Why the father of secular humanism warned against the lure of magical thinking.
In short: Paul Kurtz, a philosopher and skeptic, spent decades defining secular humanism as a positive, rational alternative to religion. He argued that humans possess a natural, deep-seated tendency toward the supernatural—a phenomenon he called the transcendental temptation—which requires active, scientific investigation to overcome rather than passive philosophical doubt.
Born in 1925, Paul Kurtz was a central figure in the secular movement, founding major organizations like the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and the Center for Inquiry. His intellectual journey was shaped by his experiences in World War II, where witnessing the horrors of concentration camps and the realities of Soviet labor camps left him deeply wary of rigid ideologies. This skepticism eventually evolved into a lifelong project to strip humanism of its religious trappings, moving it away from the 'religious humanism' of the early 20th century toward a secular, naturalistic framework.
Kurtz coined the term 'eupraxsophy'—derived from Greek roots for good, practice, and wisdom—to describe nonreligious life stances that emphasize ethical living through logic and observation. He believed that secularism should not merely be a rejection of faith, but an affirmative, exuberant philosophy. His most influential work, The Transcendental Temptation, explored why humans consistently return to magical thinking, analyzing everything from traditional religious figures to modern psychics. He advocated for 'Skepticism of the Third Kind,' a proactive approach where skeptics rigorously investigate paranormal claims rather than simply questioning them from afar.
Despite his immense influence, Kurtz’s later years were marked by internal friction. In 2010, he resigned from the organizations he founded amid leadership disputes, only to immediately launch the Institute for Science and Human Values. Even at the end of his life, he remained committed to his vision, urging a more accommodationist approach to religion while his successors pushed for a more adversarial stance. Today, his legacy persists through his extensive body of work, the lecture series at the State University of New York at Buffalo, and the asteroid 6629 Kurtz, which orbits in his honor.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Paul Kurtz
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