Free Inquiry

Short description: Bi-monthly journal

For other uses, see freethought.

Free Inquiry

Vol. 35 issue 5 cover.

Editor| Paul Fidalgo
Categories| Secularism
Frequency| Bimonthly
Circulation| 17306 (2013)[1]
(U.S. and International)
Publisher| Council for Secular Humanism
Year founded| 1980
Country| United States
Based in| Amherst, New York
Language| English
Website| Free Inquiry
ISSN| 0272-0701

Free Inquiry is a bimonthly journal of secular humanist opinion and commentary published by the Council for Secular Humanism, a program of the Center for Inquiry. Philosopher Paul Kurtz was the editor-in-chief from its inception in 1980 until stepping down in 2010.[2] Kurtz was succeeded by Tom Flynn who worked as Editor in Chief until 2021. Paul Fidalgo was named editor in 2022, beginning with the October/November issue.[3] Feature articles cover a wide range of topics from a freethinking perspective. Common themes are separation of church and state, science and religion, dissemination of freethought, and applied philosophy. Regular contributors include well-known scholars in the fields of science and philosophy.

## Contents

* 1 Controversy
* 2 Columnists
* 3 Editorial Board
* 4 References
* 5 External links

## Controversy

In Free Inquiry's April–May 2006 issue, the magazine published four of the cartoons that had originally appeared in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten and that had sparked violent worldwide Muslim protests. Kurtz, editor-in-chief of Free Inquiry said, "What is at stake is the precious right of freedom of expression". The Borders refused to carry this issue in their main and Waldenbooks stores because of the cartoons. The reason given by Borders for their decision was not sensitivity to religion but fear of violence.[4]

The story made national and international news and the implications of this self-censorship were widely discussed, including by CBS News, The Washington Post,[5] and The New York Times.[6] The "blogosphere" widely condemned the decision of Borders to ban the magazine[7] and columnist Christopher Hitchens lamented the action in an article.[8]

## Columnists

Regular columnists include:[9]

* Ophelia Benson – Author and blogger
* Russell Blackford – Author and philosopher
* Greta Christina – Author and blogger
* Shadia Drury – Professor of Philosophy and Political Science
* Tibor Machan – Professor of Philosophy
* Mark Rubinstein – Economist
* Faisal Saeed Al Mutar – Commentator and social critic

## Editorial Board

* Editor in Chief: Paul Kurtz (until May 2010)[10]
* Editor: Paul Fidalgo
* Managing Editor: Nicole Scott
* Assistant Editor: Julia Lavarnway
* Senior Editors: Bill Cooke, Richard Dawkins, Ed Doerr (deceased), James Haught, Jim Herrick, Ronald A. Lindsay, Taslima Nasrin

* Editors
* Paul Kurtz - 1980 to 2010

* Tom Flynn - 2011 to 2021

* Paul Fidalgo - 2022 to 2024

## References

1. ↑ "December 2014/ January 2015 Issue". Free Inquiry (Amherst, NY). January 12, 2014.
2. ↑ "Paul Kurtz, 1925–2012 | Center for Inquiry". January 19, 2013. http://centerforinquiry.net/paul_kurtz_obituary.
3. ↑ Blumner, Robyn (3 August 2022). "Paul Fidalgo Named Editor of FREE INQUIRY and Executive Director of the Council for Secular Humanism". Center for Inquiry, Inc. https://secularhumanism.org/2022/08/paul-fidalgo-named-editor-of-free-inquiry-and-executive-director-of-the-council-for-secular-humanism/.
4. ↑ "Borders, Waldenbooks Won't Carry Magazine, Carolyn Thompson, Associated Press Writer, March 29, 2006". Archived from the original on September 18, 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20070918150100/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2006/03/29/national/a163611S00.DTL.
5. ↑ Two Chains Reject Magazine With Muhammad Cartoons, Associated Press, March 30, 2006
6. ↑ "Borders Blasts Back On Controversial Cartoons, AP, March 31, 2006". http://nytimesfaux.com/Borders_Blasts_Back_030331.htm.
7. ↑ Michael Weiss (March 31, 2006). "Calling 911 on 9/11". Slate. http://www.slate.com/id/2139129/.
8. ↑ Christopher Hitchens (June 25, 2007). "Look Forward to Anger". Slate. https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2007/06/let-s-stop-channeling-angry-muslims.html.
9. ↑ "Free Inquiry Staff, Detailed Publication Information, and Guidelines For Authors". Free Inquiry. 2008. http://www.secularhumanism.org/index.php?section=fi&page=details.
10. ↑ "August/September 2015 Issue". Free Inquiry (Amherst, NY). August 1, 2015.

## External links

* Official website
* Dogma Free America podcast interview with Tom Flynn, editor of Free Inquiry

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