Thanks. I certainly plan to stick around. Of course, there are some periods of time where I'll be busier than usual and unable to contribute much, but booktalk looks like a goldmine of people, thoughts, and ideas.

I know I'm probably exposing my empiricist leanings, but... John Locke - a man of good common sense, but not immune to the latest scientific developments. As Frederick Copleston wrote of him, when you read Locke you don't have to continually ask yourself whether he really could have believed the thi...

If I honored Ayn Rand with the title "Philosopher" I'd have to say she's my least favorite, but I don't so honor her. As for Kant, although I disagree with much of what he says I still admire him as a great philosopher. My least favorite philosopher would have to be Rousseau, closely follo...

Mind if I chip in about the state of affairs Downunder? I'm an ex-catholic who has studied at the Melbourne Catholic Theological College with seminarians (training to be Priests). Mass participation is definitely down, and one consequence of this has been that most parishes no longer hold a Sunday e...

Charles Taylor is always a provocative thinker. Have you guys read Sources of the Self or The Ethics of Authenticity ? They've both been enormous influences on my thinking. A Secular Age is definitely on my "to read" list. I'll probably buy a copy eventually (the hardcover is AU$69.95), bu...

That's Aussie for "Hi" or "Good day" spoken with a slur. My name's Brad and I'm a 32 year old from Melbourne, Australia. I work as a factory hand and have just completed a Bachelor of Arts degree at Australian Catholic University, with majors in psychology and philosophy. I'm hop...

TOWARDS THE LIGHT (OF LIBERTY): The Struggles for Freedom and Rights That Made the Modern Western World by A.C. Grayling In the introduction Grayling says that the book is a response to Lord Acton. Acton believed that modern liberty and rights are a result of Christianity and Grayling is arguing the...