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In Defense of Secular Humanism
Are the fundamentalists shaking the foundations of the American republic?- When they condemn humanism's influence in the schools, are they not actuallyattacking modern education, science, culture, and philosophy?- Is it possible to be moral without benefit of clergy or creed?- Can humanism help open doors so that individuals, singly and in cooperationwith others, can create lives that are rich in enjoyment, eloquent andmeaningful?What is humanism, and why have humanists come under attack by religious conservatives and the fundamentalist right? "Humanism is not a dogma or a creed," writes Paul Kurtz. "Humanists have confidence in human beings, and they believe that the only bases for morality are human experience and human needs. Humanists are opposed to all forms of supernaturalistic and authoritarian religion. Many humanists believe that scientific intelligence and critical reason can assist in reconstructing our moral lives . . . Humanists believe in freedom and pluralistic democracy as virtually our first principle, and we are disturbed by any authoritarian effort to impose one point of view on America. Defense of the open, democratic society should be the first point humanists make in response to the Moral Majority, making it clear that in our reading of the American tradition, pluralism is essential."In Defense of Secular Humanism is a volume of collected essays by one of the leading exponents of secular humanism. It is a closely reasoned defense of one of the most venerable ethical, scientific and philosophical traditions within Western civilization.
282 pages, Paperback
First published September 30, 1983
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About the author
Paul Kurtz
69 books60 followersDr. Paul W. Kurtz was a prominent American skeptic and secular humanist. Before his retirement, 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.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 31, 2008
Sharp attacks upon secular humanism, starting around 1980, left the American public outraged that anyone could espouse such a thing in place of traditional religions. Here the author answers the populist demagogues and lays out the case for a human-centered, secular world view. Readers of Skeptical Inquirer may be familiar with Kurtz's "eupraxsophy," the ethical system he tirelessly advocates which is based on foundations set in this book.
May 13, 2008
Kurtz covers the history of secular humanism from religions wars and prejudices against any belief other than Christian/Judaian/Islamic, to what today's humanists are doing to defend a philosophy of respecting all beliefes but not following any that promote a deist or need of clergy.
August 14, 2024
A FIERY YET FRANK DEFENSE (circa 1983) OF THIS PHILOSOPHY
Paul Kurtz (1925-2012) was a prominent American skeptic and secular humanist, who was Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He has written many other books such as 'Eupraxophy: Living Without Religion,' 'Exuberance - Your Guide to Happiness & Fulfillment,' 'The Transcendental Temptation,' etc.
He wrote in the Preface to this 1983 book, "Secular humanism has come under sustained criticism in recent years, especially from religious conservatives and the fundamentalist right... Basic to the attack is the view that secular humanism lacks a moral framework and that it has contributed to the decay of moral values in modern society... My main interest is in defending SECULAR humanism, that is, the point of view that holds that it is possible to lead a good life and contribute significantly to human welfare and social justice without a belief in theistic religion or benefit of clergy." (Pg. vii) [He particularly has in mind critics such as Tim LaHaye, author of 'The Battle for the Mind.']
He points out early in the book that "[A] mistake that fundamentalists make is to argue that the schools are dominated by secular humanists... While there are at least three million teachers in the United States, there are only ten thousand members of humanist organizations. Surely, they do not dominate the schools." (Pg. 6)
Later, he admits, "Although the American Humanist Association has only 3,500 members after forty years of effort, other groups have not done any better. The American Ethical Union has only 3,500 members after a hundred years, the Society for Humanistic Judaism 4,000 adherents, and the Fellowship of Religious Humanists 300---and these figures may be on the generous side." (Pg. 189)
He identifies "the central doctrine of humanism: that value is relative to man." (Pg. 121) He suggests, "My diagnosis of the present moment is that it is one of both victory and crisis. The victory is that atheistic, agnostic, and skeptical humanism has had some success in its battle against orthodoxy. The crisis is that... secular humanism is now without a clearly defined program." (Pg. 130) He adds, "Secular humanism has, for the most part, taken its stance in OPPOSITION to orthodoxy... the real need is for humanism to be positive, to provide intelligent direction to our moral life... it must have something to offer." (Pg. 136) He also concedes, "As a competitor of the churches it offers almost nothing imaginative or eloquent..." (Pg. 152)
He asserts, "Why has humanism failed to develop strong and visible organizations? In my view, they have never been sufficiently clear about their goals and to whom they are addressing their message... the main difficulties: The humanist membership is dominated by individuals who lack sufficient natural stature or impact... It tends to attract dissident anomics---often cantankerous individuals---from other movements. It often bickers itself to exhaustion by petty internal squabbles... It has been badly mismanaged and had lacked efficient business procedures." (Pg. 178-179)
This is (was?) a key document in the Humanist movement, and---although necessarily somewhat dated---is "must reading" for anyone studying this movement.
Paul Kurtz (1925-2012) was a prominent American skeptic and secular humanist, who was Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He has written many other books such as 'Eupraxophy: Living Without Religion,' 'Exuberance - Your Guide to Happiness & Fulfillment,' 'The Transcendental Temptation,' etc.
He wrote in the Preface to this 1983 book, "Secular humanism has come under sustained criticism in recent years, especially from religious conservatives and the fundamentalist right... Basic to the attack is the view that secular humanism lacks a moral framework and that it has contributed to the decay of moral values in modern society... My main interest is in defending SECULAR humanism, that is, the point of view that holds that it is possible to lead a good life and contribute significantly to human welfare and social justice without a belief in theistic religion or benefit of clergy." (Pg. vii) [He particularly has in mind critics such as Tim LaHaye, author of 'The Battle for the Mind.']
He points out early in the book that "[A] mistake that fundamentalists make is to argue that the schools are dominated by secular humanists... While there are at least three million teachers in the United States, there are only ten thousand members of humanist organizations. Surely, they do not dominate the schools." (Pg. 6)
Later, he admits, "Although the American Humanist Association has only 3,500 members after forty years of effort, other groups have not done any better. The American Ethical Union has only 3,500 members after a hundred years, the Society for Humanistic Judaism 4,000 adherents, and the Fellowship of Religious Humanists 300---and these figures may be on the generous side." (Pg. 189)
He identifies "the central doctrine of humanism: that value is relative to man." (Pg. 121) He suggests, "My diagnosis of the present moment is that it is one of both victory and crisis. The victory is that atheistic, agnostic, and skeptical humanism has had some success in its battle against orthodoxy. The crisis is that... secular humanism is now without a clearly defined program." (Pg. 130) He adds, "Secular humanism has, for the most part, taken its stance in OPPOSITION to orthodoxy... the real need is for humanism to be positive, to provide intelligent direction to our moral life... it must have something to offer." (Pg. 136) He also concedes, "As a competitor of the churches it offers almost nothing imaginative or eloquent..." (Pg. 152)
He asserts, "Why has humanism failed to develop strong and visible organizations? In my view, they have never been sufficiently clear about their goals and to whom they are addressing their message... the main difficulties: The humanist membership is dominated by individuals who lack sufficient natural stature or impact... It tends to attract dissident anomics---often cantankerous individuals---from other movements. It often bickers itself to exhaustion by petty internal squabbles... It has been badly mismanaged and had lacked efficient business procedures." (Pg. 178-179)
This is (was?) a key document in the Humanist movement, and---although necessarily somewhat dated---is "must reading" for anyone studying this movement.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews