In the debate over religion and religious violence, it's important to remember that there are viable non-religious alternatives â€" world views which have a lot to offer but which are both completely secular and completely lacking in any gods. Religious believers sometimes object to atheist critics by asking what they have to offer in place of religion; atheism itself is not a philosophy and thus not an alternative to religion secular humanism, however, is well suited to that task.
Summary
Title: What Is Secular Humanism?
Author: Paul Kurtz
Publisher: Prometheus Books
ISBN: 1591024994
Pro:
• Easy introduction to complex philosophical ideas
• Approachable text for people who wouldn’t otherwise read about secular humanism
Con:
• Perhaps a bit short for most readers, especially secular humanists
Description:
• Short introduction to secular humanism
• Written by Paul Kurtz, founder and chairman of the Council for Secular Humanism
Book Review
Unfortunately, too few people really understand what secular humanism is. There is a lot of misinformation out there, much of it spread by conservative, evangelical Christians who try to blame secular humanism for every evil under the sun â€" at least when they aren't blaming communism, Wicca, or something else they dislike. For this reason it's important to have a good source of information about what secularism humanism is, what it is not, and what it has to offer.
There are a number of books out there about secular humanism which offer a great deal of information. How easy is it, though, to get people to read long, detailed books about a philosophy which they may be suspicious of already? What humanists and atheists need is something shorter, approachable, and easy to read. Paul Kurtz's 62-page What Is Secular Humanism? should fit the bill. It's long enough to address many different and important issues, but short enough for most people to read in one sitting â€" and be willing to read in the first place.
First, Kurtz traces the history of secular humanism from the early Greek philosophers down through contemporary humanists. This is important because so many people have been told that secular humanism is a modern, atheistic conspiracy against Christianity â€" they don't realize that many of the principles of modern humanism antedate Christianity and have become part of the fabric of Western culture. Once they realize the truth, perhaps they will be less suspicious of it.
What Is Secular Humanism? by Paul Kurtz
Image Courtesy PriceGrabber Next Kurtz explores six important characteristics of secular humanism: the emphasis on methods rather than conclusions, naturalism, non-theism, ethics, democracy, and a planetary scope. None of these are completely unique to secular humanism and they can be found in other aspects of Western culture. This isn't a disadvantage, though, because it should help people recognize their value. Putting them all together, though, is what creates a secular world view which provides an alternative to traditional, theistic, and supernatural religions. Because people can relate to, understand, and accept each individually, then there is some hope for them being able and willing to consciously adopt them as a unit.
If you already have a couple books on the basis of secular humanism, it's unlikely that you will find anything new in this work. It doesn't break any new ground or raise any new issues that you haven't already read about elsewhere. If you are looking for something short and approachable to offer to others to better help them understand secular humanism, then this would be a very good choice. It would also be something good to add to library collections to introduce patrons to secular humanist philosophy and history.
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