Marvin Kohl
From Philosopedia
Kohl, Marvin (1932— )
A professor emeritus of philosophy at the State University of New York at Fredonia, Kohl was a visiting research scholar at the City University of New York Graduate Center.
He was chairman of the board of directors of the Bertrand Russell Society for six years, 1989 to 1995.
Kohl signed Humanist Manifesto II, is on the editorial advisory board of The Humanist, is a contributing editor to Free Inquiry, and is listed in Contemporary Authors (2005).
His writing includes the following:
- Morality of Killing (1974)
- Beneficent Euthanasia (1975)
- Infanticide and the Value of Life (1978)
- "Altruistic Humanism and Voluntary Beneficent Euthanasia,"
- an article from Issues in Law & Medicine (1992, Digital)
Some members of the Bertrand Russell Society, and several naturalistic humanists, have noted that Sean McManus has found a drastic change in Kohl's outlook since he signed Humanist Manifesto II, that the former non-believer and Russellian has in his 70s become a theist:
- On a recent chilly Friday night, a few dozen members of the City Congregation for Humanistic Judaism were gathered downstairs at the Village Community School on West 10th Street for Shabbat. For them, this is a monthly ritual that includes lighting candles and singing Jewish songs that have been carefully excised of a deity. . . . Humanistic Judaism was founded in the early sixties by a former Reform rabbi from Michigan named Sherwin Wine . . . After Shabbat, I talked to a retired philosophy professor, Marvin Kohl, an expert on Bertrand Russell, who admitted, reluctantly, that he believes in God. ‘I like the intellectual side,’ he says of the meetings.
Disagreeing, Kohl denies ever being a non-believer or a theist.
- Nor does it more generally follow that if one is not atheist, one is a theist. For example,
- For example, my last two papers on religion make it clear that I believe that we know that the God of theism does not exist but that this does not entail atheism. This, of course, is only part of a very very complex epistemological story involving non-proposition belief, belief, and knowing as well as modes of justifying belief that includes the pragmatics of wanting and needing.
- (Article) "Tolerance and the War on Religion," Humanistic Judaism 35: 3-4. 2007. 28-29. I am attaching a copy not only to clarify the aforementioned issues but also to explain that there are deeper issues. Roughly expressed, but profoundly felt, for me it is not to become like one's enemies and that in philosophically battling the dogmatic and dangerous versions of religion we do not become inquisition-like.
- (Article) "Bertrand Russell and the Utility of Religion," presented at the annual meeting of the Bertrand Society, June 28, 2008. Copies were distributed at the meeting and the paper will shortly be expanded for publication.
- The Abstract reads:
- Bertrand Russell, in balance, argues for a form of atheism that requires disbelief in the existence of any deity a well as disbelief in the value of almost all religion and religious belief. Contra Russell, it is possible to oppose the factual claims made by theists concerning the nature and existence of God and be able to accept factual claims concerning the positive utility of religion or belief.
- Expressed differently: I, like Russell, oppose the factual claims made by theists concerning the nature and existence of God.
- Where we ultimately differ is as to the weight given to the utility or benefits of some, I repeat some, beliefs. What the paper presently lacks is a more carefully developed and nuanced discussion of why theism is intrinsically dangerous or, in balance, must do more injury than good.
