Greg Epstein
Encyclopedia
Greg M. Epstein is the current secular humanist
chaplain
at Harvard University
, and is a published author on the subject of secular humanism.
, Queens
, New York
. His parents, though Jewish
, were not very religious, and he attended services with them only occasionally, usually during Jewish holidays or festivals
. He describes this experience as one of the foundations for his later interest in Humanistic Judaism
.
While attending the Stuyvesant High School
in Manhattan
, Epstein studied Buddhism
and Taoism
. After graduating from high school, he enrolled in the University of Michigan
in Ann Arbor. As part of his undergraduate studies in the University of Michigan's College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
, he spent a year in Taiwan
in an effort to further his knowledge of Zen Buddhism through readings in Chinese and direct contact with Zen practitioners. Becoming disenchanted with Eastern religions during this experience, Epstein returned to the U.S. and completed his Bachelor of Arts
in Religion
and Chinese
from the University of Michigan. He then went on to complete a Master of Arts
in Judaic Studies, also from the University of Michigan.
ian. It was during this time that he became interested in the philosophy of Humanism
. Deciding to return to school, he entered the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism
, studying at the Institute's Jerusalem and Farmington Hills, Michigan
campuses. In 2005 he was ordained through this organization as a Humanist
Rabbi
, whereupon he entered the Harvard Divinity School
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
. In 2007, Greg Epstein received his Master of Theological Studies
from the Harvard Divinity School
, and accepted the position as the Humanist Chaplain at Harvard University.
Epstein became one of the major supporters for the movement that is known as New Humanism
. Although this label had been around since 1900, it had gone into disuse until Epstein and others repopularized it. In April 2007, Epstein organized an international conference entitled "The New Humanism", which commemorated the 30th anniversary of the creation of the Humanist Chaplaincy of Harvard.
Epstein expressed concern on overemphasis of inflammatory anti-clericism by some prominent proponents of New Atheism
, which he says is what drove him to revitalize the "New Humanism" label in response.
Recently, Epstein has been featured as a guest on radio and television interviews and lectures, and maintains an online journal titled "The New Humanism"
Secular humanism
Secular Humanism, alternatively known as Humanism , is a secular philosophy that embraces human reason, ethics, justice, and the search for human fulfillment...
chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, and is a published author on the subject of secular humanism.
Early life and education
Epstein was born February 4, 1977 and grew up in the ethnically-diverse neighborhood of FlushingFlushing, Queens
Flushing, founded in 1645, is a neighborhood in the north central part of the City of New York borough of Queens, east of Manhattan.Flushing was one of the first Dutch settlements on Long Island. Today, it is one of the largest and most diverse neighborhoods in New York City...
, Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
, New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. His parents, though Jewish
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, were not very religious, and he attended services with them only occasionally, usually during Jewish holidays or festivals
Jewish holiday
Jewish holidays are days observed by Jews as holy or secular commemorations of important events in Jewish history. In Hebrew, Jewish holidays and festivals, depending on their nature, may be called yom tov or chag or ta'anit...
. He describes this experience as one of the foundations for his later interest in Humanistic Judaism
Humanistic Judaism
Humanistic Judaism is a movement in Judaism that offers a nontheistic alternative in contemporary Jewish life. It defines Judaism as the cultural and historical experience of the Jewish people and encourages humanistic and secular Jews to celebrate their Jewish identity by participating in Jewish...
.
While attending the Stuyvesant High School
Stuyvesant High School
Stuyvesant High School , commonly referred to as Stuy , is a New York City public high school that specializes in mathematics and science. The school opened in 1904 on Manhattan's East Side and moved to a new building in Battery Park City in 1992. Stuyvesant is noted for its strong academic...
in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, Epstein studied Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
and Taoism
Taoism
Taoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao , which is the mechanism of everything that exists...
. After graduating from high school, he enrolled in the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in Ann Arbor. As part of his undergraduate studies in the University of Michigan's College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
The University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts is the liberal arts and sciences unit of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Established in 1841 with seven students and two teachers, the college is currently the largest unit at U-M in terms of the number of students...
, he spent a year in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
in an effort to further his knowledge of Zen Buddhism through readings in Chinese and direct contact with Zen practitioners. Becoming disenchanted with Eastern religions during this experience, Epstein returned to the U.S. and completed his Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Religion
Religious studies
Religious studies is the academic field of multi-disciplinary, secular study of religious beliefs, behaviors, and institutions. It describes, compares, interprets, and explains religion, emphasizing systematic, historically based, and cross-cultural perspectives.While theology attempts to...
and Chinese
Sinology
Sinology in general use is the study of China and things related to China, but, especially in the American academic context, refers more strictly to the study of classical language and literature, and the philological approach...
from the University of Michigan. He then went on to complete a Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in Judaic Studies, also from the University of Michigan.
New Humanism
Upon matriculation, Epstein spent about a year singing and recording as a professional Rock musicRock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
ian. It was during this time that he became interested in the philosophy of Humanism
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
. Deciding to return to school, he entered the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism
International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism
The International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism is the academic and intellectual center of Humanistic Judaism. It was established in Jerusalem in 1985 and currently has two centers of activity: one in Jerusalem and the other in Farmington Hills, Michigan...
, studying at the Institute's Jerusalem and Farmington Hills, Michigan
Farmington Hills, Michigan
Farmington Hills is a community in southeastern Michigan. It is the largest city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Its population was 79,740 at the 2010 census...
campuses. In 2005 he was ordained through this organization as a Humanist
Humanistic Judaism
Humanistic Judaism is a movement in Judaism that offers a nontheistic alternative in contemporary Jewish life. It defines Judaism as the cultural and historical experience of the Jewish people and encourages humanistic and secular Jews to celebrate their Jewish identity by participating in Jewish...
Rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
, whereupon he entered the Harvard Divinity School
Harvard Divinity School
Harvard Divinity School is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the United States. The School's mission is to train and educate its students either in the academic study of religion, or for the practice of a religious ministry or other public...
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
. In 2007, Greg Epstein received his Master of Theological Studies
Master of Theological Studies
A Master of Theological Studies is a general academic degree that gives students an introduction to advanced theological studies. The M.T.S usually requires two years of program study to complete. The Latin equivalent for M.T.S...
from the Harvard Divinity School
Harvard Divinity School
Harvard Divinity School is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the United States. The School's mission is to train and educate its students either in the academic study of religion, or for the practice of a religious ministry or other public...
, and accepted the position as the Humanist Chaplain at Harvard University.
Epstein became one of the major supporters for the movement that is known as New Humanism
New Humanism
New Humanism or neohumanism were terms applied to a theory of literary criticism, together with its consequences for culture and political thought, developed around 1900 by the American scholar Irving Babbitt, and the scholar and journalist Paul Elmer More...
. Although this label had been around since 1900, it had gone into disuse until Epstein and others repopularized it. In April 2007, Epstein organized an international conference entitled "The New Humanism", which commemorated the 30th anniversary of the creation of the Humanist Chaplaincy of Harvard.
Epstein expressed concern on overemphasis of inflammatory anti-clericism by some prominent proponents of New Atheism
New Atheism
New Atheism is the name given to a movement among some early-21st-century atheist writers who have advocated the view that "religion should not simply be tolerated but should be countered, criticized, and exposed by rational argument wherever its influence arises." New atheists argue that recent...
, which he says is what drove him to revitalize the "New Humanism" label in response.
The New Humanism is produced by the Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard University and is named after the 30th anniversary conference our organization held in April 2007. At that event, the title was chosen to contrast with "The New Atheism," as the media have dubbed the work of writers such as OxfordOxfordThe city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
scientist Richard DawkinsRichard DawkinsClinton Richard Dawkins, FRS, FRSL , known as Richard Dawkins, is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and author...
, Stanford doctoral student Sam HarrisSam Harris (author)Sam Harris is an American author, and neuroscientist, as well as the co-founder and current CEO of Project Reason. He received a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from Stanford University, before receiving a Ph.D. in neuroscience from UCLA...
, and journalist Christopher HitchensChristopher HitchensChristopher Eric Hitchens is an Anglo-American author and journalist whose books, essays, and journalistic career span more than four decades. He has been a columnist and literary critic at The Atlantic, Vanity Fair, Slate, World Affairs, The Nation, Free Inquiry, and became a media fellow at the...
, each of whom had recently published a bestselling book promoting atheism. The intention was to use our conference to draw attention to the idea that Humanism, like atheism, is nontheistic and not traditionally religious, but unlike some popular atheism, Humanism is not necessarily an antireligious ideology. We also hoped our conference could serve as an exploration of the best ways in which Humanism can be more positive and constructive than what the general public had been seeing in the New Atheism. Our speakers, topics, and other conference events were chosen in order to highlight these distinctions.
Recently, Epstein has been featured as a guest on radio and television interviews and lectures, and maintains an online journal titled "The New Humanism"
Authored works and appearances
- Epstein is a contributing panelist for The Washington Post'sThe Washington PostThe Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
online blog entitled On Faith.
- He is the author of the popular book Good Without God: what a billion nonreligious people do believe.
- Epstein was the featured guest on the 27 January 2009 broadcast of the National Public Radio broadcast of Speaking of FaithSpeaking of FaithOn Being is a weekly public radio program about "religion, meaning, ethics, and ideas", produced by American Public Media...
, hosted by Krista TippettKrista TippettKrista Tippett is a broadcaster, journalist, and author. She is best known for creating and hosting the public radio program Being , distributed and produced by American Public Media...
.
- On 23 December 2009, Epstein was a featured guest on the National Public Radio broadcast of Fresh AirFresh AirFresh Air is an American radio talk show broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States. The show is produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its longtime host is Terry Gross. , the show was syndicated to 450 stations and claimed 4.5 million listeners. The show...
, hosted by Terry GrossTerry GrossTerry Gross is the host and co-executive producer of Fresh Air, an interview format radio show produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia and distributed throughout the United States by National Public Radio....
.
- On 24 January 2010, ABC World News ran a profile on Greg Epstein.
- On 18 February 2010, the award-winning Minnesota Public RadioMinnesota Public RadioMinnesota Public Radio , is the flagship National Public Radio member network for the state of Minnesota. With its three services, News & Information, Classical Music and The Current, MPR operates a 42-station regional radio network in the upper Midwest serving over 8 million people...
Midmorning with Kerri Miller show featured host Kerri Miller's interview with Greg Epstein, entitled Ethics and morality, without religion.
External links
- Mr. Greg Epstein, Humanist Chaplaincy Harvard University's Chaplains at Harvard profile page for Greg Epstein.
- Good without God: ABC World News profile on Greg Epstein, broadcast on 24 January 2010.