering a cosmic outlook and an ethical guide to life
- ^
"Board Members"
. ISHV. Archived from
the original
on October 18, 2012
. Retrieved
October 22,
2012
.
- ^
Oppenheimer, Mark (October 2, 2010).
"Closer Look at Rift Between Humanists Reveals Deeper Divisions"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
October 27,
2012
.
- ^
"Kurtz Institute"
.
Kurtz Institute
. Retrieved
October 20,
2019
.
- ^
"The Human Prospect"
.
Kurtz Institute
. Retrieved
October 20,
2019
.
- ^
"Kurtz Institute"
.
Kurtz.Institute
. Retrieved
October 20,
2019
.
- ^
"6629 Kurtz (1982 UP)"
.
NASA
.
- ^
"The Pantheon of Skeptics"
.
CSI
.
Committee for Skeptical Inquiry
.
Archived
from the original on January 31, 2017
. Retrieved
April 30,
2017
.
References
[
edit
]
- Madigan, Timothy J. (ed.).
Promethean love: Paul Kurtz and the humanistic perspective on love
. Newcastle, UK: Cambridge Scholars Press, 2006. xii, 327 p.
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
International
| |
---|
National
| |
---|
People
| |
---|
Other
| |
---|