ABOUT ME

I aim to apply clear thinking to social issues. I studied philosophy at all three universities I attended and was particularly influenced by Jean Curthoys and Gyorgy Markus at Sydney University, and Agnes Heller and Robert Manne at La Trobe University. Now in retirement from my day jobs, I spend my time writing and find that philosophy is the best medium to express my thoughts.

Though I am eclectic politically (with both left and right-wing views) I had a Marxist outlook in my young adulthood and I dine out endlessly on the questions around youthful enthusiasm and the progression to a more sober outlook. I have no regrets about my Marxism – I met interesting people and entertained thought-provoking commitments – but I’m glad to have reached a more balanced perspective.
My career in economics was cut short in my early thirties by the onset of schizoaffective disorder. During my recovery I seemed to be living the parallel lives of my distracted musings on the one hand, and on the other hand the habits of everyday life that were expected of me by my friends and workmates. This parallel existence was not unlike the life I now lead which is divided between the speculative thinking of my own realm, and the socialising I pursue when I surface from my reflections.

I was born in Oxford UK when my family was over there for my father’s studies, but I grew up in Melbourne which is still home. I lived in Sydney for two years as an undergraduate and in Canberra for 8 months working in the industry policy department. Aside from reading and writing, my sustaining passion is for art, which I chase in various galleries around Australia.