Can we change the way we debate the nature of consciousness or any existentially significant topic? I believe this is a crucial question for the future of civil discourse and the maintenance of peaceful societies. The term “culture war” is most often used with regard to issues that highlight deep…

In this article I want to look at one especially egregious example of public communication on the topic of consciousness, in the form of a critical “review” of the 2021 Netflix documentary series “Surviving Death”. If you haven’t read my brief introduction on how the concept of “culture wars” applies…

Understanding our culture may put your mind at ease — A lot of Americans seem to be worrying about the way Australia has responded to Covid. From month long lockdowns to travel restrictions it seems we are coming across as the latest addition to the worlds totalitarian dystopias. There have been demonstrations in “solidarity” with Australians in New York and…

Given our current technological limits, subtle phenomena such as out-of-body experiences, encounters with non-physical beings or the existence of other dimensions of life are not readily proven in ways that will satisfy skeptics who have not had their own experiential proof. Apart from pursuing our own experiences, for now all…

Introduction Many indigenous peoples and religious groups place great value on what we might call “extraordinary experiences of consciousness” and actively pursue them through rituals, ceremonies, drug use and other techniques. Anthropology’s key research tool of participant observation can open us to this experiential dimension, and there are now a good…

Complacency is a white luxury we cannot afford — Racism is complex and many faceted. It has shaped the world for centuries and produced untold suffering. Yet our attempts to challenge and transform it have been ad hoc, largely driven by grass roots activists rather than those with control over social and economic power. Most people will agree that…

Especially with racism hiding in plain sight — Among white people the realization that racism is a major social issue seems to have landed only quite recently. Racism has been a foundational structural feature of society for centuries, at the very least since global colonialism and the cross-Atlantic slave trade. This racism has been invisible for much of…

For much of my life, getting the fastest checkout queue has been a secret compulsion at the end of most supermarket shops. As I approach the checkouts, I scan to see if everybody else missed one that is free. Of course that’s a rare event, so after a fleeting sense…

Hidden emotions A close relative recently shared with me that he had woken from an anxiety attack. He was in the middle of an obligatory 2 weeks home quarantine after returning to his country from overseas. He said he had not even realised that he was feeling anxious until he found himself…