John Milton (1608-1674) is perhaps known best for his epic poem Paradise Lost. But he also gained international acclaim because of a pamphlet he wrote in 1644, in which Milton argued against censorship and defended free speech and freedom of the press. This was the Areopagitica: A Speech for the Liberty of Unlicensed Printing. It…
View Post
Pantheism is the belief that nature or the universe is identical to God. Unlike theists, pantheists do not believe in a personal god who interacts with people, performs miracles, listens to prayers or judges what we do as being morally right or wrong. Unlike atheists, pantheists do believe in some sort of god. Some people…
View Post
Henry David Thoreau (1816-1862) is perhaps most famous for his book Walden, which details how he independently and self-sufficiently lived in the woods for two years. Thoreau’s focus on the virtue of individualism in this book positioned him as one of the major figures of transcendentalism. This philosophical movement centred around the belief that individuals are inherently…
View Post
For anyone who has seen the film The Matrix, they will know that the basic premise of the film is that reality is simulated in our minds by the means of a computer intelligence. The idea that reality is a simulation is not a relatively new idea. The essence of the idea can actually be…
View Post