The BHA was sad to hear of the news of the death of American humanist, skeptic, and philosopher Paul Kurtz.
Kurtz was co-chair of the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) from 1986 to 1994, and in his long career was also a founder and past chairman of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, the Council for Secular Humanism, and the Center for Inquiry. In 1969 he founded Prometheus Books, to publish books that ‘test the boundaries of established thought’.
In 1999 Kurtz was awarded the International Humanist Award by the IHEU in Mumbai.
A protagonist of scepticism, rationalism, and atheism, throughout his life he emphasised the inclusivity and globalism of Humanism and in his lifetime wrote over 800 articles and edited over 50 books.
On talking about the meaning of life, he said:
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.
BHA Chief Executive Andrew Copson said, ‘Although he was particularly well known in the United States, Paul also worked with British humanists, his first experience of whom was in his time in Britain during his military service as a conscript. By those that worked with him, he will be greatly missed for his tenacity and commitment.’