Meaning and Value in a Secular Age: Why Eupraxsophy Matters
Edited by Nathan Bupp (Prometheus Books), Forthcoming, early 2011
Meaning and Value in a Secular Age: Why Eupraxsophy Matters
The Writngs of Paul Kurtz
Edited by Nathan Bupp
The term eupraxsophy was first coined and introduced by Paul Kurtz in 1988 to characterize a secular orientation to life that stands in contrast to religion. Derived from three ancient Greek roots—eu (good, well); praxis (practice, conduct), and sophia (wisdom)—eupraxsophy literally means “good practice and wisdom.” Drawing upon philosophy, science, and ethics, eupraxsophy offers a thoroughly secular moral vision, which respects the place of human values in the context of the natural world and presents an empirically responsible yet hopeful picture of the human situation and the cosmos in which we abide.
Kurtz’s key writings about the theory and practice of eupraxsophy are conveniently gathered together in one place for the first time in this volume. Written with eloquence and scope, these incisive essays show how Kurtz’s brand of humanism moves above and beyond the current “new atheism.” Eupraxsophy successfully bridges the cultural divide between science and value and provides a genuine and constructive ethical alternative to religion, one that is able to deal effectively with the complexities inherent in our increasingly fragmented world.
Paul Kurtz (Amherst, NY), professor emeritus of philosophy at the State University of New York at Buffalo and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, is the author or editor of more than fifty books, including The Transcendental Temptation, The Courage to Become, Embracing the Power of Humanism, plus nine hundred articles and reviews. He is the founder and chairman of the Center for Inquiry, the Council for Secular Humanism, and the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. He has appeared on many major TV and radio talk shows, and has lectured at universities worldwide.
Nathan Bupp (Amherst, NY) is the vice president and director of communications for the Center for Inquiry and the associate editor of Free Inquiry magazine. His articles and book reviews have been published in Free Inquiry and he is a contributor to Dewey's Enduring Impact (Prometheus Books), edited by John R. Shook and Paul Kurtz.