''The Transcendental Temptation: A Critique of Religion and the Paranormal'' is a 1986 book by the philosopher
Paul Kurtz
Paul Kurtz (December 21, 1925 – October 20, 2012) was an American scientific skeptic and secular humanist. He has been called "the father of secular humanism". He was Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the State University of New York at B ...
. The book was published by
Prometheus Books, a company founded by Kurtz in 1969.
Summary
Kurtz analyzes the bases of religion: how provable are the claims of the famous prophets who founded religion in their name:
Jesus
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and relig ...
,
Moses
Moses hbo, מֹשֶׁה, Mōše; also known as Moshe or Moshe Rabbeinu ( Mishnaic Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ, ); syr, ܡܘܫܐ, Mūše; ar, موسى, Mūsā; grc, Mωϋσῆς, Mōÿsēs () is considered the most important pr ...
,
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mon ...
,
Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon. By the time of his death, 14 years later, h ...
,
Ellen G. White
Ellen Gould White (née Harmon; November 26, 1827 – July 16, 1915) was an American woman author and co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Along with other Adventist leaders such as Joseph Bates and her husband James White, she wa ...
and others? He asks what the prospects are for developing a humanistic society based on scientific and humane foundations.
Reception
In the award of the Norton Medal (endowed by
Charles Phelps Norton) to Kurtz in 2001, ''The Transcendental Temptation'' was noted, amongst Kurtz's other contributions to secular humanism, as a seminal work on the topic. The award also noted Kurtz's founding of the
Center for Inquiry
The Center for Inquiry (CFI) is a US nonprofit organization that works to mitigate belief in pseudoscience and the paranormal, as well as to fight the influence of religion in government.
History
The Center for Inquiry was established in 19 ...
.
1986 non-fiction books
American non-fiction books
Books critical of religion
English-language books
Humanism
Nontheism publications
Prometheus Books books
Secularism
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