Summary
Title: Affirmations: Joyful And Creative Exuberance
Author: Paul Kurtz
Publisher: Prometheus Books
ISBN: 1591022657
Pro:
• Short and to the point
• Easy to understand language, suitable for most audiences
Con:
• None
Description:
• Description:
• Affirmations of humanist beliefs and principles
• Explanation of what humanism means in a positive format
• Culmination of Paul Kurtz’s years of writing
Book Review
One philosophy that holds out a significant amount of promise is secular humanism, and the foremost proponent of secular humanism in America today is Paul Kurtz. The author of numerous books on humanism, philosophy, and skepticism, Kurtz has made it one of his goals in life to promote optimistic visions of human life that are not based on theistic of religious assumptions.
To this end Kurtz has coined the term “eupraxsophy,” something used repeatedly in his book Affirmations: Joyful And Creative Exuberance. Derived from Greek roots that mean “good conduct and wisdom in living,” eupraxsophy is a way of life that involves commitment to a good life that is passionate while also being tempered by wisdom and guided by scientific, practical skepticism.
As the title indicates, the book is about affirming positive values, principles, and beliefs. There is of course always an implied criticism of theistic and religious systems, but only rarely does this criticism surface into explicit statements. Much of the text is focused on positive and optimistic language, even that dealing with skepticism:
- “Skeptical inquiry is essential for the development of human knowledge. It represents a historic tradition in science, philosophy, and learning. We may distinguish skeptical inquiry, with emphasis on inquiry, from classical skepticism, which was apt to be totally negative, even nihilistic. This form of skepticism is a new skepticism, for it is positive and constructive; its principles are essential for the development of knowledge about nature and human behavior.”
Although a great deal of writing on humanism tends to focus on philosophical critiques of religion and promotion of science, Kurtz’s idea of eupraxsophy includes a deliberate component of action in the world around us. Philosophical thinking may be an important component of eupraxsophy, but “eupraxsophers” are not idle philosophers in ivory towers:
- “Eupraxsophers make choices — the most reasonable ones in the light of the best available evidence — and this enables them to act. ...[T]he primary task of eupraxsophy is to understand nature and life and to draw concrete normative prescriptions from this knowledge.”
Affirmations is not a “philosophical” book, in the sense that it doesn’t lay down detailed arguments in defense of any philosophical positions. Instead it is, as the title implies, a series of affirmations about what humanists believe and why humanism is a positive, optimistic, and worthwhile philosophy that should be seriously considered by people today.
This is not a book for converting and convincing religious critics of secularism. It may, however, serve as an inspiring book for those who are already humanists, as well as an engaging introduction to humanist principles for those who are unfamiliar with the philosophy but likely to be sympathetic to its perspective. Not many people in America know much about humanism, and we can use all the introductions we can get.
