Phil Zuckerman

Last updated
Philip Zuckerman
Born
Philip Joseph Zuckerman

(1969-06-26) June 26, 1969 (age 55)
Los Angeles, California, US
Academic background
Alma mater University of Oregon
Thesis Opposite Sides of the Street [1]  (1998)
Website philzuckerman.com OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Philip Joseph Zuckerman is a sociologist and professor of sociology and secular studies at Pitzer College in Claremont, California. [2] [3] He specializes in the sociology of substantial secularity and is the author of eight books, including Beyond Doubt: The Secularization of Society (2023) What It Means to Be Moral: Why Religion Is Not Necessary for Living an Ethical Life (2019).

Contents

Early life and education

Born June 26, 1969, [4] to secular Ashkenazi Jewish parents [5] in Los Angeles, California, Zuckerman grew up in Pacific Palisades and studied at Santa Monica College. He transferred to the University of Oregon in Eugene, and there earned a Bachelor of Arts (1992), Master of Arts (1995), and Doctor of Philosophy (1998), all in sociology. [6]

Career

Zuckerman is a professor of sociology and secular studies at Pitzer College in Claremont, California. [7] He is also an affiliated adjunct professor at Claremont Graduate University. [8] He was a guest professor at Aarhus University in Denmark in 2006 and 2010. [9] He serves as the special series editor of the Secular Studies book series published by NYU Press. [10] He is the Executive Director of Humanist Global Charity, formerly known as Brighter Brains Institute, [11] which works in 51 nations to fund secular education, humanist students, women's collectives, orphans, helplines, and offers internships in Africa and India Development. [12] [11] Zuckerman is on the editorial board of Secularism and Nonreligion and is a convener of the Non-religion and Secularity Research Network Conference. [13] He is also on the editorial board for the journal Secular Studies. [14]

Zuckerman is research editor and a contributing writer at OnlySky, an online platform "dedicated to protecting America’s secular democracy through reality-based journalism, storytelling, and commentary." [15] [16]

His research interests are secularity, atheism, apostasy, and Scandinavian culture. [7]

Published work

Phil Zuckerman's analysis finds differing levels of atheists and agnostics in countries around the world Irreligion map.png
Phil Zuckerman's analysis finds differing levels of atheists and agnostics in countries around the world

Phil Zuckerman is the author of seven books, including The Nonreligious [18] , co-authored with Luke Galen and Frank Pasquale; Living the Secular Life; [19] Faith No More; [20] Society without God; [21] Invitation to the Sociology of Religion; [22] What it Means to be Moral; [23] and Strife in the Sanctuary. [24] His works have been translated into six languages, including Persian, Korean and Turkish. [25]

Phil Zuckerman's 2008 book Society without God notes that Denmark and Sweden, "probably the least religious countries in the world, and possibly in the history of the world", enjoy "among the lowest violent crime rates in the world [and] the lowest levels of corruption in the world". [26] Zuckerman identifies that Scandinavians have "relatively high rates of petty crime and burglary", but "their overall rates of violent crime—such as murder, aggravated assault, and rape—are among the lowest on earth". [27] In 2009, New York Times columnist Peter Steinfels commented that Society Without God provides evidence that an irreligious society can flourish. [28] Society Without God won the silver prize in Foreword magazine's religion book of 2008, [29] and was featured in The New York Times. [30]

Zuckerman's Living the Secular Life: New Answers to Old Questions was released in 2014 and reviewed in The New York Times by Susan Jacoby. [31] Living the Secular Life was designated a "Best Book of 2014" by Publishers Weekly [32] and was featured in a commentary by New York Times columnist David Brooks. [33]

The American Humanist Association has featured Zuckerman as a speaker on rising irreligion in the United States. [2]

Public commentary

Zuckerman has said that 20 percent of the United States are irreligious and 30 percent of citizens under 30 are. [34] Zuckerman has commented that religion is often conflated with patriotism in the United States. [35] He has stated that while "he applauds the passion and purpose" of American Atheists, they are a minority, as the majority of atheists in America "are not angry, do not hate religion and do not need a forum to vent". [36]

Zuckerman has found that murder rates in Scandinavian countries lowered after abolishing the death penalty, and has opposed the use in the United States. [37]

Zuckerman has found that the religiously unaffiliated tend to be more inclined to progressive politics, and the decline in Protestant Christianity in America is a blow to conservative causes. [38] Zuckerman has commented on the rise of "Jews of no religion", people who identify as being wholly or partially Jewish while having no religion. [39] Zuckerman commented that growing atheist movements in the United States were a response to the impact of the Christian right. [40]

In 2023 he was invited to participate in an Oxford Union debate.

Secular studies program

In 2011 he founded and currently chairs the secular studies program at Pitzer. [41] When the secular studies program was announced, the Institute for the Study of Secularism in Society and Culture at Trinity College noted it was the first program to offer a degree in secular studies. [42] The program lets students major in secular studies, including in a core course "Sociology of Secularity". [43] [44] The first student to graduate from Pitzer College with a degree in secular studies was the first student in the United States with such a major. [45]

Personal life

Zuckerman lives in Claremont, California, with his wife and three children. [46]

Bibliography

See also

Related Research Articles

Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on naturalistic considerations, uninvolved with religion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Secular humanism</span> Life stance that embraces human reason, secular ethics, and philosophical naturalism

Secular humanism is a philosophy, belief system, or life stance that embraces human reason, logic, secular ethics, and philosophical naturalism, while specifically rejecting religious dogma, supernaturalism, and superstition as the basis of morality and decision-making.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religious humanism</span> Integration of humanist ethical philosophy

Religious humanism or ethical humanism is an integration of nontheistic humanist philosophy with congregational rites and community activity that center on human needs, interests, and abilities. Religious humanists set themselves apart from secular humanists by characterizing the nontheistic humanist life stance as a non-supernatural "religion" and structuring their organization around a congregational model.

Irreligion is the absence or rejection of religious beliefs or practices. It encompasses a wide range of viewpoints drawn from various philosophical and intellectual perspectives, including atheism, agnosticism, skepticism, rationalism, and secularism. These perspectives can vary, with individuals who identify as irreligious holding a diverse array of specific beliefs about religion or its role in their lives.

Secularity, also the secular or secularness, is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. Origins of secularity can be traced to the Bible itself and fleshed out through Christian history into the modern era. In the medieval period there were even secular clergy. Furthermore, secular and religious entities were not separated in the medieval period, but coexisted and interacted naturally. The word "secular" has a meaning very similar to profane as used in a religious context.

Jewish atheism refers to the atheism of people who are ethnically and culturally Jewish.

Criticism of atheism is criticism of the concepts, validity, or impact of atheism, including associated political and social implications. Criticisms include positions based on the history of science, philosophical and logical criticisms, findings in both the natural and social sciences, theistic apologetic arguments, arguments pertaining to ethics and morality, the effects of atheism on the individual, or the assumptions that underpin atheism.

Accurate demographics of atheism are difficult to obtain since conceptions of atheism vary considerably across different cultures and languages, ranging from an active concept to being unimportant or not developed. Also in some countries and regions atheism carries a strong stigma, making it harder to count atheists in these countries. In global studies, the number of people without a religion is usually higher than the number of people without a belief in a deity and the number of people who agree with statements on lacking a belief in a deity is usually higher than the number of people who self-identify as "atheists".

Discrimination against atheists, sometimes called atheophobia, atheistophobia, or anti-atheism, both at present and historically, includes persecution of and discrimination against people who are identified as atheists. Discrimination against atheists may be manifested by negative attitudes, prejudice, hostility, hatred, fear, or intolerance towards atheists and atheism or even the complete denial of atheists' existence. It is often expressed in distrust regardless of its manifestation. Perceived atheist prevalence seems to be correlated with reduction in prejudice. There is global prevalence of mistrust in moral perceptions of atheists found in even secular countries and among atheists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greg Epstein</span> Chaplain, Harvard university

Greg M. Epstein is an American Humanist chaplain at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who is the president of the Harvard Chaplains Organization. He is an ordained Humanist rabbi, and has been influential in American humanism as a blogger, spokesperson, adviser and author of the New York Times bestsellerGood Without God: What a Billion Nonreligious People Do Believe. Epstein was an expert on the first three seasons of the reality show "Married at First Sight."

Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities. Atheism is contrasted with theism, which in its most general form is the belief that at least one deity exists.

In the United States, between 4% and 15% of citizens demonstrated nonreligious attitudes and naturalistic worldviews, namely atheists or agnostics. The number of self-identified atheists and agnostics was around 4% each, while many persons formally affiliated with a religion are likewise non-believing.

Secular morality is the aspect of philosophy that deals with morality outside of religious traditions. Modern examples include humanism, freethinking, and most versions of consequentialism. Additional philosophies with ancient roots include those such as skepticism and virtue ethics. Greg M. Epstein also states that, "much of ancient Far Eastern thought is deeply concerned with human goodness without placing much if any stock in the importance of gods or spirits." An example is the Kural text of Valluvar, an ancient Indian theistic poet-philosopher whose work remains secular and non-denominational. Other philosophers have proposed various ideas about how to determine right and wrong actions. An example is Immanuel Kant's categorical imperative.

A 2023 poll by the Pew Research Center found that 4% of Americans in the United States self-identified as atheists. This is an increase from 3.1% of Americans in 2014. However, in 2014, 9% of Americans agreed with the statement "Do not believe in God" while 2% agreed with the statement "Do not know if they believe in God". According to a poll by non-profit PRRI in 2023, 4% of Americans were atheist and 5% were agnostic. Polling by Gallup in 2022 showed that 17% of respondents replied "No" when asked "Do you believe in God?" in a binary fashion, but when worded differently in 2023, Gallup found that 12% of respondents replied they "Do not believe in" God and 14% replied they were "Not sure about" the existence of God. According to Gallup, there are variations in their polling results because they ask about God in three different wordings, each with a different result.

Agnostic atheism – or atheistic agnosticism – is a philosophical position that encompasses both atheism and agnosticism. Agnostic atheists are atheistic because they do not hold a belief in the existence of any deity and are agnostic because they claim that the existence of a divine entity or entities is either unknowable in principle or currently unknown in fact.

Irreligion is common in Sweden, and Sweden is one of the most secular nations in the world. The majority of Swedish citizens are members of the Church of Sweden, but very few are practicing members. Sweden has legally been a secular state since 2000 when the Church of Sweden was separated from the state.

Irreligion in Ghana is difficult to measure in the country, as regular demographic polling is not widespread and available statistics are often many years old. Most Ghanaian nationals claim the Christian (71%) or Muslim (18%) faiths. Many atheists in Ghana are not willing to openly express their beliefs due to the fear of persecution. Most secondary educational institutions also have some form of religious affiliation. This is evident in the names of schools like Presbyterian Boys School, Holy Child School and many others. Atheists form a very small minority in Ghana.

The secular movement refers to a social and political trend in the United States, beginning in the early years of the 20th century, with the founding of the American Association for the Advancement of Atheism in 1925 and the American Humanist Association in 1941, in which atheists, agnostics, secular humanists, freethinkers, and other nonreligious and nontheistic Americans have grown in both numbers and visibility. There has been a sharp increase in the number of Americans who identify as religiously unaffiliated, from under 10 percent in the 1990s to 20 percent in 2013. The trend is especially pronounced among young people, with about one in three Americans younger than 30 identifying as religiously unaffiliated, a figure that has nearly tripled since the 1990s.

Irreligion in Romania is rare. Romania is one of the most religious countries in Europe, with 92% of people saying that they believe in God. Levels of irreligion are much lower than in most other European countries and are among the lowest in the world. At the 2011 census, only 0.11% of the population declared itself atheist, up from the 2002 census, while 0.10% do not belong to any religion. While still one of the most religious countries in Europe, practicing, church and mass attendance is quite low, even compared to some less religious countries than Romania. It is mainly practiced by elderly people, mainly in rural areas, while in urban areas church attendance and practice is much lower. As of 2021, almost 85% are declared religious, of which about 73% are declared orthodox, 12% other religions, about 1% atheists or irreligious and about 14% declared nothing about religion.

References

  1. ↑ Zuckerman, Philip (1998). Opposite Sides of the Street: Religious Schism and One Jewish Community's Struggle (PhD dissertation). Eugene, Oregon: University of Oregon. OCLC   39738985.
  2. 1 2 "American Humanist Association Annual Conference Speakers - Phil Zuckerman". American Humanist Association. Archived from the original on 2015-03-02. Retrieved 2014-05-26.
  3. ↑ "Guardian profile". guardian.co.uk . Retrieved June 30, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Zuckerman, Phil - Library of Congress Name Authority File". Library of Congress. 2003-03-31. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Why I Decided To Study Non-Belief?". The Forward. 7 June 2011. Retrieved 2020-07-02.
  6. ↑ "Bio". PhilZuckerman.com. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  7. 1 2 "Faculty directory" . Retrieved June 30, 2012.
  8. ↑ "Religion Faculty - Claremont Graduate University - Acalog ACMS™". bulletin.cgu.edu. Retrieved 2017-03-30.
  9. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-19. Retrieved 2017-03-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. ↑ "Secular Studies - NYU Press | NYU Press". nyupress.org. Retrieved 2017-03-30.
  11. 1 2 "Humanist Global Charity: Doing Good Without God". Edhat. 2021-05-20. Retrieved 2021-06-11.
  12. ↑ "Board Members & Advisors - Brighter Brains". brighterbrains.org. Archived from the original on 2017-05-14. Retrieved 2017-03-30.
  13. ↑ "Call for Papers: Nonreligion and Secularity Research Network, 3rd International Conference, 19-20 November 2014". ASR. 2014-02-19. Retrieved 2021-06-11.
  14. ↑ "Secular Studies". Brill. Retrieved 2021-06-11.
  15. ↑ "About Us". OnlySky Media. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
  16. ↑ "Phil Zuckerman". OnlySky Media. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
  17. ↑ Atheism: Contemporary Rates and Patterns, in: Michael Martin (ed.): The Cambridge Companion to Atheism. Cambridge University Press 2007
  18. ↑ Zuckerman, Phil; Galen, Luke W.; Pasquale, Frank L. (2016-03-01). The Nonreligious: Understanding Secular People and Societies (1 ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN   9780199924943.
  19. ↑ Zuckerman, Phil (2015-10-27). Living the Secular Life: New Answers to Old Questions (Reprint ed.). Penguin Books. ISBN   9780143127932.
  20. ↑ Zuckerman, Phil (2015-06-01). Faith No More: Why People Reject Religion (Reprint ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. ISBN   9780190248840.
  21. ↑ Zuckerman, Phil (2010-06-07). Society without God: What the Least Religious Nations Can Tell Us About Contentment. New York; Chesham: NYU Press. ISBN   9780814797235.
  22. ↑ Zuckerman, Phil (2003-07-26). Invitation to the Sociology of Religion (1 ed.). New York, NY: Routledge. ISBN   9780415941266.
  23. ↑ "What It Means to Be Moral". Counterpoint Press. 2019-02-28. Retrieved 2021-06-11.
  24. ↑ Zuckerman, Phil (1999-01-11). Strife in the Sanctuary: Religious Schism in a Jewish Community. Walnut Creek London: AltaMira Press. ISBN   9780761990543.
  25. ↑ "Lots in Translation: Professor Phil Zuckerman's books hit international bookshelves". Office of Communications. 2013-08-20. Retrieved 2017-06-17.[ permanent dead link ]
  26. ↑ Zuckerman, Phil (October 2008). Society Without God: What the Least Religious Nations Can Tell Us about Contentment. New York: New York University Press. p. 2. ISBN   978-0-8147-9714-3. Zuckerman's work is based on his studies conducted during a 14-month period in Scandinavia in 2005–2006.
  27. ↑ (Zuckerman 2008, pp. 5–6)
  28. ↑ Peter Steinfels (February 27, 2009). "Scandinavian Nonbelievers, Which Is Not to Say Atheists". The New York Times.
  29. ↑ "Foreword Magazine's Book of the Year award". ForeWord Review. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
  30. ↑ Steinfels, Peter (2009-02-27). "Scandinavian Nonbelievers, Which Is Not to Say Atheists". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2017-06-17.
  31. ↑ Jacoby, Susan (19 December 2014). "'Living the Secular Life,' by Phil Zuckerman". The New York Times.
  32. ↑ "PW Best Books 2014: 'Living the Secular Life' by Phil Zuckerman". Publishers Weekly. 31 October 2014. Retrieved 2017-06-17.
  33. ↑ Brooks, David (2015-02-03). "Building Better Secularists". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2017-06-17.
  34. ↑ Mandalit del Barco (January 7, 2014). "Sunday Assembly: A Church For The Godless Picks Up Steam". NPR.
  35. ↑ "Atheist 'mega-churches' look for nonbelievers". USA Today. November 10, 2013.
  36. ↑ Kimberly Winston (Mar 31, 2013). "American Atheists wrestles with its cherished 'grumpy' image". The Christian Century.
  37. ↑ Jess Davis (May 7, 2014). "Democracy and the Death Penalty". Claremont Portside. Generation Progress. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  38. ↑ LAURIE GOODSTEIN (October 9, 2012). "Percentage of Protestant Americans Is in Steep Decline, Study Finds". The New York Times.
  39. ↑ Zehavi, Ben (October 3, 2013). "Rise of 'Jews of no religion' most significant find of Pew study, says director". The Times of Israel.
  40. ↑ Manya A. Brachear (June 16, 2010). "Secularists spreading the word". Chicago Tribune.
  41. ↑ "Secular Studies". Pitzer College . Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  42. ↑ Kimberly Winston (August 4, 2011). "Pitzer College Adds Secular Studies Program As Part Of Growing Trend". Huffington Post.
  43. ↑ Arielle Zionts (October 18, 2011). "Studying Non-Believers". Claremont Portside. Generation Progress. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  44. ↑ Alan Jacobs (May 20, 2011). "A Bachelor's Degree in Atheism". The Wall Street Journal.
  45. ↑ Phil Zuckerman (15 August 2013). "Student Graduates With Degree in Secular Studies". Huffpost Religion.
  46. ↑ "Phil Zuckerman - CFI speakers". Center for Inquiry. 12 June 2018.
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