Gordon Stein (1941-1996)
The following article is from Free
Inquiry magazine, Volume 16, Number 4.
A humanist memorial celebration of Gordon Stein's life was held at the Center for
Inquiry, August 30, 1996. The following are quotations from two of the eulogies presented.
— EDS.
The entire secular humanist, rationalist, atheist, and freethought movement has lost a
valued colleague and friend.
Gordon Stein had prodigious knowledge of the literature of the movement, and especially
of its historical roots. As Director of the newly established Center for Inquiry
Libraries, he assumed the task of "collecting the important materials ... and housing
them in a secure environment where they will be treasured, protected, and used." In
an article on "Preserving Our Freethought Heritage," published in Free
Inquiry in the Spring of 1994, he indicated how important he and we thought that
this venture was.
Although Gordon made a valiant start in this endeavor, unfortunately his untimely death
prevented him from completing this important work.
We at the Center for Inquiry are intent to continue "preserving our freethought
heritage."
It is fitting in this brief tribute to Gordon Stein that we excerpt from his Encyclopedia
of Unbelief below.
— Paul Kurtz
Senior Editor of Free Inquiry Gordon Stein died August 27, at Buffalo
General Hospital after a brief illness. He was 55.
Gordon received a Ph.D. in physiology from Ohio State University in 1974. He later
obtained a second master's degree in library science at University of California at Los
Angeles. He taught at the University of Rhode Island. At the time of his death he was
Director of Libraries at the Center for Inquiry. He was making excellent progress in
amassing the largest collection of freethought and skeptical literature in the world.
In addition to his work for Free Inquiry, he edited the magazine American
Rationalist. His books included Robert G. Ingersoll (1969), An
Anthology of Atheism and Rationalism (1980), and The Encyclopedia of Unbelief
(1985).
Gordon was also a well-known authority on hoaxes and deceptions. For several years
prior to his death he was a Technical Consultant to the Committee for the Scientific
Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, headquartered at The Center for Inquiry.
He was editor of the Encyclopedia of Hoaxes (1993) and, most recently, The
Encyclopedia of the Paranormal (1996), published by Prometheus Books.
His two areas of specialty, humanism and hoaxes, combined to make him an authority on
Spiritualism (the supposed communication with spirits of the dead) as well. He wrote and
lectured extensively on that subject, and he penned a biography of the notorious
spiritualist medium D. D. Home, called The Sorcerer of Kings (1993).
Just over two weeks before his death, although he was very ill (his cancer having
progressed further than any of us knew), he insisted on accompanying a group who were
attending the Center for Inquiry Institute on a trip to the Spiritualist colony at Lily
Dale, New York. While his chemotherapy treatment caused him to tire quickly, he shared
with everyone his vast knowledge of Spiritualism and helped make the outing especially
educational.
Survivors include a former wife, Barbara (Laiks) Stein, and their daughter Karen. He is
also survived by another former wife, Eve Triffo, and his only sister, Irna S. Jay.
In keeping with his wishes, his remains were cremated. Gifts to the Library Fund in
memory of Gordon Stein will be gratefully received.
— Joe Nickell
Atheism And Unbelief
Many of the innovations in science and philosophy have come from unbelievers, some of
whom died for their "unbeliefs." Without unbelief, we might well be living in
the Dark Ages or at least in the intellectual equivalent of that time.
In past centuries many theists savagely attacked atheists on the ground that someone
without a belief in God must be a moral "monster," who would permit any action.
This argument is rarely heard today, as the number of people who are openly atheists has
become so large that its falsity is self-evident. Atheists do have a moral code to guide
them. It is usually based upon the Golden Rule, plus a variety of utilitarian reasons,
although there are a number of other possible systems. Rather than being immoral, most
atheists are extremely moral.
There are a large number of people who can and do manage to lead decent upright lives
with no use for a belief in God as a guide. Atheists do not care whether others believe as
they do. They do ask, however, for the right to believe as they wish ....
— From the Encyclopedia of Unbelief, edited by Gordon Stein
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