- Paperback: 62 pages
- Publisher: Prometheus Books; Pmplt edition (1 April 2006)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1591024994
- ISBN-13: 978-1591024996
- Product Dimensions: 21.4 x 13.6 x 0.5 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 739,633 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Description
Are there any ethical values and principles that non-religious individuals can live by? In a time when many have forsaken otherworldly religions, what does human life mean? What is its significance? Secular humanism attempts to answer these questions in a way that resonates with human aspirations and the findings of science. In this succinct, engaging overview of the secular humanist perspective, philosopher Paul Kurtz describes the many ways in which secular humanism's scientific, philosophical, and ethical outlook has exerted a profound influence on civilisation from the ancient world to the present. Today many schools of thought broadly identify with humanist ideas and values. But Kurtz suggests that secular humanism is especially suitable for the needs of our increasingly secular world because it rejects supernatural accounts of reality and seeks to optimise the fullness of human life in a naturalistic universe. In tune with the most progressive trends of the contemporary world, secular humanism finds meaning in life here and now and expresses confidence in the power of human beings to solve their problems and conquer uncharted frontiers. Kurtz concludes by emphasising that secular humanism is a bold new paradigm, which weaves together many historical threads, while adding much more that is relevant to our rapidly emerging planetary civilisation.
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6 reviews
37 of 42 people found the following review helpful
Pay attention to the page count
4 May 2007
Format:Paperback
I was really looking forward to this book and had it on pre-order for months. Unfortunately, I never noticed that it was only 42 pages long. Actually, there are only 25 pages of content. 25 pages for $9.95!?!? I didn't realize I was paying almost $10 for a leaflet. There are much better, meatier introductions to Secular Humanism out there.
12 of 15 people found the following review helpful
A small but packed book
7 Jun 2008
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
There are few American philosophers better qualified to write on secular humanism than Paul Kurtz, and his What Is Secular Humanism? attests to that fact. This small book, which is actually the text of an article Kurtz wrote for the New Encyclopedia of Unbelief, is a very good primer on the conceptual structure of secular humanism. Perhaps because he's a philosopher, Kurtz doesn't merely offer assertions and descriptions (as other introductory texts on humanism--e.g., Jim Herrick's Humanism: An Introduction--do). Instead, he seeks to provide arguments that defend humanism's basic conclusions.
The substance of Kurtz's argument is the book's second half, "A New Paradigm" (in the first half, he offers a quick look at the history of humanism). According to Kurtz, the humanist paradigm has six main characteristics: (1) a scientific method of inquiry; (2) a naturalistic cosmology; (3) a nontheistic orientation; (4) a commitment to naturalistic ethics; (5) a commitment to democratic forms of governance; and (6) a commitment to international cooperation. It might be argued that several of these characteristics aren't really unique to humanism. But to give Kurtz his due, his point seems to be that the convergence of them all constitutes secular humanism.
In discussing these six characteristics, Kurtz especially shines in his treatment of naturalism and naturalistic ethics. In discussing naturalism, for example, he points out that "nature cannot be reduced simply to its material components; a full account also must deal with the various emergent levels at which matter is organized and functions" (pp. 26-27). In doing so, Kurtz avoids simplistic reductionism. When it comes to his defense of naturalistic ethics, Kurtz summarizes his position of objective relativism, which he elaborated on in his Forbidden Fruit: The Ethics of Secularism (reprint, 2008), and argues that "three key humanist virtues are courage, cognition, and caring--not dependence, ignorance, or insensitivity to the needs of others" (p. 38).
Kurtz concludes his book with an excellent four-page bibliography. All in all, probably the single best short introduction to secular humanism available.
The substance of Kurtz's argument is the book's second half, "A New Paradigm" (in the first half, he offers a quick look at the history of humanism). According to Kurtz, the humanist paradigm has six main characteristics: (1) a scientific method of inquiry; (2) a naturalistic cosmology; (3) a nontheistic orientation; (4) a commitment to naturalistic ethics; (5) a commitment to democratic forms of governance; and (6) a commitment to international cooperation. It might be argued that several of these characteristics aren't really unique to humanism. But to give Kurtz his due, his point seems to be that the convergence of them all constitutes secular humanism.
In discussing these six characteristics, Kurtz especially shines in his treatment of naturalism and naturalistic ethics. In discussing naturalism, for example, he points out that "nature cannot be reduced simply to its material components; a full account also must deal with the various emergent levels at which matter is organized and functions" (pp. 26-27). In doing so, Kurtz avoids simplistic reductionism. When it comes to his defense of naturalistic ethics, Kurtz summarizes his position of objective relativism, which he elaborated on in his Forbidden Fruit: The Ethics of Secularism (reprint, 2008), and argues that "three key humanist virtues are courage, cognition, and caring--not dependence, ignorance, or insensitivity to the needs of others" (p. 38).
Kurtz concludes his book with an excellent four-page bibliography. All in all, probably the single best short introduction to secular humanism available.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Very short and simple
29 Aug 2010
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I was very dissapointed with how thin this book was, but I figured I would give it a shot. I laughed when I saw how large the print was and how big the margins were. Also the author filled the books with unneeded photos. This book is more like a flyer on the subject and should really be free. Decent info, but not much of it.
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