George H. Smith
Encyclopedia
George Hamilton Smith (born February 10, 1949 in Japan
) is an American author, editor, educator and speaker.
, and attended the University of Arizona
for several years before leaving without a degree; he relocated to Los Angeles
during 1971. With the help of libertarian
editor Roy A. Childs, Jr.), he secured a contract from Nash Publishing (then located in Los Angeles) to produce a book on atheism
. The finished product, his first book, Atheism: The Case Against God
(1974), became one of the bestselling works on atheism published during the 20th century.
Smith has been teaching since the 1970s, first under the auspices of his own Forum for Philosophical Studies (with offices on Sunset Boulevard
in Los Angeles), later under the auspices of the Cato Institute
and the Institute for Humane Studies
(IHS). For nearly twenty years, from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s, he spent his summers teaching political philosophy and American political and intellectual history to university students at seminars sponsored by Cato Institute and IHS.
During the 1980s, Smith worked for more than six years as the General Editor of Knowledge Products, a Nashville-based company that produced educational audio recordings in philosophy, history, economics, and current affairs. During those years, in addition to his duties as editor, Smith was also the primary scriptwriter for Knowledge Products' "Great Political Thinkers" series. These recordings have been used widely in college classrooms.
Since 1971, more than one hundred of Smith's articles and book reviews have appeared in a wide range of publications, including The New York Times
, the Arizona Daily Star
, Reason Magazine, Free Inquiry
, The Humanist, Inquiry
, Cato Policy Report, Liberty
, The Voluntaryist, Academic Associates Book News, Journal of Libertarian Studies
, and Humane Studies Review.
His published works often deal with such issues as capital punishment
(which he opposes), anarchism
, libertarianism
, religious toleration
, and atheism
. He has written about William Wollaston
, Herbert Spencer
, Thomas Hobbes
, John Locke
, Ayn Rand
, and other figures. On December 31, 2007, George Smith provided a humorous "qualified endorsement" of Republican Party
candidate Ron Paul
via Youtube
for libertarian voters, but also one was consistent with his published writings on electoral politics.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
) is an American author, editor, educator and speaker.
Biography
Smith grew up mostly in Tucson, ArizonaTucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
, and attended the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
for several years before leaving without a degree; he relocated to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
during 1971. With the help of libertarian
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
editor Roy A. Childs, Jr.), he secured a contract from Nash Publishing (then located in Los Angeles) to produce a book on atheism
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
. The finished product, his first book, Atheism: The Case Against God
Atheism: The Case Against God
Atheism: The Case Against God is a 1979 book arguing against theism and for atheism by George H. Smith. The author describes the purpose of the book as to show that belief in God is irrational:...
(1974), became one of the bestselling works on atheism published during the 20th century.
Smith has been teaching since the 1970s, first under the auspices of his own Forum for Philosophical Studies (with offices on Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard is a street in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, that stretches from Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Coast Highway at the Pacific Ocean in the Pacific Palisades...
in Los Angeles), later under the auspices of the Cato Institute
Cato Institute
The Cato Institute is a libertarian think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1977 by Edward H. Crane, who remains president and CEO, and Charles Koch, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of the conglomerate Koch Industries, Inc., the largest privately held...
and the Institute for Humane Studies
Institute for Humane Studies
The Institute for Humane Studies is a classical liberal non-profit organization whose stated mission is “to support the achievement of a freer society by discovering and facilitating the development of talented students, scholars, and other intellectuals who share an interest in liberty and in...
(IHS). For nearly twenty years, from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s, he spent his summers teaching political philosophy and American political and intellectual history to university students at seminars sponsored by Cato Institute and IHS.
During the 1980s, Smith worked for more than six years as the General Editor of Knowledge Products, a Nashville-based company that produced educational audio recordings in philosophy, history, economics, and current affairs. During those years, in addition to his duties as editor, Smith was also the primary scriptwriter for Knowledge Products' "Great Political Thinkers" series. These recordings have been used widely in college classrooms.
Since 1971, more than one hundred of Smith's articles and book reviews have appeared in a wide range of publications, including The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, the Arizona Daily Star
Arizona Daily Star
The Arizona Daily Star is the major morning daily newspaper that serves Tucson and surrounding districts of southern Arizona in the United States. The paper was purchased by Pulitzer in 1971; Lee Enterprises bought Pulitzer in 2005....
, Reason Magazine, Free Inquiry
Free Inquiry
Free Inquiry is a bi-monthly journal of secular humanist opinion and commentary published by the Council for Secular Humanism, which is part of the Center for Inquiry. Philosopher Paul Kurtz is the editor-in-chief and Thomas W. Flynn the editor. Feature articles cover a wide range of topics from a...
, The Humanist, Inquiry
Inquiry Magazine
Inquiry Magazine was a libertarian magazine published from November 1977 to 1984. It was originally published by the Cato Institute, but in February 1982 was transferred to the Libertarian Review Foundation, after the Libertarian Review was merged into Inquiry in January of that year...
, Cato Policy Report, Liberty
Liberty (magazine)
Liberty magazine may refer to:* Liberty , a political magazine published from 1881 to 1908 by Benjamin Tucker* Liberty , a general-interest magazine published from 1924 to 1950...
, The Voluntaryist, Academic Associates Book News, Journal of Libertarian Studies
Journal of Libertarian Studies
The Journal of Libertarian Studies is a scholarly journal published annually by the Ludwig von Mises Institute and Lew Rockwell. It was established in the spring of 1977 by Murray Rothbard who also served as its editor until his death in 1995...
, and Humane Studies Review.
His published works often deal with such issues as capital punishment
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
(which he opposes), anarchism
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
, libertarianism
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
, religious toleration
Religious toleration
Toleration is "the practice of deliberately allowing or permitting a thing of which one disapproves. One can meaningfully speak of tolerating, ie of allowing or permitting, only if one is in a position to disallow”. It has also been defined as "to bear or endure" or "to nourish, sustain or preserve"...
, and atheism
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
. He has written about William Wollaston
William Wollaston
William Wollaston was an English philosophical writer. He is remembered today for one book, which he completed only two years before his death: ....
, Herbert Spencer
Herbert Spencer
Herbert Spencer was an English philosopher, biologist, sociologist, and prominent classical liberal political theorist of the Victorian era....
, Thomas Hobbes
Thomas Hobbes
Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury , in some older texts Thomas Hobbs of Malmsbury, was an English philosopher, best known today for his work on political philosophy...
, John Locke
John Locke
John Locke FRS , widely known as the Father of Liberalism, was an English philosopher and physician regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers. Considered one of the first of the British empiricists, following the tradition of Francis Bacon, he is equally important to social...
, Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand was a Russian-American novelist, philosopher, playwright, and screenwriter. She is known for her two best-selling novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged and for developing a philosophical system she called Objectivism....
, and other figures. On December 31, 2007, George Smith provided a humorous "qualified endorsement" of Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
candidate Ron Paul
Ron Paul
Ronald Ernest "Ron" Paul is an American physician, author and United States Congressman who is seeking to be the Republican Party candidate in the 2012 presidential election. Paul represents Texas's 14th congressional district, which covers an area south and southwest of Houston that includes...
via Youtube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
for libertarian voters, but also one was consistent with his published writings on electoral politics.
External links
- David Gordon's review of Atheism: Ayn Rand and Other Heresies in The Journal of Libertarian Studies, Vol. 10, no. 2 (Fall 1992)
- N. Stephan Kinsella's response to Smith regarding capital punishment
- Steven Strasnick. "Justice Entrepreneurship in A Free Market": Comment
- Anthony Flood's review of Atheism: The Case against God on AnthonyFlood.com
- Michael Martin's review of "Atheism: The Case Against God"