Forbidden Fruit: The Ethics of Secularism - Softcover

Paul Kurtz

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1591026660 ISBN 13: 9781591026662

Publisher: Prometheus, 2008

Synopsis

Paul Kurtz, America's leading secular humanist philosopher, affirms that it is possible to live the good life and be morally responsible, without belief in religion. In this original and penetrating book, Kurtz delineates the means by which humanity can transcend the limitations of traditional religious loyalties and achieve a higher stage of ethics. Fundamentalists deny the possibility ofethics without belief in God. Conservatives rail against secularists. Yet belief in God is no guarantee of moral virtue - as the evils committed in the name of religion have vividly shown. Are there secularethical principles and values that are vital for a world in crisis? In this new edition ofForbidden Fruit, Kurtz defends the ethics of secularism and humanism. In order to progress to a maximum level of creative development, he maintains that we must be nourished by the "forbidden fruit" of the knowledge of good and evil, grounding principles and values in autonomous reason. This is the path that leads to the discovery of significant ethical truths that can guide both self-reliant conduct and consideration for the rights of others. By breaking the bonds of theistic illusion, we can summon the courage and wisdom to develop a rational ethic based on a realistic appraisal of nature and an awareness of the centrality of the moral decencies common to all peoples. The ultimate key to the good life, Kurtz writes, is to eat of the fruit of the second tree in the Garden of Eden - the tree of life - discovering for ourselves the manifold potentialities for a bountiful existance. Forbidden Fruitcontains important chapters on ethical excellences for individuals, moral education for children, and thoughts on privacy and human rights, in addition to presenting concrete ethical recommendations as alternatives to the reigning orthodoxies.

About this title

Product Description

Fundamentalists from all religious persuasions deny the possibility of morality without belief in God. Yet belief in God is no guarantee of moral virtue - as the evils committed in the name of religion, past and present, have shown. Are there ethical, non-religious choices that will work for a world in crisis? Paul Kurtz, America''s leading secular humanist philosopher, affirms that it is possible to live the good life and be morally responsible without belief in religion. In this original and penetrating book, Kurtz delineates the means by which humanity can transcend the limitations of traditional religious loyalties and achieve a higher stage of ethics.In order to progress to a maximum level of creative development, Kurtz maintains that we must be nourished by the ''forbidden fruit'' of the knowledge of good and evil, grounding principles and values in autonomous reason. This is the path that leads to the discovery of significant ethical truths that can guide both self- reliant conduct and consideration for the rights of others. By breaking the bonds of theistic illusion, we can summon the courage and wisdom to develop a rational ethic based on a realistic appraisal of nature and an awareness of the centrality of the moral decencies common to all peoples. The ultimate key to the good life, Kurtz writes, is to eat of the fruit of the second tree in the Garden of Eden - the tree of life - discovering for ourselves the manifold potentialities for a bountiful existence. "Forbidden Fruit" contains important chapters on privacy and human rights, and presents concrete ethical recommendations as alternatives to the reigning orthodoxies.

Review

""An appropriate challenge to current trends in religion and politics." - Booklist "The basic message of this book is that secular humanism is reasonable because it does not involve any superstitions; it is practicable because it coincides with common decency; and it promotes harmony because it does not divide society into pure us and evil them. "Kurtz's arguments are so cogent, his definitions so clear, and his examples so close to everyday life, that this book could be used as a textbook in introductory ethics courses wherever state and church are separate." - Mario Bunge, FRSC, Frothingham Professor of Logic and Metaphysics, McGill University, Montreal, Canada

About this edition

• Publisher: Prometheus
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1591026660
• ISBN 13: 9781591026662
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 326