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Exuberance - Your Guide to Happiness & Fulfillment
A major statement of the nature of happiness from a humanistic perspective.
"It is the kind of book that many people will wish they had written and almost everybody will be glad to read". -- Reason
Paperback
First published January 1, 1977
27 people want to read
About the author
Paul Kurtz
69 books60 followersDr. Paul W. Kurtz was a prominent American skeptic and secular humanist. Before his retirement, he was Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the State University of New York at Buffalo, having previously also taught at Vassar, Trinity, and Union colleges, and the New School for Social Research.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 14, 2024
A HUMANIST VISION OF THE "GOOD LIFE”
Paul Kurtz (1925-2012) was a prominent American skeptic and secular humanist, who was Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He has written many other books such as 'In Defense of Secular Humanism,' 'Eupraxophy: Living Without Religion,' etc.
He wrote in the Preface to this 1977 book, "There must be something wrong with me. I am happy, exuberant. This has been true for as long as I can remember... Life is so wonderful. I feel literally as if I am bursting at the seams. Why am I happy? What does it mean to be satisfied---deeply---with life? I ask this not only because I wish to plumb the depths of my own being but because I want others to learn what I have learned... about the fulness of life and the opportunities for happiness." (Pg. 9)
He suggests, "It is audacity that distinguishes the human response from that of other forms of life on this planet... Man is condemned to invent his own future; he is responsible for what he will become... He is always involved in a process of discovery and creativity, seeking new paths for joyous existence. Man simply cannot acquiesce to the universe, nor is he content merely to fulfill his nature... It is in the agony and joy of work that he truly achieves his grandeur and forges his destiny." (Pg. 13)
He observes, "Whatever else he may be, the humanist is, at root, a skeptic. His natural tendency is to combat gullibility whenever it occurs---though many humanists sometimes are prey in their own philosophies to the same original sin of gullibility as other mortals." (Pg. 63)
He proposes, "Hedonic enjoyment is, or should be an essential ingredient in the good life... The kind of hedonism I would defend is robust hedonism; that is, deriving pleasure from a wide range of experiences, activities, persons, and things. In order to enjoy widely, we must be receptive to the assorted flavors of life." (Pg. 77) He adds, "It is a mistake, however, to divide our experiences into 'higher' and 'lower' and to condemn the latter as being of lesser value, as some moralists have done. This masks a destructive prejudice against the body and a bias of the so-called educated taste against the simple pleasures of the ordinary person." (Pg. 79)
He notes, "A vital ingredient of the full life is the ability to enjoy pleasures that are erotic, to find delight in the sensual, to be aroused by beauty, to be allured by the caress of touch, to savor the sensuous form, the fragrance and romance of sexuality and love." (Pg. 91)
He argues, "There is no substitute for moral reflection. When faced with a moral dilemma one cannot simply apply a general rule to the particular case; one has to work out a decision in the light of a full consideration of the facts relevant to the situation." (Pg. 137)
Kurtz's books will be of most interest to Humanists, of course, and to atheistic secular Humanists in particular.
Paul Kurtz (1925-2012) was a prominent American skeptic and secular humanist, who was Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He has written many other books such as 'In Defense of Secular Humanism,' 'Eupraxophy: Living Without Religion,' etc.
He wrote in the Preface to this 1977 book, "There must be something wrong with me. I am happy, exuberant. This has been true for as long as I can remember... Life is so wonderful. I feel literally as if I am bursting at the seams. Why am I happy? What does it mean to be satisfied---deeply---with life? I ask this not only because I wish to plumb the depths of my own being but because I want others to learn what I have learned... about the fulness of life and the opportunities for happiness." (Pg. 9)
He suggests, "It is audacity that distinguishes the human response from that of other forms of life on this planet... Man is condemned to invent his own future; he is responsible for what he will become... He is always involved in a process of discovery and creativity, seeking new paths for joyous existence. Man simply cannot acquiesce to the universe, nor is he content merely to fulfill his nature... It is in the agony and joy of work that he truly achieves his grandeur and forges his destiny." (Pg. 13)
He observes, "Whatever else he may be, the humanist is, at root, a skeptic. His natural tendency is to combat gullibility whenever it occurs---though many humanists sometimes are prey in their own philosophies to the same original sin of gullibility as other mortals." (Pg. 63)
He proposes, "Hedonic enjoyment is, or should be an essential ingredient in the good life... The kind of hedonism I would defend is robust hedonism; that is, deriving pleasure from a wide range of experiences, activities, persons, and things. In order to enjoy widely, we must be receptive to the assorted flavors of life." (Pg. 77) He adds, "It is a mistake, however, to divide our experiences into 'higher' and 'lower' and to condemn the latter as being of lesser value, as some moralists have done. This masks a destructive prejudice against the body and a bias of the so-called educated taste against the simple pleasures of the ordinary person." (Pg. 79)
He notes, "A vital ingredient of the full life is the ability to enjoy pleasures that are erotic, to find delight in the sensual, to be aroused by beauty, to be allured by the caress of touch, to savor the sensuous form, the fragrance and romance of sexuality and love." (Pg. 91)
He argues, "There is no substitute for moral reflection. When faced with a moral dilemma one cannot simply apply a general rule to the particular case; one has to work out a decision in the light of a full consideration of the facts relevant to the situation." (Pg. 137)
Kurtz's books will be of most interest to Humanists, of course, and to atheistic secular Humanists in particular.
January 10, 2014
Not bad. A bit dated, but still a good set of ideas and recommendations for a full and open existence. It would be insulting to the author to take what's therein as absolute truth, but still quite useful!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews