Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} The Transcendental Temptation by Paul Kurtz The Transcendental Temptation by Paul Kurtz. In this landmark work, Paul Kurtz examines the reasons why people accept supernatural and paranormal belief systems in spite of substantial evidence to the contrary. According to Kurtz, it is because there is within the human species a deeply rooted tendency toward magical thinking-the transcendental temptation -which undermines critical judgment and paves the way for willful beliefs. Kurtz explores in detail the three major monotheistic religions-Judaism, Christianity, and Islam-finding striking psychological and sociological parallels between these religions, the spiritualism of the nineteenth century, and the paranormal belief systems of today. This acclaimed and controversial book includes sections on mysticism, belief in the afterlife, the existence of God, reincarnation, astrology, and ufology. Kurtz concludes by explaining and advocating rational skepticism as an antidote to belief in the transcendental. Ean/ISBN: 9781616148270 Review: The transcendental temptation a critique of religion and the paranormal by Paul Kurtz. When compared to the work of dunces (Sam Harris) and raving ideologues (Hitchens, Dawkins) that constitutes the new atheism, Paul Kurtz's The Transcendental Temptation, which predates the work of the new atheists by a couple of decades or so, is rather covers much of the same ground, but actually provides much reasonable and detailed argumentation in doing so/5. The Transcendental Temptation. Download and Read online The Transcendental Temptation, ebooks in PDF, epub, Tuebl Mobi, Kindle Free The Transcendental Temptation Textbook and unlimited access to our library by created an account. Fast Download speed and ads Free! The Transcendental Temptation Book Description: A landmark work. Mandatory reading for anyone who wants to learn to be a good skeptic. In this widely acclaimed and highly controversial book, Paul Kurtz examines the reasons why people accept supernatural and paranormal belief systems in spite of substantial evidence to the contrary. The Transcendental Temptation. In Order to Read Online or Download The Transcendental Temptation Full eBooks in PDF, EPUB, Tuebl and Mobi you need to create a Free account. Get any books you like and read everywhere you want. Fast Download Speed. Commercial & Ad Free. We cannot guarantee that every book is in the library! The Transcendental Temptation by Paul Kurtz, The Transcendental Temptation Books available in PDF, EPUB, Mobi Format. Download The Transcendental Temptation books, In this landmark work, Paul Kurtz examines the reasons why people accept supernatural and paranormal belief systems in spite of substantial evidence to the contrary. In the intervening years since the first publication of the hardcover edition of this book, my research has reinforced in my own mind the validity of the transcendental temptation thesis. First, I have been deeply involved with many investigators in the study of "faith healers.". Book Description: In this landmark work, Paul Kurtz examines the reasons why people accept supernatural and paranormal belief systems in spite of substantial evidence to the contrary. According to Kurtz, it is because there is within the human species a deeply rooted tendency toward magical thinking—the “transcendental temptation”—which. Buy a cheap copy of The Transcendental Temptation: A book by Paul Kurtz. A landmark work. Mandatory reading for anyone who wants to learn to be a good this widely acclaimed and highly controversial book, Paul Kurtz examines Free shipping over $Cited by: Paul Kurtz (), professor emeritus of philosophy at the State University of New York at Buffalo and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, was the author or editor of more than fifty books, including The Transcendental Temptation, The Courage to Become, and Embracing the Power of Humanism, plus nine hundred articles and reviews. Read "The Transcendental Temptation A Critique of Religion and the Paranormal" by Paul Kurtz available from Rakuten Kobo. In this landmark work, Paul Kurtz examines the reasons why people accept supernatural and paranormal belief systems in s Brand: Prometheus. Every one of them are linked by the thread of the main subject of the book: the transcendental temptation thesis. What I believed before reading this book was that our conscious of dying some day is --to say the least-- too much to be accepted as a plain fact. And not only that of course/5(14). The Transcendental Temptation: A Critique of Religion and the Paranormal (Kindle Edition) Published September 10th by Prometheus Books Kindle Edition, pagesCited by: The Transcendental Temptation by Paul Kurtz. A very important book. Clearly written and forcefully argued. Journal of the American Academy of Religion Well-written, readable and carefully researched compendium of the skeptical challenge and position. This is a must. Choice Kurtz cares passionately about reason and truth. The Transcendental Temptation is a serious and excellent book. London Daily Telegraph. About the Book. In this highly acclaimed and controversial book, Paul Kurtz critically analyses the bases of religion: How provable are the claims of the famous prophets who founded religions in their names: Jesus, Moses, Mohammed, Joseph Smith, Ellen G. White and others? Do their claims justify religious belief? Finally, is there any evidence that God exists, or that there is a life after death? In The Transcendental Temptation: A Critique of Religion and the Paranormal , Kurtz attempts to demonstrate that the major monotheistic religions - Christianity, Judaism and Islam - all rest on myths of revelation. Yet each succeeding generation appears to be impervious to the victories of skepticism over theology in the past or creates new and even more irrational religions. Why is this so? Why are the ancient messages of the prophets as well as the notions of extraterrestrial divinities and demons of the occult still persuasive? Drawing upon extensive research in the paranormal fields - parapsychology, spiritualism, UFOlogy - Kurtz points out the striking similiarities between the popular paranormal belief-systems of today and the classical religions of the past. He finds similar processes at work: on the one hand, fraudulent conjurers posing as prophets or psychics deceiving a gullible public and, on the other, self-deluded individuals acting out their revelatory fantasies. Kurtz attributes the willingness of large sectors of humanity to accept these claims to the proclivity in human nature for "magical thinking" - which undermines the power of critical judgment and allows many people to accept occult claims (e.g. belief in ghosts, psychics, horoscopes, UFOs), even though there is insufficient evidence in their behalf or strong evidence to the contrary. Given the deep-seated temptation that persists in human culture to accept supernormal phenomena, Kurtz asks, what are the prospects for developing a genuinely humanistic society based upon scientific and humane foundations? The Transcendental Temptation is an original and absorbing work that has stirred heated debate. About the Author. Paul Kurtz is professor emeritus of philosophy at the State University of New York an Buffalo, founding chairman of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, copresident of the International Humanist and Ethical Union, and the author or editor of more than thirty books. The Transcendental Temptation. In this landmark work, Paul Kurtz examines the reasons why people accept supernatural and paranormal belief systems in spite of substantial evidence to the contrary. According to Kurtz, it is because there is within the human species a deeply rooted tendency toward magical thinking-the "transcendental temptation"-which undermines critical judgment and paves the way for willful beliefs. Kurtz explores in detail the three major monotheistic religions-Judaism, Christianity, and Islam-finding striking psychological and sociological parallels between these religions, the spiritualism of the nineteenth century, and the paranormal belief systems of today. This acclaimed and controversial book includes sections on mysticism, belief in the afterlife, the existence of God, reincarnation, astrology, and ufology. Kurtz concludes by explaining and advocating rational skepticism as an antidote to belief in the transcendental. Paul Kurtz Secular Humanist, Skeptic, Pragmatist Philosopher 1925 - 2012. Remembering Paul: The family has requested that gifts or donations in honor of Dr. Kurtz be given to the Institute for Science and Human Values. The best anthology of his writings: Meaning and Value in a Secular Age (Prometheus Books, 2012) Paul Kurtz was the founder and longtime chair of the Center for Inquiry in Amherst, N.Y. and its federated organizations, including the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and the Council for Secular Humanism. Kurtz also founded Prometheus Books. Kurtz was Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Brief Biography. Paul Kurtz was born on 21 December 1925 in Newark, New Jersey. He died on October 20, 2012 in Amherst, New York. He received his BA from New York University in 1948, then went to Columbia University, where he earned his MA in 1949 and his PhD in philosophy in 1952. The title of his dissertation was �The Problems of Value Theory.� From 1952 to 1959, Kurtz taught at Trinity College in Connecticut. He then was a professor of philosophy at Union College in New York State from 1961 to 1965, and during that time he also was a visiting lecturer at the New School for Social Research. In 1965 Kurtz became professor of philosophy at the State University of New York at Buffalo, and taught there until retiring in 1991. Kurtz was a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science since 1992. He authored or edited over forty books and many hundreds of articles. Kurtz carried on the legacy of the pragmatic and humanistic naturalism that he acquired while at Columbia University. Committed to the superior rationality of scientific inquiry, he staunchly defended science and reason against all forms of superstition, mythology, and fraudulent deception. He joined the leadership of the American Humanist Association in 1967. In 1969 he founded a publishing company, Prometheus Books, which presently operates in Amherst, New York. Kurtz was the founder and longtime chair of the Center for Inquiry in Amherst, New York, and he led its associated organizations, most notably the Committee for Scientific Inquiry (founded in 1976 as Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal) and the Council for Secular Humanism (founded in 1980 as the Council for Democratic and Secular Humanism). He also was the editor-in-chief of the magazine Free Inquiry . He was co-President of the International Humanist and Ethical Union, and was a Humanist Laureate and President of the International Academy of Humanism. After his resignation from all positions with the Center for Inquiry in 2009, he founded the Institute for Science and Human Values in 2010. Kurtz argued for a comprehensive philosophy of secular humanism in his many books. Long involved with the American Humanist Association, he co-authored the Humanist Manifesto II with Edwin Wilson in 1973. Humanist principles such as grounding morality in human happiness and not supernatural revelation, and demanding respect for individual liberty, support an active democratic culture that encourages free participation by all citizens. Humanistic ethics in Kurtz�s hands takes a broadly utilitarian concern for the long-term welfare of all people, but delimits this utilitarianism by appeal to basic liberty rights, a cosmopolitan outlook on the urgency for global peaceful cooperation, and adds a communitarian respect for socio-cultural groups. Several of his books present his philosophical views of science, naturalism, ethical theory and political theory. In the areas of philosophy of science and naturalism, central works are The Transcendental Temptation: A Critique of Religion and the Paranormal (1986), Philosophical Essays in Pragmatic Naturalism (1991), The New Skepticism: Inquiry and Reliable Knowledge (1992), and Skepticism and Humanism: The New Paradigm (2001). Other books develop his humanistic ethics: Forbidden Fruit: The Ethics of Humanism (1987), Eupraxophy: Living without Religion (1989), The Courage to Become: The Virtues of Humanism (1997), and Affirmations: Joyful and Creative Exuberance (2004). Books about Paul Kurtz include Toward a New Enlightenment: The Philosophy of Paul Kurtz (Transaction, 1994), and Promethean Love: Paul Kurtz and the Humanistic Perspective on Love (Cambridge Scholars Press, 2006). Paul Kurtz's Books. This is a selected list of Paul Kurtz's major writings. Please consult Media-graphy: A Bibliography of the Works of Paul Kurtz, Fifty-One Years: 1952-2003 (Center for Inquiry, 2004). Kurtz, Paul. Meaning and Value in a Secular Age: Why Eupraxsophy Matters . Edited by Nathan Bupp. Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 2012. Kurtz, Paul. Multi-Secularism: A New Agenda . New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Books, 2010. Kurtz, Paul. Exuberant Skepticism . Edited by John R. Shook. Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 2010. Kurtz, Paul. What Is Secular Humanism? Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 2007. Kurtz, Paul. Affirmations: Joyful and Creative Exuberance, Revised Edition. Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 2005. Kurtz, Paul. Skepticism and Humanism: The New Paradigm . New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Books, 2001. Kurtz, Paul. Humanist Manifesto 2000: A Call for a New Planetary Humanism . Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 2000. Kurtz, Paul. Embracing the Power of Humanism . Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield, 2000. Kurtz, Paul. The Courage to Become: The Virtues of Humanism . New York: Praeger/Greenwood, 1997. Kurtz, Paul. The New Skepticism: Inquiry and Reliable Knowledge . Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 1992. Kurtz, Paul. Philosophical Essays in Pragmatic Naturalism . Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 1991. Kurtz, Paul. Eupraxophy: Living Without Religion . Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 1989. Reprinted as Living without Religion: Eupraxophy (1994). Kurtz, Paul. Forbidden Fruit: The Ethics of Humanism . Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 1987. Reprinted (2008). Kurtz, Paul. The Transcendental Temptation: A Critique of Religion and the Paranormal . Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 1986. Kurtz, Paul, et al. Humanist Manifestos I and II . Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 1984. Kurtz, Paul. In Defense of Secular Humanism . Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 1983. Kurtz, Paul. A Secular Humanist Declaration . Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 1980. Kurtz, Paul. Exuberance: An Affirmative Philosophy of Life . Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 1977. Kurtz, Paul. The Fullness of Life . Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books; New York: Horizon Books, 1974. Kurtz, Paul. The Humanist Alternative . Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books; London: Pemberton Books, 1973. Kurtz, Paul. Decision and the Condition of Man . Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1965. Media and Lecture Appearances. Paul Kurtz was the author or editor of 50 books and over 800 articles and reviews. Newspaper stories and interviews with him have appeared in the New York Times , Time magazine, the Wall Street Journal , Forbes magazine, Washington Post , Associated Press, Panorama (Italy), Readers Digest, Los Angeles Times, US News & World Report, Buffalo News, TV Guide, Chicago Tribune, TWA Ambassador, American Way (American Airlines), Washington Times , Newsday, Newsweek, Le Monde, Publishers Weekly, Christianity Today, Toronto Globe & Mail, Toronto Star, Hartford Courant, Pravda, Investia, Atlanta Constitution, Science News, Boston Globe, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Times of India, San Diego News, Philosophy Now , et al. He appeared on many major TV and radio programs in North America and worldwide, including National Public Radio, HBO, CNN, FOX, ABC, CBS, NBC, Today Show, Good Morning America, Nightline, Meet the Press (Los Angeles), Voice of America, Mike Wallace, Michael Jackson, Phil Donohue, Associated Press Radio, Dateline (ABC), BBC, CBC (Canada), AM Canada, ABC (Australian Radio), Smithsonian Radio, Science Friday (NPR), Milt Rosenberg (Chicago), Merv Griffith, Paul Harvey, Barry Farber Show, MacNeil/Lehrer Report, Larry King Live, The 700 Club, Sally Jesse Raphael, Unsolved Mysteries, Oprah Winfrey, RAI TV (Italy), Brazilean, Korean, Russian, French, German TV, and many more. Paul Kurtz lectured widely in North America and throughout the world, including Oxford, Cambridge, University College (London), University of London, La Sorbonne, University of Heidelberg, Free University of Brussels, University of Warsaw, Cleveland State University, University of Iowa, Franklin & Marshall College, Sydney (Australia), Beijing and Shanghai Universities, Moscow State University, St. Petersburg University, Utrecht University, Keele University, Trinity College (Dublin), Williams College, Brock University, University of Toronto, York University, Stanford, Harvard, Princeton, University of Chicago, Rutgers, UCLA, University of Southern California, University of California (Irvine, San Diego, Berkeley), San Francisco State, City University of New York, University of Nevada, Columbia, New York University, American University, George Washington University, Richmond University, Temple University, The Franklin Institute, The Smithsonian, University of Illinois, University of Colorado, University of Kansas, and dozens more colleges and universities. CALL FOR PAPERS. Special Issue on. Paul Kurtz: Pragmatic Naturalist and Secular Humanist. Contemporary Pragmatism invites submissions relating to any aspect of Paul Kurtz's philosophy for publication in an upcoming issue.