BirdInitials

['Member']Joined: October 31, 2023 at 19:30Last active: September 13, 2025 at 17:47None discussions5 comments

Location: Kingston upon Thames (Borough), UK

Bio

Philosophical interests:
The mind-body problem, free will and determinism.
Historical – analytic philosophy from Russell and Moore to the present.

Favourite Philosopher

A.J Ayer – recommended not least for his clear and concise prose style Daniel Dennett – did the kind of work I would have done if I had his talents

Favourite Quotations

"No one has ever announced that because determinism is true thermostats do not control temperature"

(Robert Nozick (1981), quoted in Daniel Dennett., "Elbow Room: The Varieties of Free Will Worth Wanting", 2015 edition).

Comments

In: The passing of Vera Mont, dear friend. — view comment

I haven't visited these pages for a while, I'm saddened to learn of her passing, and echo the tributes above.

September 13, 2025 at 14:39

In: Freddy Ayer, R. G. Collingwood and metaphysics? — view comment

The quote you couldn't find is actually from "An Autobiography" not the "Essay on Metaphysics". Apologies for misleading. It is on page 33 of my 1970 ...

May 20, 2024 at 21:57

In: Freddy Ayer, R. G. Collingwood and metaphysics? — view comment

I used the words I did basically because, in this debate, my sympathies are with Ayer rather than Collingwood. I've gone back to my copy of Ayer's mem...

May 20, 2024 at 12:19

In: Freddy Ayer, R. G. Collingwood and metaphysics? — view comment

While disputes with colleagues is a good part of being a professional philosopher, they would put their professionalism at risk if they resorted to na...

May 12, 2024 at 16:05

In: Philosophical dictionaries — view comment

I agree too. I have the 1995 paperback edition of Honderich's Companion. Having started to read philosophy again after a long layoff, I've found it ve...

November 02, 2023 at 22:37