Skepticism And Humanism
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Skepticism And Humanism
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Author : Paul Kurtz
language : en
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Release Date : 2023-05-31
Skepticism And Humanism written by Paul Kurtz and has been published by Taylor & Francis this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2023-05-31 with Philosophy categories.
As we begin the third millennium there is cause for cautious optimism regarding the human prospect. Democratic revolutions and the doctrine of universal human rights have captured the imagination of large sectors of humanity, while major advances in science and technology continue to conquer disease and extend life, contributing to rising standards of living, affluence, and cultural freedom on a worldwide basis. Paradoxically, at the same time ancient authoritarian fundamentalist religions have grown in vitriolic intensity along with bizarre New Age, media-driven paranormal belief systems. Also surprising is the resurgence of primitive tribal and ethnic loyalties, unleashing wars of intolerance and bitterness. In Skepticism and Humanism, Paul Kurtz locates these threatening developments within a long-standing and largely unchallenged theological worldview. He proposes, as an alternative to religion, a new cultural paradigm rooted in scientific naturalism, rationalism, and a humanistic outlook. An estimated 60 percent of scientists are atheists or agnostics. However, the skeptical world view has been given little currency even in advanced societies, because of a cultural prohibition against the criticism of religion. At the same time, science has become increasingly narrow and specialized so that few people can draw on its broader intellectual and cultural implications. Skepticism and Humanism attempts to meet this need. It defends skepticism as a method for developing reliable knowledge by using scientific inquiry and reason to test all claims to truth. It also defends scientific naturalism-an evolutionary view of nature, life, and the human species. Kurtz sees the dominant religious doctrines as drawn from an agricultural/nomadic past, and emphasizes the need for a new outlook applicable to the postindustrial information age. At the same time, he rejects postmodernism for abandoning science and embracing a form of nihilism. There can be no doubt that as a new global civilization emerges, scientific naturalism, rationalism, and secular humanism have something significant to say about the meaning of life. Skepticism and Humanism shows how they can to foster democratic values and social prosperity. The book will be important for philosophers, scientists, and all those concerned with contemporary issues.
Skepticism And Humanism
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Author : Paul Kurtz
language : en
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Release Date : 2023-05-31
Skepticism And Humanism written by Paul Kurtz and has been published by Taylor & Francis this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2023-05-31 with Philosophy categories.
As we begin the third millennium there is cause for cautious optimism regarding the human prospect. Democratic revolutions and the doctrine of universal human rights have captured the imagination of large sectors of humanity, while major advances in science and technology continue to conquer disease and extend life, contributing to rising standards of living, affluence, and cultural freedom on a worldwide basis. Paradoxically, at the same time ancient authoritarian fundamentalist religions have grown in vitriolic intensity along with bizarre New Age, media-driven paranormal belief systems. Also surprising is the resurgence of primitive tribal and ethnic loyalties, unleashing wars of intolerance and bitterness. In Skepticism and Humanism, Paul Kurtz locates these threatening developments within a long-standing and largely unchallenged theological worldview. He proposes, as an alternative to religion, a new cultural paradigm rooted in scientific naturalism, rationalism, and a humanistic outlook. An estimated 60 percent of scientists are atheists or agnostics. However, the skeptical world view has been given little currency even in advanced societies, because of a cultural prohibition against the criticism of religion. At the same time, science has become increasingly narrow and specialized so that few people can draw on its broader intellectual and cultural implications. Skepticism and Humanism attempts to meet this need. It defends skepticism as a method for developing reliable knowledge by using scientific inquiry and reason to test all claims to truth. It also defends scientific naturalism-an evolutionary view of nature, life, and the human species. Kurtz sees the dominant religious doctrines as drawn from an agricultural/nomadic past, and emphasizes the need for a new outlook applicable to the postindustrial information age. At the same time, he rejects postmodernism for abandoning science and embracing a form of nihilism. There can be no doubt that as a new global civilization emerges, scientific naturalism, rationalism, and secular humanism have something significant to say about the meaning of life. Skepticism and Humanism shows how they can to foster democratic values and social prosperity. The book will be important for philosophers, scientists, and all those concerned with contemporary issues.
Dictionary Of Atheism Skepticism Humanism
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Author : Bill Cooke
language : en
Publisher:
Release Date : 2006
Dictionary Of Atheism Skepticism Humanism written by Bill Cooke and has been published by this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2006 with Philosophy categories.
This dictionary will serve as a guide for all those people striving to lead fulfilling, morally responsible lives without religious belief.
Life After Faith
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Author : Philip Kitcher
language : en
Publisher: Yale University Press
Release Date : 2014-10-28
Life After Faith written by Philip Kitcher and has been published by Yale University Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2014-10-28 with Philosophy categories.
Although there is no shortage of recent books arguing against religion, few offer a positive alternative—how anyone might live a fulfilling life without the support of religious beliefs. This enlightening book fills the gap. Philip Kitcher constructs an original and persuasive secular perspective, one that answers human needs, recognizes the objectivity of values, and provides for the universal desire for meaningfulness. Kitcher thoughtfully and sensitively considers how secularism can respond to the worries and challenges that all people confront, including the issue of mortality. He investigates how secular lives compare with those of people who adopt religious doctrines as literal truth, as well as those who embrace less literalistic versions of religion. Whereas religious belief has been important in past times, Kitcher concludes that evolution away from religion is now essential. He envisions the successors to religious life, when the senses of identity and community traditionally fostered by religion will instead draw on a broader range of cultural items—those provided by poets, filmmakers, musicians, artists, scientists, and others. With clarity and deep insight, Kitcher reveals the power of secular humanism to encourage fulfilling human lives built on ethical truth.
Making Sense Of God
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Author : Timothy Keller
language : en
Publisher: Hachette UK
Release Date : 2016-09-22
Making Sense Of God written by Timothy Keller and has been published by Hachette UK this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2016-09-22 with Religion categories.
We live in an age of scepticism. Our society places such faith in empirical reason, historical progress, and heartfelt emotion that it's easy to wonder: why should anyone believe in Christianity? What role can faith and religion play in our modern lives? In this thoughtful and inspiring book, pastor and New York Times bestselling author Timothy Keller invites sceptics to consider that Christianity is as relevant now as ever. As human beings, we cannot live without meaning, satisfaction, freedom, identity, justice and hope - and Christianity provides us with unsurpassed resources to meet all these needs. Written for both sceptic and believer, Making Sense of God shines a light on the profound value and importance of Christianity in our lives.
Exuberant Skepticism
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Author : Paul Kurtz
language : en
Publisher: Prometheus Books
Release Date : 2010-10-29
Exuberant Skepticism written by Paul Kurtz and has been published by Prometheus Books this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2010-10-29 with Philosophy categories.
For more than three decades, philosopher Paul Kurtz has been a strong advocate of skepticism, not only as a philosophical position, but also as a fulfilling way of life. Contrary to the view that skepticism is merely a negative, nay saying, or debunking stance toward commonly held beliefs, skepticism as defined by Kurtz emerges reborn as "skeptical inquiry"—a decidedly positive philosophy ready and able to change the world. In this definitive collection, editor John R. Shook has gathered together seventeen of Paul Kurtz’s most penetrating and insightful writings. Altogether these essays build an affirmative case for what can be known based on sound common sense, reason, and scientific method. And as each essay cogently and convincingly explains, so much can be known, from the natural world around us to the moral responsibilities among us. The work is organized in four topical sections. In the first, "Reasons to Be Skeptical," Kurtz presents compelling reasons why the methods of inquiry used by the sciences deserve respect. In short, science provides reliable knowledge, without which humanity would never have emerged from the age of myth and widespread ignorance. In the second section, "Skepticism and the Non-Natural," Kurtz shows how skeptical inquiry can be fruitfully used to critique both paranormal claims and religious worldviews. He also investigates whether science and religion can be compatible. In the third section, "Skepticism in the Human World," he considers how skeptical inquiry can be applied to politics, ethics, and pursuit of the good life. Realizing the essential connections between scientific knowledge, technological power, and social progress, Kurtz has understood, as few philosophers ever have, how the methods of intelligence can be applied to all areas of human endeavor. The book concludes with Kurtz’s authoritative reflections on the skeptical movement that he founded and has led. As he explains, the forces of blind faith and stubborn unreason still fight for control of the mind, so the skeptic can never rest. If there is a brighter future for humanity, a future in which every person enjoys a realistic opportunity for the pursuit of excellence, Kurtz’s ‘exuberant skepticism’ can show us the way.
The Confessionalization Of Humanism In Reformation Germany
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Author : Erika Rummel
language : en
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Release Date : 2000-08-17
The Confessionalization Of Humanism In Reformation Germany written by Erika Rummel and has been published by Oxford University Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2000-08-17 with Religion categories.
This book deals with the impact of the Reformation debate in Germany on the most prominent intellectual movement of the time: humanism. Although it is true that humanism influenced the course of the Reformation, says Erika Rummel, the dynamics of the relationship are better described by saying that humanism was co-opted, perhaps even exploited, in the religious debate.
Humanism Of The Other
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Author : Emmanuel Lévinas
language : en
Publisher: University of Illinois Press
Release Date : 2003
Humanism Of The Other written by Emmanuel Lévinas and has been published by University of Illinois Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2003 with Philosophy categories.
This work, a philosophical reaction to prevailing nihilism in the 1960's is urgent reading today when a new sort of nihilism, parading in the very garments of humanism, threatens to engulf our civilization. ---- A key text in Levinas' work, introduces the concept of the humanity of each human being as only understood and discovered through understanding the humanity of others first.
Skepticism A Note On The Philosophical School
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Author : Pons Malleus
language : en
Publisher: Pons Malleus
Release Date : 2025-07-02
Skepticism A Note On The Philosophical School written by Pons Malleus and has been published by Pons Malleus this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2025-07-02 with Philosophy categories.
Skepticism, as a philosophical school of thought, has endured for over two millennia not by offering certainties, but by persistently questioning them. This book is an exploration of skepticism—not as a rejection of knowledge, but as a method of inquiry, a disciplined doubt, and a guide for navigating the boundaries of belief and understanding. From its roots in ancient Greece to its reverberations in modern epistemology and science, skepticism has played a crucial role in shaping the intellectual history of the West. Figures like Pyrrho, Sextus Empiricus, and later René Descartes and David Hume, each in their own way, questioned the reliability of perception, the trustworthiness of reason, and the foundations of knowledge itself. But skepticism is not monolithic. There are radical skeptics, who doubt the possibility of knowledge altogether, and mitigated or academic skeptics, who temper doubt with practical engagement in the world. This book does not aim to champion skepticism as the final philosophical stance, nor to dismiss it as an intellectual dead end. Instead, it presents skepticism as a vital tradition that serves an indispensable role in philosophy: it compels us to re-examine our assumptions, to clarify our justifications, and to resist the seduction of easy answers. In a world increasingly saturated with information and opinion, skepticism reminds us that the mere possession of data does not equate to wisdom—and that humility in the face of uncertainty is a virtue, not a weakness. The structure of this book reflects the breadth and evolution of skeptical thought. It begins with the historical foundations—tracing the origins of skepticism in ancient Greek philosophy, particularly in Pyrrhonism and the Academic Skeptics. It then explores how skepticism was received and reinterpreted by medieval thinkers and transformed during the Enlightenment. Particular attention is given to Descartes’ methodological doubt, which paradoxically used skepticism to seek indubitable truths, and Hume’s empiricist skepticism, which challenged the very coherence of causality and the self. The book then shifts to contemporary engagements with skepticism, especially in the realms of epistemology, science, ethics, and even technology. Here, we confront questions that are as pressing today as they were in antiquity: What can we know? How do we know it? And what should we do when certainty is out of reach? These questions are not just abstract puzzles for philosophers; they underlie our political discourse, scientific progress, and personal decisions. Skepticism is often misunderstood as cynicism or nihilism. But genuine philosophical skepticism is neither despairing nor paralyzing. It is an attitude of critical vigilance. It refuses to accept belief without adequate justification and demands that truth be earned, not assumed. It is uncomfortable, often inconvenient—but profoundly necessary. As you read through these pages, I invite you not merely to observe the skeptical tradition from a distance, but to engage with it actively. Allow yourself to doubt, to question, and to reconsider what you think you know. Whether you emerge from this book more skeptical or more confident in your beliefs is less important than whether you have learned to examine them more carefully. Philosophy begins in wonder, but it survives through skepticism. This book is a journey into that skeptical spirit—a spirit that challenges us not to settle for certainty, but to strive, always, for understanding.
Humanism And The Rhetoric Of Toleration
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Author : Gary Remer
language : en
Publisher: Penn State Press
Release Date : 2010-11-01
Humanism And The Rhetoric Of Toleration written by Gary Remer and has been published by Penn State Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2010-11-01 with Religion categories.
Religious toleration is much discussed these days. But where did the Western notion of toleration come from? In this thought-provoking book Gary Remer traces arguments for religious toleration back to the Renaissance, demonstrating how humanist thinkers initiated an intellectual tradition that has persisted even to our present day. Although toleration has long been recognized as an important theme in Renaissance humanist thinking, many scholars have mistakenly portrayed the humanists as proto-Englightenment rationalists and nascent liberals. Remer, however, offers the surprising conclusion that humanist thinking on toleration was actually founded on the classical tradition of rhetoric. It was the rhetorician's commitment to decorum, the ability to argue both sides of an issue, and the search for an acceptable epistemological standard in probability and consensus that grounded humanist arguments for toleration. Remer also finds that the primary humanist model for a full-fledged theory of toleration was the Ciceronian rhetorical category of sermo (conversation). The historical scope of this book is wide-ranging. Remer begins by focusing on the works of four humanists: Desiderius Erasmus, Jacobus Acontius, William Chillingworth, and Jean Bodin. Then he considers the challenge posed to the humanist defense of toleration by Thomas Hobbes and Pierre Bayle. Finally, he shows how humanist ideas have continued to influence arguments for toleration even after the passing of humanism&—from John Locke to contemporary American discussions of freedom of speech.