In 1968 I won the Melville Medal for the Final Honours Examination in Mental Philosophy at Glasgow University. I studied for a Ph.D. for 1 year, but stopped it because I wanted to get married and earn a living. I was an Information Services Librarian for many years before retiring in 2006. Recently my interest in philosophy, on the back burner for some time, has been given a new lease of life. I am interested in questions about what philosophy actually is; in whether, e.g., philosophers as different as Hegel and Russell are actually addressing the same issues (if not, they can't disagree); in the relations between religion, theology and moral…
In 1968 I won the Melville Medal for the Final Honours Examination in Mental Philosophy at Glasgow University. I studied for a Ph.D. for 1 year, but stopped it because I wanted to get married and earn a living. I was an Information Services Librarian for many years before retiring in 2006. Recently my interest in philosophy, on the back burner for some time, has been given a new lease of life. I am interested in questions about what philosophy actually is; in whether, e.g., philosophers as different as Hegel and Russell are actually addressing the same issues (if not, they can't disagree); in the relations between religion, theology and moral philosophy; in questions to do with the existence (or otherwise) of God, and why I am instinctively repelled by the Richard Dawkins approach; in concepts such as fear, joy, hopelessness, faith, etc.; in the question of whether it is possible to live a non-ideological life...and many other things. I can thank (blame?) two main things for my renewed interest in philosophy: (1) retirement; (2) the journal "Philosophy Now" and its prominent position near "New Scientist" on the magazine shelves of W.H.Smith.
Oh, and I am married, have a son and a daughter, and two very small grandsons. Another passion is Family History. A favourite author is Thomas Hardy. I like many kinds of music from Mahler to Brian Eno and modern chillout.
