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[ PAUL KURTZ IN MEMORIAM

Courage, Optimism, and Thinking Big: An Exuberant Life Well Lived

At the Center for Inquiry’s 12th World tive scientific skepticism. See his Hu - Congress, Bethesda, Maryland, April 9– manist Manifestos, and his Affirma - 12, 2009, Paul Kurtz was honored for his tions of Humanism and his Affirma - lifetime contributions as founder and tions of the new Skepticism. One leader of CFI. On learning of the forth - small sentence from the latter: “We ask coming honor, Kurtz asked that Kendrick for facts, not suppositions; experimental Frazier , Editor of the SKEPTICAL IN- evidence, not anecdotal hearsay or con - quIRER and a member of both the CFI and jecture; logical inference and deduction, Committee for Skeptical Inquiry boards, be not faith or intuition.” the one to present him the award. Here are Frazier’s remarks: Of all his many qualities, I want to emphasize two. They are related. We would not be here today if not for Courage and an extraordinarily posi - Paul kurtz. tive outlook. When others think small, There would be no Center for In - he thinks big. When others dither, he quiry World Congress. says do . When others would retract, he There would be no CFI. would expand. Where others see prob - There would be no Council for Sec - lems, he sees opportunity. He stresses ular Humanism. • Author or editor of well over thirty not negativism but the affirming values There would be no Committee for books, with more under way. To men - of humanism and of skepticism. Skeptical Inquiry. tion just a few I have on my own There would be no modern complex He believes strongly in (to borrow his shelves: The Transcendental Tempta - of buildings housing these enterprises in own words from his latest essay in Free tion , The New Skepticism , Skeptical Amherst, new York, across from the Inquiry ), “a set of common moral virtues Odysseys , Embracing the Power of Hu - State university of new York at Buffalo. that cut across cultures—such as being manism , The Courage to Become: The There would be no network of CFI truthful, honest, kind, keeping promises, Virtues of Humanism , Forbidden Fruit: regional centers in this country and being dependable and re sponsible, avoid - The Ethics of Humanism , and my fa - worldwide. ing cruelty, etc.” He has lived life to its vorite title of all: Exuberance: A Philos - There would be no network of local, fullest, with exuberance and extraordi - ophy of Happiness. regional, and national skeptics groups. nary service to others. By elucidating, liv - • An entrepreneur who creates and runs like all of us here, I have enormous ing, and advancing strong missions, eth - organizations, international or gan iza- admiration, respect, and affection for ical credos, and causes greater than tions, movements, really. non profit Paul. It has been my privilege to have ourselves, he inspires us all to try some - organizations, many of them (including worked closely with you, Paul, for nearly how to do the same. those I’ve mentioned), and a noted a third of a century. He is, truly, one of Some years back Paul coined a new book publishing company (Pro me theus the world’s extraordinary persons. (If he term, , from the Greek roots Books). A philosopher/entrepreneur! eupraxophy really is a single person. For all he does Who would have imagined! for good/well, conduct/practice, and sci - and all he has accomplished, many of us • An international diplomat. That’s an - entific and philosophic wisdom. He de - have long suspected he must be at least other way I think of him. With his in - fines eupraxophy as “a set of convictions three different people all wrapped up ternationalist perspective and his drive and practices offering a cosmic outlook into one human body. Maybe we at the to bring diverse people from all over and an ethical guide to life.” SkePTICAl InquIrer should look into the world together to work toward And, not surprisingly, he wrote a this phenomenon more carefully.) common causes. book by the same title. • A professor of philosophy, a scholar, • An inspiring leader who has extraor - For his extraordinary leadership to and an intellectual yet very pragmatic dinary vision—always focused on big the causes of humanism and scientific philosopher, who writes about not ar - goals, big tasks, big ideas. skepticism, his lifetime of accomplish - cane academic disputes but how life • The father and great philosopher of the ment, and his moral and ethical guid - should best be lived, taught thirty modern secular humanism movement, ance, I am pleased and honored to pres - years at SunY Buffalo, and retired to and certainly a father of the modern ent to Paul this very special award, The emeritus status with great distinction. movement for open-minded, affirma - Eupraxopher Award .

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