Journal: Global Journal of Classical Theology
Volume: GJCT 10:3 (Feb 2013)
Article: Bound To Earth: The Secular Humanism Of Paul Kurtz
Author: James Barta

Bound To Earth: The Secular Humanism Of Paul Kurtz

James Barta

Patrick Henry College

Paul Kurtz (1925-present) is a publisher, philosopher, educator, and writer best known for his promotion of secular humanism, a system of thought encompassing “a method of inquiry, a cosmic world view, a life stance, and a set of social values.”1 Kurtz describes his own life as dominated by “a commitment to critical intelligence” and by “a belief in the importance of human courage, particularly in defending reason in society and in attempting to reconstruct ethical values so that they are more democratic and humane.”2 This paper briefly introduces the person of Paul Kurtz before exploring and critiquing his thought as it relates to Christianity.

An Introduction To Kurtz

Paul Kurtz received his Ph.D. at Columbia University and currently is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the State University of New York at Buffalo.3 Throughout his life, Kurtz involved himself with numerous organizations promoting humanism and skepticism, in addition to authoring forty-eight books and over 850 articles. He is the founder of the Council for Secular Humanism, is a former Co-President of the International Humanist and Ethical Union, is a Humanist Laureate, and is the President of the International Academy of Humanism. 4To promote humanism through writing, he founded Prometheus Books in 1969, which was the first major publisher of humanist thought, co-founded the Skeptical Inquirer, and has edited the Free Inquiry Magazine since 1980.5 To promote critical intelligence, he chairs the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal and the Center for Inquiry, Transnational, and is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.6

The Philosophy Of Kurtz

In promoting humanism, Kurtz believes himself to be following Socrates, Mill, and Kant in the pursuit of a rational philosophy that critically examines traditional beliefs.7 More recently, Paul Kurtz follows upon the first Humanist Manifesto, which sought to give “a new statement of the means and purposes of religion” without the need for God.8 Kurtz followed this path in the Humanist Manifesto II (1973).9 Evangelicals responded by attacking humanism a...