"I saw her," a white man with dreadlocks leans over his blandly seasoned fish to look me in the eyes. There's tobacco on his breath. "Mother Ayahuasca revealed my life's purpose to me today, in the form of a horse." "Oh," I say, pushing the fish around on my plate, hoping that the porcelain might …
Continue reading God isn’t what you think: the philosophy I learned from a shaman in the Amazon
Lately, I've been thinking a lot about seeing. And about those ViewMaster toys. You know, the binoculars that you held up to your eyes so that you could see another place. They took you to the jungle or to Hogwarts when you needed a break from spelling practice. All it took was a new plastic …
When Suzanne Collins' new book, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, opened with quotes from Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau, I knew we were in for a treat. What followed was four hundred pages of pure philosophical intrigue, incredible world-building, and highly relevant social commentary. Collins' writing abilities had increased tenfold since the original trilogy, and …
"I'm writing a book." Geez, that sounds terrible. It sounds like the kind of thing a man might say to you at a party, slurring his words, spilling a little wine on his polo shirt or his turtleneck. A turtleneck, because he thinks he's a poet but he's actually just pretentious. He's one of those …
Continue reading The problem with horror fiction and why I’m writing a book to fix it
In the last six months, I've encountered more casual racism than I have in the past 19 years of my life. And the only thing that has changed is that I've begun frequenting writers' groups. The correlation might sound confusing. I certainly thought that being a writer forced you to become a more empathetic person. …
Today in my literature class, a student had a question. “So, about the assignment…” he started, before subjecting us to a stammering rant about the intricacies of MLA citation, the politics of Feudal Japan and the definition of capitalism. When he’d finally finished, ten minutes later, our tutor stretched his neck. “Sorry, what was your …
Continue reading Saying so much and yet nothing at all: how our generation has lost its voice
★★★★ A chorus of masked figures creep stealthily onto stage. Their movements are exaggerated; their costumes comically flamboyant imitations of fifteenth century Italian fashion. I am supposed to be watching a staging of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, but am now wondering, have I clicked on the right YouTube link? The main cast bounces …
Last year was one of the loneliest of my life. Not because I didn't have friends, or events, or a supportive network— I had all of this. But because in the few moments of silence in between the partying and the classes and the extracurriculars— in the few moments of stillness where I was left …
Continue reading A one way ticket and a backpack: learning to be alone again
Read this post for more context! I will argue that, in his response to Elisabeth of Bohemia, Descartes does not successfully address the problem of the union and interaction between the immaterial mind and material body. Firstly, I will outline Elisabeth’s concerns and explain why they are relevant. Then, I will outline Descartes’ response, highlighting …
Continue reading The Gravity of Descartes’ Error: why the interaction problem remains a concern
The longest and most complicated relationship I've ever had was with a man I met in Year 11. His name was Descartes. Our relationship began when I encountered him in VCE Philosophy; he tried to sweet-talk me into believing my mind was non-physical, which I didn't find very convincing. But I looked past the red …
Continue reading Why haven’t you heard of Elisabeth? And other issues with contemporary philosophy
Ergo,thoughts 