In Memoriam: Paul Kurtz, CFI's Founder

The Center for Inquiry marks with great sadness the passing of Paul Kurtz, founder and longtime chair of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, the Council for Secular Humanism, and the Center for Inquiry, who died Sunday at the age of 86. A philosopher, activist, and author, Kurtz was for a half-century among the most significant and impactful figures in the humanist and skeptic movements. 

Kurtz's legacy includes the above organizations, the creation of the skeptics' magazine Skeptical Inquirer, the secular humanist magazine Free Inquiry, independent publisher Prometheus Books, and a library of books and scholarly articles that will continue to inform discussions of morality, ethics, reason, and religion for generations to come.

We at the Center for Inquiry and our affiliate organizations the Council for Secular Humanism and the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry express our sincere condolences to the family of Paul Kurtz, as we recommit ourselves to carrying on with determination the causes Kurtz helped bring to global prominence.

To learn more about the life and legacy of Paul Kurtz, please see this obituary.