Skip to content
Home/ Transcendental Temptation: A Critique of Religion and the Paranormal
Transcendental Temptation: A Critique of Religion and the Paranormal

Transcendental Temptation: A Critique of Religion and the Paranormal

by Kurtz, Paul
No customer reviews yet ISBN 9781616148270 Prometheus

In this landmark work, 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 judgment 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 nineteenth century, and the paranormal belief systems of today. This acclaimed and controversial book includes sections on mysticism, belief in the afterlife, the existence of God, reincarnation, astrology, and ufology. Kurtz concludes by explaining and advocating rational skepticism as an antidote to belief in the transcendental.

About the author

Product details

BrandPrometheus
Pub dateSep 10, 2013
ISBN-101616148276
ISBN-139781616148270
Paperback516.0 pages
LanguageEnglish
Dimensions8.68 × 1.31 × 5.98 in
Weight2 lb
Last updated 2026-03-27 08:51
$16.53 $21.95 24% off
You save $5.42 · list price $21.95
In stock — ships in 24 hours with free tracking
Delivery by Monday, September 14, 2026
Qty
Sign in to Add to Saved list
Free delivery on orders over $35.
15-day returns. Any reason.
Secure checkout. We never store card details.

Readers who bought this also bought

More from Agnosticism
See all
On God
Krishnamurti, Jiddu
$12.86
Faces in the Clouds: A New Theory of Religion
Guthrie, Stewart Elliott
$133.13
Questions about God: Today's Philosophers Ponder the Divine
From young children, with their guileless, searching questions, to the recently bereaved, trying to make sense of tragic loss, humans wrestle with our relationship to God--and with God's essence, motivations, and power--throughout our lives: Why does God permit catastrophe and senseless tragedy, again and again? Is God's power limited in any way? Can He change the past? Does He know the future? Why does God require prayer? Why does He not provide stronger evidence of His presence? Whom does God consign to hell, and why? Does God change? Suffer? What can we make of the conflicting diversity within world religions, of the many gods of different religious traditions? <p/> Such questions engage, confront, and perplex us on a daily basis. In this rich, concise volume, leading philosophers who have long pondered God's nature and ways take on these core problems and present their findings in a manner likely to engage believer and non-believer, general reader and specialist alike.
$150.45
God Dialogues: A Philosophical Journey
Alter, Torin
$48.80
Magical Diaries of Leah Hirsig, 1923-1925: Aleister Crowley, Magick, and the New Occult Woman
Available
$145.14
Friendship in Doubt: Aleister Crowley, J. F. C. Fuller, Victor B. Neuburg, and British Agnosticism
Kaczynski, Richard
$142.95