Transcendental Temptation: A Critique of Religion and the Paranormal

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 s...