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"A very important book ... clearly written and forcefully argued." --Journal of the American Academy of Religion
"Well-written, readable, and carefully researched compendium of the skeptical challenge and position. . . . This is a must." --Choice
In this widely acclaimed and highly controversial book, Paul Kurtz examines the reasons why people accept supernatural and paranormal belief systems in spite of substantial evidence to the contrary. According to Kurtz, it is because there is within the human species a deeply rooted tendency toward magical thinking - the "transcendental temptation" - which undermines critical judgement and paves the way for willful beliefs.
Kurtz explores in detail the three major monotheistic religions - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam - finding striking psychological and sociological parallels between these religions, the spiritualism of the 19th century, and the paranormal belief systems of today. There are sections on mysticism, belief in the afterlife, the existence of God, reincarnation, astrology, and ufology. Kurtz also expresses the nature of skepticism as an antidote to belief in the transcendental.
Paul Kurtz (Amherst, NY), professor emeritus of philosophy at the State University of New York at Buffalo, is the author or editor of forty-two books, including Forbidden Fruit, The Courage to Become, and The Fullness of Life. He is also the founder of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, editor-in-chief of Free Inquiry, and the chairman of the Center for Inquiry.