Comments on: In Memory of Paul Kurtz and Leon Jaroff http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/in-memory-of-paul-kurtz-and-leon-jaroff/ Your Daily Fix of Neuroscience, Skepticism, and Critical Thinking Fri, 24 May 2013 19:42:29 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: ConspicuousCarl http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/in-memory-of-paul-kurtz-and-leon-jaroff/comment-page-1/#comment-45983 ConspicuousCarl Mon, 22 Oct 2012 21:43:45 +0000 http://theness.com/neurologicablog/?p=4951#comment-45983 It's always amazing to think that such a large majority of progress (not just in skepticism, but general science and even morality) has been made only in the last century. For the skepticism portion of progress, the modern incarnation is still within the single-lifetime period. And even more recently, it was only 1995 when there was no JREF and Randi, good as he was, was just some guy running around. It is weird to have to be reminded that someone had to go out and do this stuff, but that simple fact does sometimes drift out of my head. It’s always amazing to think that such a large majority of progress (not just in skepticism, but general science and even morality) has been made only in the last century. For the skepticism portion of progress, the modern incarnation is still within the single-lifetime period. And even more recently, it was only 1995 when there was no JREF and Randi, good as he was, was just some guy running around.

It is weird to have to be reminded that someone had to go out and do this stuff, but that simple fact does sometimes drift out of my head.

]]> By: BillyJoe7 http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/in-memory-of-paul-kurtz-and-leon-jaroff/comment-page-1/#comment-45982 BillyJoe7 Mon, 22 Oct 2012 20:32:30 +0000 http://theness.com/neurologicablog/?p=4951#comment-45982 Paul Kurtz was certainly a towering figure in the sceptical movement, but be had his faults as well, which do seem minor by comparison. He promoted scepticism like a priest might promote religion, his was actually disproportionately light when attacking religion, and he had a rarefied air about him, promoting what he called "the finer things of life" which, for example, did not include popular or rock music for some reason. It made him sound what some might call an "old fuddy duddy". Also he had to be wrenched out of his role as head of CSICOP/CSI, not realising himself that it was time to move on. At the end of the day though, he was single handedly the originator and promoter of the sceptical movement at a time when no one really cared. He is owed a great debt. Paul Kurtz was certainly a towering figure in the sceptical movement, but be had his faults as well, which do seem minor by comparison. He promoted scepticism like a priest might promote religion, his was actually disproportionately light when attacking religion, and he had a rarefied air about him, promoting what he called “the finer things of life” which, for example, did not include popular or rock music for some reason. It made him sound what some might call an “old fuddy duddy”. Also he had to be wrenched out of his role as head of CSICOP/CSI, not realising himself that it was time to move on.
At the end of the day though, he was single handedly the originator and promoter of the sceptical movement at a time when no one really cared. He is owed a great debt.

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