Paul Kurtz Quotes

• The meaning of life is not to be discovered only after death in some hidden, mysterious realm; on the contrary, it can be found by eating the succulent fruit of the Tree of Life and by living in the here and now as fully and creatively as we can.

  Paul Kurtz

  Life And Love, Tree, Fruit

  Paul Kurtz “Toward a New Enlightenment: The Philosophy of Paul Kurtz”, Transaction Publishers

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• The beginning of wisdom is the awareness that there is insufficient evidence that a god or gods have created us and the recognition that we are responsible in part for our own destiny. Human beings can achieve this good life, but it is by the cultivation of the virtues of intelligence and courage, not faith and obedience, that we will most likely be able to do so.

  Paul Kurtz

  Good Life, Destiny, Atheism

  Paul Kurtz (1986). “The Transcendental Temptation: A Critique of Religion and the Paranormal”

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• La vida humana no tiene sentido por sí misma. No existe ninguna fuerza cósmica o deidad que le dé sentido o significado. No existe un destino último para el hombre. Tal creencia es una ilusión de la infancia de la humanidad. El sentido de la vida es el que nosotros decidamos darle. El sentido surge únicamente de los propósitos humanos. La naturaleza nos ofrece un abanico infinito de oportunidades, pero sólo nuestra visión y nuestra acción seleccionan y realizan las que deseamos.

  Paul Kurtz

  Independent, Opportunity, Destiny

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• Humanists hold that ethical values are relative to human experience and need not be derived from theological or metaphysical foundations.

  Paul Kurtz

  Atheism, Foundation, Needs

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• It is not the courage to be that we must develop as much as the courage to become. We are responsible for our destiny. The meaning of life is not located in some hidden crevice in the womb of nature but is created by free persons, who are aware that they are responsible for their own futures and have the courage to take this project into their own hands.

  Paul Kurtz

  Courage, Destiny, Hands

  Paul Kurtz (1994). “Living Without Religion: Eupraxophy”

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• Only a fool of a scientist would dismiss the evidence and reports
  in front of him and substitute his own beliefs in their place.

  Paul Kurtz

  Fool, Belief, Scientist

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• No diety will save us; we must save ourselves.

  Paul Kurtz

  Religion, Atheism

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• Secular humanism is avowedly non-religious. It is a eupraxsophy (good practical wisdom), which draws its basic principles and ethical values from science, ethics, and philosophy.

  Paul Kurtz

  Religious, Philosophy, Atheism

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• A skeptic is one who is willing to question any truth claim, asking for clarity in definition, consistency in logic, and adequacy of evidence.

  Paul Kurtz

  Consistency, Adequacy, Asking

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• Skepticism is essential to the quest for knowledge, for it is in the seedbed of puzzlement that genuine inquiry takes root. Without skepticism, we may remain mired in unexamined belief systems that are accepted as sacrosanct yet have no factual basis in reality.

  Paul Kurtz

  Reality, Roots, Essentials

  Paul Kurtz “Skepticism and Humanism: The New Paradigm”, Transaction Publishers

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• The overriding need is "to develop a new Planetary Humanism" that will seek to preserve human rights and enhance human freedom and dignity and will emphasize our commitment "to humanity as a whole." The underlying ethical principle "is the need to respect the dignity and worth of all persons in the world community." Thinkers as diverse as Peter Singer and Hans Küng also emphasize the need for a new global ethic beyond nationalistic, racial, religious, and ethnic chauvinism.

  Paul Kurtz

  Religious, Commitment, Ethical Principles

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• UFO mythology is similar to the message of the classical religions where God sends his Angels as emissaries who offer salvation to those who accept the faith and obey his Prophets. Today, the chariots of the gods are UFOs. What we are witnessing in the past half century is the spawning of a New Age religion.

  Paul Kurtz

  Angel, Past, Age

  Paul Kurtz “Skepticism and Humanism: The New Paradigm”, Transaction Publishers

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• Three key humanist virtues are courage, cognition, and caring - not dependence, ignorance, or insensitivity to the needs of others.

  Paul Kurtz

  Ignorance, Caring, Keys

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• The theist can only find meaning by leaving this life for a transcendental world beyond the grave. The human world as he finds it is empty of 'ultimate purpose' and hence meaningless. Theism thus is an attempt to escape from the human condition; it is a pathetic deceit.

  Paul Kurtz

  Leaving, Atheism, Deceit

  Paul Kurtz “Toward a New Enlightenment: The Philosophy of Paul Kurtz”, Transaction Publishers

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• El escéptico no se hace ilusiones sobre la vida, ni cree vanamente en la promesa de la inmortalidad. Puesto que esta vida aquí y ahora es todo lo que podemos conocer, nuestra opción más razonable es vivirla plenamente.

  Paul Kurtz

  Promise, Atheism, Belief

  Paul Kurtz (1986). “The Transcendental Temptation: A Critique of Religion and the Paranormal”

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• We are not simply intellectual creatures. We wish to make love, to enjoy a gourmet dinner, to jog in the park, to cheer lustily at a ball game, to engage in spirited conversation with our friends, to play bridge or tennis, travel to exotic places, struggle with others to build a better world, and to enjoy the arts. The arts are so vital because they help to make life worth living. Music, poetry, literature, paintings, dance, and the theater are among our richest joys...The fine arts contribute immeasurably to the good life and that is why we cherish them.

  Paul Kurtz

  Art, Good Life, Cheer

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• Homo religiosus invents religious symbols, which he venerates and worships to save him from facing the finality of his death and dissolution. He devises paradise fictions to provide succor and support... In acts of supreme self-deception, at various times and in various places he has been willing to profess belief in the most incredible myths because of what they have promised him.

  Paul Kurtz

  Religious, Self, Support

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• Life, when fully lived under a variety of cultural conditions, can be euphoric and optimistic; it can be a joy to experience and a wonder to behold.

  Paul Kurtz

  Optimistic, Joy, Enthusiasm

  Paul Kurtz (2010). “Forbidden Fruit: The Ethics of Secularism”, p.298, Prometheus Books

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• Parents have no right to impose their religion on their children... A Fundamentalist Protestant parent has no right to expect the state to support his own narrow conception of education.

  Paul Kurtz

  Christian, Religious, Children

  Paul Kurtz “Toward a New Enlightenment: The Philosophy of Paul Kurtz”, Transaction Publishers

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• I believe that a person should take an affirmative outlook. There are always problems in life, old and new, uncertainties, and unexpected contingencies. The optimal way to deal with this is not to give up in despair, but to move ahead using the best intelligence and resources that we have to overcome adversity.

  Paul Kurtz

  Giving Up, Moving, Believe

  "Isn't Religion Weird? Quotations for Atheists". Book by Dave Lane (p. 117), August 8, 2008.

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• Free inquiry entails recognition of civil liberties as integral to its pursuit, that is, a free press, freedom of communication, the right to organize opposition parties and to join voluntary associations, and freedom to cultivate and publish the fruits of scientific, philosophical, artistic, literary, moral and religious freedom.

  Paul Kurtz

  Religious, Party, Communication

  Paul Kurtz (1983). “In defense of secular humanism”, Prometheus Books

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• As I see it, creative achievement is the very heart of the human enterprise... The destiny of man, of all men and of each man, is that he is condemned to invent what he will be - condemned if he is fearful but blessed if he welcomes the great adventure. We are responsible in the last analysis, not simply for what we are, but for what we will become; and that is a source of either high excitement or distress.

  Paul Kurtz

  Blessed, Adventure, Heart

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• Muchos humanistas han defendido que la felicidad implica una combinación de hedonismo y desarrollo moral creativo; que una vida exuberante fusiona excelencia y disfrute, significado y enriquecimiento, emoción y cognición.

  Paul Kurtz

  Moral Development, Creative, Excellence

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• We cannot remain silent when someone of the Pope's stature and credibility confuses religious principles for science

  Paul Kurtz

  Religious, Principles, Silent

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• No one is infallible, and no one can claim a monopoly on truth or virtue. It would be contradictory for skepticism to seek to translate itself into a new faith.

  Paul Kurtz

  Would Be, Virtue, Claims

  "Multi-Secularism: A New Agenda" by Paul Kurtz, (p. 338), 2014.

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