The Hard Problem of Consciousness for Neuroscience

A look at the "hard" and "easy" problems of conscience according to Australian philosopher David Chalmers

Coronavirus and the Limitations of Secular Wellbeing

It is hardly worth mentioning that due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, many of us around the world are now in some form of isolation, or at the very least, reducing our contact with others we aren't immediately living with. This pandemic has led to enormous disruptions in our daily lives. Because of the unprecedented …

A Great Change: I’m a Father!

At around dawn on January the 29th, 2020, after being awake all night with my wife and watching her experience a gruelling labour, my first child was born. From very early on in the labour, there were some difficulties. She was already almost a week overdue and when her water broke, there was meconium present …

Why should I study Theology in an Increasingly Secular Society?

This is a kind of open-ended question to anyone who reads this. I would love to hear your thoughts on this question. Writing now is a means for me to work out my own answer to this question because I have recently enrolled at the Australian Catholic University to do a Masters in Theological Studies. …

My Chinese-Korean Family and the Endurance of the Human Spirit

Happy New Year to all! I've returned from spending three days with my second family over the New Years period. As some of you may know, I live in Harbin, China and am married to a Chinese citizen who belongs to the Korean ethnic minority group. For my first post of the year, I thought …

Paradigms of Perception: The Reality of Gods, Demons, Monsters and All Sorts of Fantastical Things

In the modern era of science and rationality, we have largely dismissed many of the superstitions and beliefs of the past, without really understanding them, thinking to ourselves that we have out-grown the more primitive ways of viewing the world. Looking back into history, modern humans tend to observe our ancestors with a curious fascination …

Masada: Hiking Herod’s Palace

Our phone alarms started honking and hollering simultaneously at quarter to four in the morning. Still pitch black outside, we made a quick instant coffee, some Israeli brand of instant, packed a bag and left our room. Hundreds of stars were gleaming above us, the most I've seen in quite some time. The crescent moon …

I Miss Nature: The Separation of Humanity and Life

Living in an industrial city in the northeast of China can be difficult at times for someone who has basically lived their entire life either within nature or in very close proximity to it. Harbin is a nice city in its own ways. It has a unique Russian-Chinese hybrid culture with numerous orthodox churches and …

Evidence! Evidence! Evidence! – A Rant against Arrogant Atheists

This post may come off as a little bit more of a rant than usual, and perhaps a little bit unfair towards many of the lovely atheists out there, some of who are my best friends. So apologies in advance for generalisations. It might come as a surprise, considering I write usually in a more …

Labels and Concepts: A Double Edged Sword?

Our brains and minds have an incredible ability to conceptualise, categorise and arrange all sorts of things in our lives in order to make a bit more sense of the infinitely complex world we have found ourselves in. It's one of the most practical aspects of the mind, and most of the time we don't …