Biology Species-related publications 8 Sep 20238 Sep 2023 What’s a personal blog for, if not to blow my own horn? Well, it can only be to blow the horns of those who I have collaborated with, of course. Two of my most recent publications are: The first is a chapter in the open Access book edited by Schwartz… Continue Reading
Epistemology My Absent Career 10: Contra Quality 1 Jan 20231 Jan 2023 So, taking this extreme parsimony approach leads me to sharply distinguish between things that are and things we think there are. A good many of our most favoured ideas are projective. Qualia are the primary example for me (because I first learned of them as an undergraduate). For those who… Continue Reading
Philosophy My Absent Career 9: Quale before me 30 Dec 20221 Jan 2023 I should pause for a minute before launching into the episode that finally scuttled my academic ambitions (of earning money), I should explain my absolute lack of interest in qualia, souls, spirits, ethereal minds, and moral realities. When I lost my faith, it wasn’t just an intellectual decision. It never… Continue Reading
Education My Absent Career 2: From theolog to undergrad 6 Dec 20221 Jan 2023 Since my mother worked, I would stop at the local library on my way home. I had until she got home about an hour and a half later. So I would read books in an hour and a half, since the ones I liked were adult books and I was… Continue Reading
History Is racism Christian? 21 Sep 201921 Sep 2019 I was taught that racism developed out of Johannes Blumenbach’s Anthropological Treatises in the late eighteenth century, specifically his doctoral thesis On the Natural Variety of Mankind, University of Göttingen, which was first published in 1775. In this work he outlined five races of humanity: Caucasian, Mongolian, Malayan, Ethiopean, American…. Continue Reading
Creationism and Intelligent Design John Ray 3 May 20193 May 2019 This has been submitted as an entry in the Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science, and it is offered here for your delectation and delight… Title of entry: John Ray Synonyms: John Wray; Joanne Raio, Joannis Raii [Lat.] Life John Ray (1627/8–1705, known as Wray until 1670) was an English clergyman… Continue Reading
Rant I wonder how non-Christians will be less than human this Easter? 18 Apr 20192 May 2019 Every time religious leaders give Easter and Christmas sermons, they are reported as saying something like “only with Christ can one truly love” or “non-Christians do not experience the totality of life”. In effect this is a way to dehumanise non-Christians, and I have mentioned it before on this blog…. Continue Reading
Philosophy Hume’s Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion 8 Jan 201927 Feb 2019 Readers may recall that I once posted a PDF of Hume’s Dialogues with the dialogues coloured by speaker. Recently I was asked by Alexander Afriat, of the Université de Bretagne Occidentale, for the same in EPub format. So I have converted it (without too many errors, I hope) to EPub… Continue Reading
Ethics and Moral Philosophy An Agnostic’s Apology 25 Jan 201823 Nov 2018 From Sir Leslie Stephen’s 1903 book. “Apology” here means defence (from apologia). AN AGNOSTICS APOLOGY Continue Reading
Politics Religious exceptionalism is undemocratic 19 Jan 2018 This is my submission to the government’s “review”. As usual, I get contrarian. Below the fold… Continue Reading