Bertrand Russell’s universe
One hundred and fifty years ago on 18 May 1872 the philosopher Bertrand Russell was born. Of everything he said and wrote during his 97...
19
May
Philosophy & Psychology
11
Apr
Je Suis Mill
This is an edited extract from a dinner speech to the Liberal Club of the University of Melbourne, delivered on 10 December 2021
Abo...
20
Mar
Why we trust experts – even when they admit they don’t know the answer
We constantly make decisions about who to trust.
Much of the time we’re bombarded with massive amounts of information on all sorts o...
15
Mar
Are we a failed species?
A very old friend and longtime mentor of mine, now 85 years of age, recently expressed the gloomy opinion that Homo sapiens is ‘a faile...
25
Feb
A review of Eckhart Tolle’s ‘A New Earth’
The philosophical/spiritual writer Eckhart Tolle has had success beyond most writers’ wildest dreams.
His first book, The Power of N...
21
Feb
When faith and reality collide in pandemics
The Black Death (also known as the Pestilence) was a bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Afro-Eurasia from 1346-53. It is the most fat...
10
Feb
Four reasons why you should never say ‘do your research’ to win the argument
It’s fairly common to see many claims or arguments end with a curt “do your research”. In some ways, it’s a bold call to action. “Come ...
28
Jan
Suicide as catastrophe and as calculation
The August 2021 issue of Harper’s magazine has a cover story headed ‘What are the odds? The Troubled Quest to Predict Suicide’. The ess...
13
Dec
When beliefs become deadly
After five years of working for the Joint Counter Terrorism Team, where I was consumed by the persistent and genuine threat of Islamic ...
01
Dec
On dying
Philosophy begins with the death of the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates. But, as we know, he goes to his death with equanimity – wit...