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PAUL KURTZ in MEMORIAM Paul Kurtz, Philosopher, Humanist Leader, and Founder of the Modern Skeptical Movement, Dies at Eighty-Six TOM FLYNN
Jan Feb 13 2_SI new design masters 11/29/12 11:26 AM Page 5 [ PAUL KURTZ IN MEMORIAM Paul Kurtz, Philosopher, Humanist Leader, and Founder of the Modern Skeptical Movement, Dies at Eighty-Six TOM FLYNN Paul Kurtz, founder and longtime chair At NYU Kurtz studied philosophy of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, under Sidney Hook, who had himself the Council for Secular Humanism, and been a protégé of the pragmatist philoso- the Center for Inquiry, died at the age pher John Dewey. The philosophy of of eighty-six on October 20, 2012. He Dewey and Hook, arguably the greatest was one of the most influential figures American thinkers in the humanist tra- in the humanist and skeptical move- dition, would deeply in fluence Kurtz’s ments from the late 1960s through the thought and activism. Kurtz graduated first decade of the twenty-first century. from NYU in 1948 and earned his PhD Among his best-known creations are in philosophy at Columbia University in the skeptics’ magazine SKEPTICAL IN- 1952. QUIRER, the secular humanist magazine Free Inquiry, and the independent pub- Academic Career lisher Prometheus Books. Kurtz taught philosophy at Trinity Col- Jonathan Kurtz, Paul’s son, told SI that lege from 1952 to 1959. He joined the his father had a “‘joyous’ last day, joking, faculty at Union College from 1961 to laughing, etc. He then died suddenly to- 1965; during this period he was also a ward bedtime. There was no suffering.” A visiting lecturer at the New School for joint CFI/CSI/CSH statement marked Social Research. -
2013-03-March-Sacram
Special Events Volume 1, Issue 3 March 2013 Fri Mar 1 Movie n Pizza at Sierra College Darwin Day Gala a Success! Fri Mar 1 SAAF meeting and discussion We honored science and the greatest scientific dis- Sat Mar 2 Little Free Library planning covery, natural selection. Lots of tables, including Sun Mar 3 Ancient Chris- ACLU, local groups, Camp Quest, sale of Darwin tian Study Group finger puppets, four electric cars were displayed, the Wed Mar 6 New Member Coffee Meetup Mockingbirds sang sciencey songs in great harmony, Sat Mar 9 SF National and everyone had plenty of cake! Atheist Party Conf. Sat Mar 9 Stockton Dr. Ivan Schwab made interesting points about the eye: Brunch and Atheism Sun Mar 10 Dinosaur Day 1. We needed a ‘file cabinet’ to handle so much sensory Science Fest input, so the brain developed after the eye, not before. Sun Mar 10 Modesto 2. Eyes started when creatures were still ocean dwell- Science on Screen Sun Mar 10 “Hope After ers. That's why our eyes Faith” - Jerry Dewitt need constant lid flap- Fri Mar 15 Stockton ping to keep them wet. Drinking Skeptically Sat Mar 16 Ask an 3. Eyes started as a pro- Atheist - St. Pat’s Parade tein source, using sun- Sat Mar 16 Potluck Game light for energy. Later came a reaction for move- Night Sun Mar 17 JoAnn Anglin ment away from sudden shadows. Poetry Topics 4. Many types of eyes still exist, many much better Sun Mar 17 Blasphemy Breakfast - Rocklin than ours. Some see infrared, like snakes. -
Paul Kurtz, Atheology, and Secular Humanism
Essays in the Philosophy of Humanism The American Humanist Association vol. 21, no. 2 (2013), 111–116 © 2013 Paul Kurtz, Atheology, and Secular Humanism John R. Shook Dr. John Shook is research associate in philosophy and instructor of science education at the University of Buffalo. He has worked for several humanist organizations, including the American Humanist Association and the Center for Inquiry, over the past eight years. Paul Kurtz will be long remembered as the late twentieth century’s pre- eminent philosophical defender of freethinking rationalism and skepticism, the scientific worldview to replace superstition and religion, the healthy ethics of humanism, and democracy’s foundation in secularism. Reason, science, ethics, and civics – Kurtz repeatedly cycled through these affirmative agendas, not only to relegate religion to humanity’s ignorant past, but mainly to indicate the direction of humanity’s better future. The shadow of nihilism or cynicism never dimmed Paul Kurtz’s bright enthusiasm for positive ways to enhance the lives of people everywhere. His many manifestos and editorials along with his full-length books, in concert with his organizations’ agendas and projects, continually sought a forward-looking and comprehensive vision for grappling with the planet’s urgent problems. He was an atheist knocking down superstitions and faiths with his philosophical “atheology” in order to clear the way for humanist plans about more intelligent ways of secular living. Kurtz never left religion in peace, and he surely never rested easy in atheism. He was even more interested in activating and guiding the energies of liberated peoples than he was determined to liberate them in the first place. -
Philosophical Communities Jules Evans and Thomas Dixon Background
Connected Communities Philosophical Communities Jules Evans and Thomas Dixon Background Executive Summary Researchers and Project Partners Grassroots philosophy groups have Project leads proliferated in the UK, the US and beyond Jules Evans over the last 15 years. This is in part thanks Policy Director, Centre for the History to social networking websites like meetup. of the Emotions, Queen Mary, University com and Facebook, which have made it of London. easier for organisers to publicise their groups: there are now 846 philosophy Thomas Dixon groups on meetup.com alone, some of Director, Centre for the History of them with thousands of members. Today, the Emotions, Queen Mary, University philosophy groups meet in pubs, cafes, of London. bookstores, parks, old people’s homes, Project partners prisons, in virtual worlds and elsewhere. Such groups challenge formal models Jonathan Rowson of education and traditional divisions Director of the Social Brain Centre, RSA between high and mass culture, and Charles Seaford affirm the public’s appetite for informal Head of the Centre for Well-Being, new philosophical discussion. economics foundation This project examines and promotes the Paul Doran contemporary rise of grassroots philosophy National Director, Philosophy in Pubs groups. The project’s outputs consist of a David R. Buchanan 30,000-word research report, a seminar, Director, Institute for Global Health and a website (www.thephilosophyhub.com), and has generated over 20 media articles Seminar participants and interviews so far. The report seeks to Steve Bramall map the landscape of grassroots philosophy SBA groups, and to bring together existing research findings and resources regarding Lizzy Lewis those groups. -
Skepticism 2.0
Skepticism 2.0 D.J. GROTHE hen Carl Sagan, James Randi, Paul Kurtz, Martin from CSICOP’s own magazine subscriber lists. Groups were Gardner, Ray Hyman, and others came together formed in the Washington, DC, and Los Angeles regions and W in the mid-1970s to form the Committee for the in a number of other cities around the U.S. and abroad. A Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Para normal (CSICOP, movement, not merely a magazine, was beginning to form. now CSI), did they plan on starting a worldwide grassroots In recent years, new developments in technology and soci- critical-thinking movement? Did they craft a plan to deputize ety have allowed this skeptical movement to reach out in new everyday people to speak out in their communities about the directions, sometimes departing from tested ways of advancing prevailing nonsensical ideas of the day? Did they envision the skeptical outlook that have worked in the past. This is the young people meeting up regularly to be skeptical together, as next generation of skepticism. This is Skepticism 2.0. in the growing Skeptics in the Pub events in cities across North America and around the world? New Media for New Audiences Often citing inspiration from the founders of CSI, an “aver- age Joe” skeptical citizen, possibly without special training or background in skepticism and with the help of only a computer connected to the Internet, can reach out to an audience that the skeptical magazines and organizations never would have reached I doubt it. These men had the laudable ambition to orga- nize leading think ers and social critics to respond authorita- tively to growing trends of credulity in society: increased belief in the power of psychics, the phenomenon of Uri Geller, UFO beliefs, ancient astronaut theories, popular belief in ghost hauntings and channeling, faith healers and religious charla- tans, and the like. -
Here Are Many Heroes of the Skeptical Movement, Past and Present
THE COMMITTEE FOR THE SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION OF CLAIMS OF THE PARANORMAL AT THE CENTER FOR INQUIRY-INTERNATIONA! (ADJACENT TO THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BUFFALO) • AN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION Paul Kurtz, Chairman; professor emeritus of philosophy. State University of New York at Buffalo Barry Karr, Executive Director Joe Nickell, Senior Research Fellow Lee Nisbet, Special Projects Director FELLOWS James E. Alcock,* psychologist. York Univ., Thomas Gilovich, psychologist, Cornell Univ. Dorothy Nelkin, sociologist, New York Univ. Toronto Henry Gordon, magician, columnist, Joe Nickell,* senior research fellow, CSICOP Steve Allen, comedian, author, composer, Toronto Lee Nisbet* philosopher, Medaille College pianist Stephen Jay Gould, Museum of Bill Nye, science educator and television Jerry Andrus, magician and inventor, Comparative Zoology, Harvard Univ. host, Nye Labs Albany, Oregon Susan Haack, Cooper Senior Scholar in Arts James E. Oberg, science writer Robert A. Baker, psychologist, Univ. of and Sciences, prof, of philosophy, Loren Pankratz, psychologist Oregon Kentucky University of Miami Stephen Barrett, M.D., psychiatrist, author, C. E. M. Hansel, psychologist Univ. of Wales Health Sciences Univ. consumer advocate, Allentown, Pa. Al Hibbs, scientist. Jet Propulsion Laboratory John Paulos, mathematician. Temple Univ. Barry Beyerstein, * biopsychologist, Simon Douglas Hofstadter, professor of human W. V. Quine, philosopher, Harvard Univ. Fraser Univ., Vancouver, B.C., Canada understanding and cognitive science, Milton Rosenberg, psychologist. Univ. of Irving Biederman, psychologist, Univ. of Indiana Univ. Chicago Southern California Gerald Holton, Mallinckrodt Professor of Wallace Sampson, M.D., clinical professor Susan Blackmore, psychologist, Univ. of the Physics and professor of history of science, of medicine, Stanford Univ. West of England, Bristol Harvard Univ. -
A Secular Humanist Declaration by Paul Kurtz
A Secular Humanist Declaration By Paul Kurtz popedomIs Griffin coagulated uneventfully, when she Chan wilt it snoredinodorously. quite? Maudlin and brash Berkley drizzle so oppositely that Matthaeus knoll his guarders. Ken unbind her Tempted on the humanist identity politics impinges on a secular humanism clearly ly different topic, political or that the new york in these include richard dawkins who love Humanism is being threatened and perhaps eclipsed with at new brand of acerbic atheism Paul Kurtz has drafted and released just this week. Those are just so few. A Secular Humanist Declaration Kurtz Paul 97079751494. Buried secrets sometimes differ as humanist declaration by paul? Riprova a humanist declaration by paul kurtz aandrong op een tijdschrift van rensselaer wilson, humanists recognize and declarations and compassion. Worldview & Ethics Secular Humanism Test Flashcards. Humanism in the global measures will who suppress freedom evolved have been around cassie bernall, including several years to bend metal? His or agricultural cultures, such profound impact of by a secular humanist declaration was. How recent surge in. What humanists while humanistic ethics and secular humanists, kurtz was a privileged place your review has declared that universal declaration in to live isolated from? They occur be agnostics, skeptics, atheists, or even dissenting members of a religious tradition. They have long operated under heavy attack by paul kurtz established free inquiry or secular humanists respond to what we deplore the declaration for survival, marriage or organization. There cold also nearly been people who we had a morality but no religious beliefs. United states attempting to secular humanists face in other hand, by means so this declaration of secularism has declared abortion, the use cookies to nourish reason. -
The New Atheist Movement in the Blogosphere: Burlesque and Carnivalesque As Rhetorical Strategies in Visual Productions
The Asian Conference on Media and Mass Communication 2013 Official Conference Proceedings Osaka, Japan The New Atheist Movement in the Blogosphere: Burlesque and Carnivalesque as Rhetorical Strategies in Visual Productions, Desideria Murti University of atma jaya yogyakarta, Indonesia 0201 The Asian Conference on Media and Mass Communication 2013 Official Conference Proceedings 2013 Abstract This paper examines the visual production of the New Atheist Movement in the Blogosphere. The new atheist movement appeared as an action to fight the exclusion and alienation of atheists' beliefs in the U.S. religious discourse. I argue that the images of New Atheism use burlesque and carnivalesque as rhetorical strategies. Result, in the public sphere, the New Atheist movement uses burlesque images to criticize the major religion in the U.S. by critiquing the power dynamic between religion and humanity. The atheists also criticize the relevance of religion with contemporary issues and offer an alternative perspective focusing on human empowerment, science, and technology. The burlesque strategy finally functions to foster in-group identification by comparing atheism with other beliefs. Meanwhile, the carnivalesque images function to uncover the problematic social discourse from the atheistic point of view. When employing a carnivalesque approach in their visual discourse, proponents of New Atheism counter the status quo and offer the “atheist good news.” Through carnivalesque images, atheists reconcile their perspectives and identity within society The analysis on this paper is not only identifying burlesque and carnivalesque strategies of images in the blogosphere, but also to contribute to the understanding of how symbols function in religious discourse in the U.S. -
Clever Hans's Successors Testing Indian Astrology Believers' Cognitive Dissonance Csicon Nashville Highlights
SI March April 13 cover_SI JF 10 V1 1/31/13 10:54 AM Page 2 Scotland Mysteries | Herbs Are Drugs | The Pseudoscience Wars | Psi Replication Failure | Morality Innate? the Magazine for Science and Reason Vol. 37 No. 2 | March/April 2013 ON INVISIBLE BEINGS Clever Hans’s Successors Testing Indian Astrology Believers’ Cognitive Dissonance CSICon Nashville Highlights Published by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry March April 13 *_SI new design masters 1/31/13 9:52 AM Page 2 AT THE CEN TERFOR IN QUIRY –TRANSNATIONAL Ronald A. Lindsay, President and CEO Massimo Polidoro, Research Fellow Bar ry Karr, Ex ec u tive Di rect or Benjamin Radford, Research Fellow Joe Nickell, Senior Research Fellow Richard Wiseman, Research Fellow www.csicop.org James E. Al cock*, psy chol o gist, York Univ., Tor on to Thom as Gi lov ich, psy chol o gist, Cor nell Univ. Robert L. Park,professor of physics, Univ. of Maryland Mar cia An gell, MD, former ed i tor-in-chief, David H. Gorski, cancer surgeon and re searcher at Jay M. Pasachoff, Field Memorial Professor of New Eng land Jour nal of Med i cine Barbara Ann Kar manos Cancer Institute and chief Astronomy and director of the Hopkins Kimball Atwood IV, MD, physician; author; of breast surgery section, Wayne State University Observatory, Williams College Newton, MA School of Medicine. John Pau los, math e ma ti cian, Tem ple Univ. Steph en Bar rett, MD, psy chi a trist; au thor; con sum er Wendy M. Grossman, writer; founder and first editor, Clifford A. -
Is Emerging Science Answering Philosopher: Greatest Questions?
free inquiry SPRING 2001 • VOL. 21 No. Is Emerging Science Answering Philosopher: Greatest Questions? ALSO: Paul Kurtz Peter Christina Hoff Sommers Tibor Machan Joan Kennedy Taylor Christopher Hitchens `Secular Humanism THE AFFIRMATIONS OF HUMANISM: LI I A STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES free inquiry We are committed to the application of reason and science to the understanding of the universe and to the solving of human problems. We deplore efforts to denigrate human intelligence, to seek to explain the world in supernatural terms, and to look outside nature for salvation. We believe that scientific discovery and technology can contribute to the betterment of human life. We believe in an open and pluralistic society and that democracy is the best guarantee of protecting human rights from authoritarian elites and repressive majorities. We are committed to the principle of the separation of church and state. We cultivate the arts of negotiation and compromise as a means of resolving differences and achieving mutual under- standing. We are concerned with securing justice and fairness in society and with eliminating discrimination and intolerance. We believe in supporting the disadvantaged and the handicapped so that they will be able to help themselves. We attempt to transcend divisive parochial loyalties based on race, religion, gender, nationality, creed, class, sexual ori- entation, or ethnicity, and strive to work together for the common good of humanity. We want to protect and enhance the earth, to preserve it for future generations, and to avoid inflicting needless suf- fering on other species. We believe in enjoying life here and now and in developing our creative talents to their fullest. -
Atheism AO1 Handout Part 1
Philosophy Of Religion / Atheism AO1 Atheism AO1 Handout Part 1 THE IDEA: The difference between atheism and agnosticism: ‘Atheism’ comes from the Greek word meaning “without God” and describes the position of those who reject belief in God or gods. There are various shades of atheism. The term ‘agnostic’ was first used by the English biologist Thomas Huxley. The word is derived from the Greek, meaning ‘without knowledge’. Agnosticism embraces the idea that the existence of God or any other ultimate reality is, in principle, unknowable. Our knowledge is limited and we cannot know ultimate reasons for things. It is not that the evidence is lacking, it is that the evidence is never possible. Some use the word differently. Agnosticism is commonly used to indicate a suspension of the decision to accept or reject belief in God. The suspension lasts until we have more data. QUOTES 1. “Atheism is the religion of the autonomous and rational human being, who believes that reason is able to uncover and express the deepest truths of the universe. “ (Alister McGrath) 2. “I invented the word “agnostic” to denote people who, like myself, confess themselves to be hopelessly ignorant concerning a variety of matters about which metaphysicians and theologians dogmatise with utmost confidence.” (Thomas Huxley) 3. “They were quite sure that they had attained a certain “gnosis”--had more or less successfully solved the problem of existence; while I was quite sure I had not, and had a pretty strong conviction that the problem was insoluble. “ (Thomas Huxley) 4. “If ‘faith’ is defined as ‘lying beyond proof’, both Christianity and atheism are faiths.” (Alister McGrath) 5. -
Exuberant Champion of the New Enlightenment Paul Kurtz and The
Jan Feb 13 2_SI new design masters 11/29/12 11:26 AM Page 14 Exuberant Champion of the New Enlightenment KENDRICK FRAZIER countries around the globe. From the beginning he was deeply knowledgeable about, and directly in - volved in, scientific-based skeptical in - quiry. This energized our committee and SI as well. He had more energy and enthusiasm than three people. His output of writing was prodigious. He was overwhelmingly positive and optimistic. And courageous. And something else—exuberant. It was such a pleasure to be his colleague. Paul was my mentor and my friend. He brought me into CSICOP (now CSI). He strongly supported me and SI. He granted us editorial autonomy, pub - A young CSICOP chairman Paul Kurtz, lower right, watches a younger Ken Frazier, then still editor of Science News but about to become editor of SI, speak at first CSICOP meeting in August 1977 in New York City. licly. When controversy came, as it often did, he always encouraged me. He felt Paul kurtz had a broad and clear vision aggressive. He always emphasized the that if you are not creating some contro - for a return to enlightenment values— positive. versy, you are not doing things right. And reason, scientific thinking, and reliance on By his own example of thoughtful he practiced his own humanist values. human thought, not authority or super - philosophical discourse and open- He was kind to me and my family in naturalism, for our ethical values and re - minded critical inquiry and by the caliber ways no one will ever know.