1. Introduction   In ‘The Paradoxes of Time Travel’ David Lewis (1976) argues that backward time travel is possible. However, it is not possible for a time traveller to change the past. This would lead to certain paradoxes, such as the Grandfather paradox. Were a person to kill their paternal grandfather before the birth of … Continue reading “Backward time travel entails too many foiling coincidences, in order that the time traveller not change the past, to be plausible” Do you agree or disagree and why?

In 1991 the philosopher Daniel Dennett published a book titled “Consciousness Explained”. There is a running joke amongst some philosophers, who refer to the book at “Consciousness Explained away”. The joke is that Dennett failed to achieve the goal of the title. Instead, he ignored the real problem of consciousness. And this is a good … Continue reading The truth about reality (and madness)

I went to a philosophy workshop the other week, and I sat next to a philosopher I hadn’t met before, named Geoff Brennan. During the lunch break we had an interesting chat. We were discussing the talk we had both just heard, and our discussion moved to self-esteem. Another man was sitting close by and … Continue reading Mental Illness and ‘The Economy of Esteem’

I want to talk about the children of the counter-culture. The counter-culture as I knew it - in Sydney during the late 1980s through the 1990s. Because I don’t think people outside this community understand the decisions we made. From the perspective of the main-stream we were the ‘lost’ youth. We dropped out. We took drugs. We were … Continue reading Why we chose the counter-culture

Why did Marilyn Monroe die? Why did such a beautiful, talented, celebrated performer feel empty inside? Did she die because she felt incomplete? Was it these feelings that led her to shine so brightly? And what would have alleviated these feelings?   This is about artists who commit suicide. My question is – why did … Continue reading Candles in the Wind

I was young when I had my psychotic episodes. I was in my twenties, and had the first one when I was 21. I’ve rarely heard people describing what these experiences are like to recover from. The episodes themselves are quite phenomenal. Although they are terrifying they left me with incredibly rich tales that I … Continue reading Recovering from Psychosis

I’m doing a course at uni. It’s a philosophy course where we are studying evolution. And in the first week I was given some Richard Dawkins to read. Dawkins is a funny character. I’ve always wondered why he is so angry. Anyhow, I think I’ve worked out why. It’s because he’s bewildered at how most … Continue reading A Gene’s Eye View

“Neurodiversity may be every bit as crucial for the human race as biodiversity is for life in general.” - Harvey Blume[I] Reading through the 2nd Edition of The Blackwell Companion to Consciousness[ii], what strikes me is the fact that there is an entire section devoted to altered states of consciousness. This includes chapters on drug … Continue reading Reframing Mental Illness: Neurodiversity and a new road to recovery

Another scandal (if that is the appropriate word) has occurred in the philosophy community with a high-profile male academic being reported for sexual misconduct. And my heart sinks when I see these articles – I can barely read them because it feels so sordid to hear the details of people’s lives when this type of … Continue reading Further reflections on the sexual dynamics of teacher/student relationships

March 12, 2017. It occurred to me why I want to explore the interface between science and religion – why I want to explore our thirst to understand the world coupled with our desire for the transcendental.  It is this interface that results in the conflict we have between our knowledge about reality, and how … Continue reading Two types of truth and the schism between them