Skip to main content

G T Roche

Followers

377

Following

230

Mentions

34

Public Views

PhD in Philosophy at the University of Auckland. Member of the Royal Society of New Zealand. Member of the Australasian Society for Philosophy and Psychology. Current research interests include syndemics, public health, the psychology of evil, 18th Century French thought, 19th Century German thought, 21st Century Second Enlightenment, and philosophical issues concerning neurological and neurochemical manipulation.
Supervisors: Stefano Franchi and Robert Wicks
Address: Instagram: @g.t.roche

less

InterestsView All (9)

Uploads

Drafts by G T Roche

Gentle-Cackett, S. W. (n.d.). Palestine Portrayed: Camera Pictures Reproduced with Descriptions and Explanations. Westminster, Edinburgh and London: Palestine and Bible Lands Exhibition, and Marshall, Morgan and Scott Ltd.

A collection of photographs of Eretz Yisrael during the British Mandate period, with historical n... more A collection of photographs of Eretz Yisrael during the British Mandate period, with historical notes from ancient times to the time of publication.

Another, slightly lower resolution scan is available at this link:

https://biblicalarchaeology.org.uk/pdf/e-books/gentle-cackett_s-w/palestine-portrayed_gentle-cackett.pdf

This book was published during the Mandatory Palestine period, lasting from 1920 (with the mandate being obtained from the League of Nations in 1922) until 1948, ending with the establishment of the State of Israel. This particular copy was owned by my maternal grandmother, who visited the area during World War II.

Notably the name Eretz Yisrael was also used for official purposes during this period, as part of the Hebrew name for Palestine. From Wikipedia:

“In 1926, the British authorities formally decided to use the traditional Arabic equivalent to the English name, and its Hebrew transcription i.e. Filasţīn (فلسطين) and Pālēśtīnā (פּלשׂתינה) respectively. The Jewish leadership proposed that the proper Hebrew name should be ʾĒrēts Yiśrāʾel (ארץ ישׂראל, Land of Israel). The final compromise was to append the initials of the Hebrew proposed name, Alef-Yod, within parenthesis (א״י) after Pālēśtīnā whenever the Mandate's name was mentioned in Hebrew in official documents. The Arab leadership saw this compromise as a violation of the mandate terms.”

The Alef-Yod referred to above is clearly visible on all stamps and coins produced during this period.

Internet sources give the dates for this publication as both 1936 and 1942. Neither appears to be accurate. The latest date mentioned in the text is 1929, with reference to the beginning of the building of the port of Haifa (at page 4). This was completed in 1933, which places publication before then.

Richard Pearse's VTOL Convertiplane: Photographs of the newly restored aircraft.

The third aircraft (built c.1928-1929-1950s) constructed by aviation pioneer Richard William Pea... more The third aircraft (built c.1928-1929-1950s) constructed by aviation pioneer Richard William Pearse (1877-1953) has recently been returned to public display at the Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT) in Auckland, New Zealand, following a second restoration. Below are photographs taken in June 2024, soon after the craft’s return to public display for the first time since 2014. The abstract of the corresponding patent for this craft is as follows: “[…] a convertible aeroplane helicopter having an engine carrying a controllable pitch propeller on its crankshaft mounted for controlled tilting of this combination about a horizontal transverse axle in combination with incidence increasing wing tip control units foldable tail piece ground brake and a sliding floor.” It is not believed to have flown.

Ruth Galpin War Diary, January-April 1945

War Diary of Ruth Galpin, January-April 1945 , 1945

War diary of Ruth Lenore Galpin, January-April 1945 Service Number 69456 AWMM Women's Auxiliary ... more

Ruth Galpin Autograph Book 1931

Autograph book of Ruth Lenore Galpin (1916-2003), then living in Te Puke, Bay of Plenty, New Zea... more

Alexander Dickson War Diary November 1940-January 1941

War Diary of Alexander Dickson WWII 32120 AWMM, 1941

Alexander Robert Dickson War Diary, 28 November 1940-10 January 1941. Service Number WWII 32120 ... more Alexander Robert Dickson
War Diary, 28 November 1940-10 January 1941.

Service Number WWII 32120 AWMM
18th (NZ) Army Troops Company, New Zealand Engineers
B Force, 8th Brigade, New Zealand 3rd Division
Embarkation:

WW2 Sapper 2NZEF Nom. Roll 3, p.123 18th (N.Z.) Army Troops Company, N.Z. Engineers 2NZEF Nom. Roll 3, p.123 Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force, Third Echelon AWMM

Online Cenotaph record link:
https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/151788?srt=relevance&w=World+War+II%2c+1939-1945&n=Alexander+Dickson&from=%2Fwar-memorial%2Fonline-cenotaph%2Fsearch&ordinal=6

Relevant records:
Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force. (1941). Nominal Roll Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force No. 3 (Embarkations from 1st July, 1940 to 31st March, 1941). Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer. AWMM. p.123 AWMM
Nominal rolls - Embarkation rolls B-force 8th infantry brigade group [New Zealand Military Forces - "B" Force - Embarkation Roll]. Archives New Zealand, Wellington, AAYS 8638 AD1/1421 (R22440171) AWMM
Gillespie, O. (1952). The Pacific. Wellington, N.Z.: Department of Internal Affairs, War History Branch. AWMM.

Academic Curriculum Vitae, March 2024

Review note John Phillips The Marquis de Sade A Very Short Introduction

in the popular Oxford University Press Very Short Introduction series, further secures Sade's pla... more in the popular Oxford University Press Very Short Introduction series, further secures Sade's place in the occidental canon. Like myself, Phillips takes Sade to be a philosopher, placing him squarely in the context of the 18 th Century philosophes. Phillips gives a sound overview of several key philosophical themes in Sade's work, in particular his atheism, his political involvement, and his dealings with gender and sexuality. He also (correctly, I think) takes Sade to anticipate Nietzsche on the question of Judaeo-Christian morality. Philosophical discussion is, however, secondary to literary analysis.

slide show: Ethical Issues with Psychedelic Therapy and Informed Consent: Cognitive Distortion, Chemically Altered Beliefs, and Discontinuity of Personal Identity

Australasian Society for Philosophy and Psychology 2023 conference Canberra 6-8 December 4:30-4... more

רואימ נחשימ- על הזיות, ידע והתנסיויות עמ סמים

המצדדים בסמים פסיכודליים טוענים שהם יכולים לעורר התנסויות בעלות ערך רוחני ופילוסופי ושיש להם פוטנ... more המצדדים בסמים פסיכודליים טוענים שהם יכולים לעורר התנסויות בעלות ערך רוחני ופילוסופי ושיש להם פוטנציל "להרחיב את המודעות". אבל האם סמים, כפי שטוענים וויליאם ג'יימס (1842-1910), אלדוס האקסלי (1894-1963) וטימותי לירי (1920-1996) מאפשרים לנו לראות מעבר לאופק התפיסה הרגילה? כלומר, לראות את הדברים כפי שהם באמת.
ובניסוח כללי יותר של השאלה הפילוסופית: האם שינוי מלאכותי למוח, בסיסה החומרי של התודעה, (באמצעות סמים, גירוי חשמלי או ניתוח), יכול לגלות ידע כתוצאה מההתנסות שהוא גורם? והאם שינוי כזה יכול ליצור התנסות דתית אותנתית או אולי ידע על מה שהתנסות כזאת יכולה להיות? ואולי הצהרות של התגלות מידית הן חלק מהתדמית המיסטית?

Of Entheogens, Pathogens and Ergotism: Psychedelic Experiences and Disease States

N/A, 2023

This essay maps out an unresolved, perhaps unresolvable, conceptual problem within psychedelic li... more This essay maps out an unresolved, perhaps unresolvable, conceptual problem within psychedelic literature: authors have frequently noted the overlap between disease states and psychedelic states, complicating the case for their intellectual, spiritual, or therapeutic benefits. Firstly, Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) associated the psychedelic experience with the effects of extreme, disease-inducing ascetic practices. Secondly, psychedelic drugs have been viewed as psychotomimetic, inducing states thought to be phenomenologically or cognitively comparable to psychotic states. Thirdly, Huston Smith (1919-2016) and Raymond Harold Prince (1925-2012) have suggested that infectious diseases, like psychedelics, may induce religious experiences. Fourthly, psychedelic drugs arguably induce cognitive impairment and a delusional sense of insight (Roche 2010). Finally, it is widely believed that the parasitic fungus rye ergot (Claviceps purpurea) was deliberately ingested as a psychedelic drug by the ancient Greeks and others, despite ergotism being potentially lethal and having severe neuropsychiatric symptoms. I first clarify what it may mean to say that the psychedelic experience is a disease state, then assess the following counterarguments: (i) therapeutic use, (ii) traditional use, and (iii) cognitive enhancement (‘epistemic benefits’). The second part of the essay outlines the impact of ergotism on religious life in European history, and evidence for its ritual use.

Louis Wain (1860-1939) Kaleidoscope Cat

Embroidery pattern.

Blackbird/ Manu Pango/クロウタドリ(Turdus merula) 1:1 scale card model

Templates and instructions to make a reasonably accurate scale model of a blackbird skeleton in 1... more

Did European Witches use Psychoactive Drugs?

Did European Witches Use Psychoactive Drugs?, 2021

This pamphlet outlines the case for psychoactive drug use by witches, and notes that there is ver... more This pamphlet outlines the case for psychoactive drug use by witches, and notes that there is very little evidence that 'witches' as described in surviving documents had ever existed, let alone used drugs. Historical claims of Medieval and Renaissance period drug use by witches are so outlandish that they threaten to undermine both credibility and the cause for drug law reform, particularly as they appear to romanticise substances that are toxic to the point of lethality.

A little zine produced by Wellington Zinefest and designed by Liam Goulter. This is an excerpt from the draft chapter The Temptation of Saint Anthony: On Chemical Mysticism.

Hard copies are available from The Freedom Shop, at the back of Opportunity for Animals- 162 Riddiford St, Newtown, Te Whanganui-A-Tara, Aotearoa New Zealand.

webpage:

https://freedomshopaotearoa.blogspot.com/

Lecture notes, PHI 232 Introduction to Ethics

Lecture notes, Lakeland College Wisconsin, Japan Campus, Shinjuku, Tokyo, 2006-2007.

Mars in Armour, Venus in Furs: Nietzsche & Women

In the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) on the subject of women, we are confronted wit... more In the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) on the subject of women, we are confronted with a number of apparent paradoxes and contradictions. On the one hand, for example, Nietzsche attacked the conspiracy of silence that kept young women ignorant about sex, and yet on the other aligned himself with the conservative view that women should be kept in cloistered domesticity. He often wrote of ‘woman’ (in the singular) as subordinate to men in general, and yet left open the possibility of a “perfect woman” who is a “higher type” than the perfect man (HH §7, Aph. 377, p.150, Hollingdale trans.), and employed woman as a symbol of life, truth, and humanity.

The purpose of this essay is to outline Nietzsche’s discussion of women, to address some of the apparent contradictions in this discussion, and to explore the significance of those segments in the text that resist simple explanation.

I broadly conclude that Nietzsche’s musings on women (once we get past his status as a great iconoclast) are largely the work of a lonely, bombastic crank, with a pathetically limited direct knowledge of either women or intimate relationships. (I do not dwell on his fraught relationships with Cosima Wagner or Lou Salomé but the biographies all paint much the same picture). The fact that he had clearly spent so much time thinking about ‘the woman problem’ makes his work on this topic all the more pathetic. It is a striking example of the philosopher’s vice of mistaking the idiosyncrasies of one’s own limited worldview for universal truths.

Critique of Psychedelic Reason, Chapters 3 and 4, Working Bibliography

Draft bibliography for chapters 3 and 4 of a broader critique of psychedelic thought, continuing ... more

White-Capped Mollymawk, Thalassarche cauta (Gould, 1841)/ Toroa. Card model of skull, 1:1 scale.

White-Capped Mollymawk, Thalassarche cauta (Gould, 1841) cranium and mandible card model 1:1 sca... more

Of Crustaceans and Corydrane: On the Neurochemical Substratum of Jean-Paul Sartre’s Philosophical Practice - conference poster

Poster presentation: first conference of the Australasian Society for Philosophy and Psychology,... more Poster presentation: first conference of the Australasian Society for Philosophy and Psychology, December 5th-7th 2018, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia. Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) had taken the classic hallucinogen mescaline at least twice. His first experience was in February 1935, when he was injected with the drug by psychiatrist and former classmate Daniel Lagache (1903-1972), in Paris, and at a later, unknown date in the Pyrenees (de Beauvoir 208-213, Gerassi 193). Sartre was also a heavy user of amphetamines from around 1945 or 1946 until at least 1970, ostensibly to give him the energy to write his philosophical works. He began with orthedrine and continued at least until 1970 with Corydrane, a combination of aspirin and amphetamine (Cohen-Solal pp.373-376, Gerassi 21).

A number of scholars have suggested that Sartre’s drug use influenced his thought, which raises largely unaddressed practical and theoretical issues. Sartre himself had been encouraged to experiment with drugs by Tania Zazoulich (who recommended that drugs would make him an authentic writer, Sartre War Diaries p.61), and there are public health implications to the uncritical acceptance of influencers who may inspire high-risk behaviours. There is also an emerging view within academic philosophy that mind-altering substances may provide insightful experiences (Letheby), a perspective with conceptual correlations with the anti-psychiatry movement, which Sartre had influenced via R. D. Laing (1927-1989). Such views call for robust critique. This project also raises the question of the demarcation criteria between philosophy and mysticism.

Tākapu (Australasian Gannet, Morus serrator) 1:1 scale card model

1:1 card scale model of the skeleton of the Tākapu, Australasian Gannet (Morus serrator). Assemb... more 1:1 card scale model of the skeleton of the Tākapu,
Australasian Gannet (Morus serrator). Assembly required.
Not suitable for children.

This model is based on skeletal remains found at Otarawairere Bay, near Whakatāne; the most likely home of this bird was the tākapu colony on Whakaari/White Island.

Review of Henry Martyn Lloyd’s Sade’s Philosophical System in its Enlightenment Context, Palgrave Macmillan, 2019. $78.25USD.

Lloyd has set the record straight, and as such exposes much of the scholarship on Sade before hi... more Lloyd has set the record straight, and as such exposes much of the scholarship on Sade before him as so much pseudo-profound kitsch. For Lloyd, Sade was an actual apologist for rape and murder, yet the author of a significant response to the moral thought of his, and our, age. And Lloyd knows his Sade. Henceforth, no serious scholar of Sade can ignore this book, or pretend that the Paris school still has a monopoly on Sade scholarship.

Gentle-Cackett, S. W. (n.d.). Palestine Portrayed: Camera Pictures Reproduced with Descriptions and Explanations. Westminster, Edinburgh and London: Palestine and Bible Lands Exhibition, and Marshall, Morgan and Scott Ltd.

A collection of photographs of Eretz Yisrael during the British Mandate period, with historical n... more A collection of photographs of Eretz Yisrael during the British Mandate period, with historical notes from ancient times to the time of publication.

Another, slightly lower resolution scan is available at this link:

https://biblicalarchaeology.org.uk/pdf/e-books/gentle-cackett_s-w/palestine-portrayed_gentle-cackett.pdf

This book was published during the Mandatory Palestine period, lasting from 1920 (with the mandate being obtained from the League of Nations in 1922) until 1948, ending with the establishment of the State of Israel. This particular copy was owned by my maternal grandmother, who visited the area during World War II.

Notably the name Eretz Yisrael was also used for official purposes during this period, as part of the Hebrew name for Palestine. From Wikipedia:

“In 1926, the British authorities formally decided to use the traditional Arabic equivalent to the English name, and its Hebrew transcription i.e. Filasţīn (فلسطين) and Pālēśtīnā (פּלשׂתינה) respectively. The Jewish leadership proposed that the proper Hebrew name should be ʾĒrēts Yiśrāʾel (ארץ ישׂראל, Land of Israel). The final compromise was to append the initials of the Hebrew proposed name, Alef-Yod, within parenthesis (א״י) after Pālēśtīnā whenever the Mandate's name was mentioned in Hebrew in official documents. The Arab leadership saw this compromise as a violation of the mandate terms.”

The Alef-Yod referred to above is clearly visible on all stamps and coins produced during this period.

Internet sources give the dates for this publication as both 1936 and 1942. Neither appears to be accurate. The latest date mentioned in the text is 1929, with reference to the beginning of the building of the port of Haifa (at page 4). This was completed in 1933, which places publication before then.

Richard Pearse's VTOL Convertiplane: Photographs of the newly restored aircraft.

The third aircraft (built c.1928-1929-1950s) constructed by aviation pioneer Richard William Pea... more The third aircraft (built c.1928-1929-1950s) constructed by aviation pioneer Richard William Pearse (1877-1953) has recently been returned to public display at the Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT) in Auckland, New Zealand, following a second restoration. Below are photographs taken in June 2024, soon after the craft’s return to public display for the first time since 2014. The abstract of the corresponding patent for this craft is as follows: “[…] a convertible aeroplane helicopter having an engine carrying a controllable pitch propeller on its crankshaft mounted for controlled tilting of this combination about a horizontal transverse axle in combination with incidence increasing wing tip control units foldable tail piece ground brake and a sliding floor.” It is not believed to have flown.

Ruth Galpin War Diary, January-April 1945

War Diary of Ruth Galpin, January-April 1945 , 1945

War diary of Ruth Lenore Galpin, January-April 1945 Service Number 69456 AWMM Women's Auxiliary ... more

Ruth Galpin Autograph Book 1931

Autograph book of Ruth Lenore Galpin (1916-2003), then living in Te Puke, Bay of Plenty, New Zea... more

Alexander Dickson War Diary November 1940-January 1941

War Diary of Alexander Dickson WWII 32120 AWMM, 1941

Alexander Robert Dickson War Diary, 28 November 1940-10 January 1941. Service Number WWII 32120 ... more Alexander Robert Dickson
War Diary, 28 November 1940-10 January 1941.

Service Number WWII 32120 AWMM
18th (NZ) Army Troops Company, New Zealand Engineers
B Force, 8th Brigade, New Zealand 3rd Division
Embarkation:

WW2 Sapper 2NZEF Nom. Roll 3, p.123 18th (N.Z.) Army Troops Company, N.Z. Engineers 2NZEF Nom. Roll 3, p.123 Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force, Third Echelon AWMM

Online Cenotaph record link:
https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/151788?srt=relevance&w=World+War+II%2c+1939-1945&n=Alexander+Dickson&from=%2Fwar-memorial%2Fonline-cenotaph%2Fsearch&ordinal=6

Relevant records:
Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force. (1941). Nominal Roll Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force No. 3 (Embarkations from 1st July, 1940 to 31st March, 1941). Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer. AWMM. p.123 AWMM
Nominal rolls - Embarkation rolls B-force 8th infantry brigade group [New Zealand Military Forces - "B" Force - Embarkation Roll]. Archives New Zealand, Wellington, AAYS 8638 AD1/1421 (R22440171) AWMM
Gillespie, O. (1952). The Pacific. Wellington, N.Z.: Department of Internal Affairs, War History Branch. AWMM.

Academic Curriculum Vitae, March 2024

Review note John Phillips The Marquis de Sade A Very Short Introduction

in the popular Oxford University Press Very Short Introduction series, further secures Sade's pla... more in the popular Oxford University Press Very Short Introduction series, further secures Sade's place in the occidental canon. Like myself, Phillips takes Sade to be a philosopher, placing him squarely in the context of the 18 th Century philosophes. Phillips gives a sound overview of several key philosophical themes in Sade's work, in particular his atheism, his political involvement, and his dealings with gender and sexuality. He also (correctly, I think) takes Sade to anticipate Nietzsche on the question of Judaeo-Christian morality. Philosophical discussion is, however, secondary to literary analysis.

slide show: Ethical Issues with Psychedelic Therapy and Informed Consent: Cognitive Distortion, Chemically Altered Beliefs, and Discontinuity of Personal Identity

Australasian Society for Philosophy and Psychology 2023 conference Canberra 6-8 December 4:30-4... more

רואימ נחשימ- על הזיות, ידע והתנסיויות עמ סמים

המצדדים בסמים פסיכודליים טוענים שהם יכולים לעורר התנסויות בעלות ערך רוחני ופילוסופי ושיש להם פוטנ... more המצדדים בסמים פסיכודליים טוענים שהם יכולים לעורר התנסויות בעלות ערך רוחני ופילוסופי ושיש להם פוטנציל "להרחיב את המודעות". אבל האם סמים, כפי שטוענים וויליאם ג'יימס (1842-1910), אלדוס האקסלי (1894-1963) וטימותי לירי (1920-1996) מאפשרים לנו לראות מעבר לאופק התפיסה הרגילה? כלומר, לראות את הדברים כפי שהם באמת.
ובניסוח כללי יותר של השאלה הפילוסופית: האם שינוי מלאכותי למוח, בסיסה החומרי של התודעה, (באמצעות סמים, גירוי חשמלי או ניתוח), יכול לגלות ידע כתוצאה מההתנסות שהוא גורם? והאם שינוי כזה יכול ליצור התנסות דתית אותנתית או אולי ידע על מה שהתנסות כזאת יכולה להיות? ואולי הצהרות של התגלות מידית הן חלק מהתדמית המיסטית?

Of Entheogens, Pathogens and Ergotism: Psychedelic Experiences and Disease States

N/A, 2023

This essay maps out an unresolved, perhaps unresolvable, conceptual problem within psychedelic li... more This essay maps out an unresolved, perhaps unresolvable, conceptual problem within psychedelic literature: authors have frequently noted the overlap between disease states and psychedelic states, complicating the case for their intellectual, spiritual, or therapeutic benefits. Firstly, Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) associated the psychedelic experience with the effects of extreme, disease-inducing ascetic practices. Secondly, psychedelic drugs have been viewed as psychotomimetic, inducing states thought to be phenomenologically or cognitively comparable to psychotic states. Thirdly, Huston Smith (1919-2016) and Raymond Harold Prince (1925-2012) have suggested that infectious diseases, like psychedelics, may induce religious experiences. Fourthly, psychedelic drugs arguably induce cognitive impairment and a delusional sense of insight (Roche 2010). Finally, it is widely believed that the parasitic fungus rye ergot (Claviceps purpurea) was deliberately ingested as a psychedelic drug by the ancient Greeks and others, despite ergotism being potentially lethal and having severe neuropsychiatric symptoms. I first clarify what it may mean to say that the psychedelic experience is a disease state, then assess the following counterarguments: (i) therapeutic use, (ii) traditional use, and (iii) cognitive enhancement (‘epistemic benefits’). The second part of the essay outlines the impact of ergotism on religious life in European history, and evidence for its ritual use.

Louis Wain (1860-1939) Kaleidoscope Cat

Embroidery pattern.

Blackbird/ Manu Pango/クロウタドリ(Turdus merula) 1:1 scale card model

Templates and instructions to make a reasonably accurate scale model of a blackbird skeleton in 1... more

Did European Witches use Psychoactive Drugs?

Did European Witches Use Psychoactive Drugs?, 2021

This pamphlet outlines the case for psychoactive drug use by witches, and notes that there is ver... more This pamphlet outlines the case for psychoactive drug use by witches, and notes that there is very little evidence that 'witches' as described in surviving documents had ever existed, let alone used drugs. Historical claims of Medieval and Renaissance period drug use by witches are so outlandish that they threaten to undermine both credibility and the cause for drug law reform, particularly as they appear to romanticise substances that are toxic to the point of lethality.

A little zine produced by Wellington Zinefest and designed by Liam Goulter. This is an excerpt from the draft chapter The Temptation of Saint Anthony: On Chemical Mysticism.

Hard copies are available from The Freedom Shop, at the back of Opportunity for Animals- 162 Riddiford St, Newtown, Te Whanganui-A-Tara, Aotearoa New Zealand.

webpage:

https://freedomshopaotearoa.blogspot.com/

Lecture notes, PHI 232 Introduction to Ethics

Lecture notes, Lakeland College Wisconsin, Japan Campus, Shinjuku, Tokyo, 2006-2007.

Mars in Armour, Venus in Furs: Nietzsche & Women

In the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) on the subject of women, we are confronted wit... more In the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) on the subject of women, we are confronted with a number of apparent paradoxes and contradictions. On the one hand, for example, Nietzsche attacked the conspiracy of silence that kept young women ignorant about sex, and yet on the other aligned himself with the conservative view that women should be kept in cloistered domesticity. He often wrote of ‘woman’ (in the singular) as subordinate to men in general, and yet left open the possibility of a “perfect woman” who is a “higher type” than the perfect man (HH §7, Aph. 377, p.150, Hollingdale trans.), and employed woman as a symbol of life, truth, and humanity.

The purpose of this essay is to outline Nietzsche’s discussion of women, to address some of the apparent contradictions in this discussion, and to explore the significance of those segments in the text that resist simple explanation.

I broadly conclude that Nietzsche’s musings on women (once we get past his status as a great iconoclast) are largely the work of a lonely, bombastic crank, with a pathetically limited direct knowledge of either women or intimate relationships. (I do not dwell on his fraught relationships with Cosima Wagner or Lou Salomé but the biographies all paint much the same picture). The fact that he had clearly spent so much time thinking about ‘the woman problem’ makes his work on this topic all the more pathetic. It is a striking example of the philosopher’s vice of mistaking the idiosyncrasies of one’s own limited worldview for universal truths.

Critique of Psychedelic Reason, Chapters 3 and 4, Working Bibliography

Draft bibliography for chapters 3 and 4 of a broader critique of psychedelic thought, continuing ... more

White-Capped Mollymawk, Thalassarche cauta (Gould, 1841)/ Toroa. Card model of skull, 1:1 scale.

White-Capped Mollymawk, Thalassarche cauta (Gould, 1841) cranium and mandible card model 1:1 sca... more

Of Crustaceans and Corydrane: On the Neurochemical Substratum of Jean-Paul Sartre’s Philosophical Practice - conference poster

Poster presentation: first conference of the Australasian Society for Philosophy and Psychology,... more Poster presentation: first conference of the Australasian Society for Philosophy and Psychology, December 5th-7th 2018, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia. Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) had taken the classic hallucinogen mescaline at least twice. His first experience was in February 1935, when he was injected with the drug by psychiatrist and former classmate Daniel Lagache (1903-1972), in Paris, and at a later, unknown date in the Pyrenees (de Beauvoir 208-213, Gerassi 193). Sartre was also a heavy user of amphetamines from around 1945 or 1946 until at least 1970, ostensibly to give him the energy to write his philosophical works. He began with orthedrine and continued at least until 1970 with Corydrane, a combination of aspirin and amphetamine (Cohen-Solal pp.373-376, Gerassi 21).

A number of scholars have suggested that Sartre’s drug use influenced his thought, which raises largely unaddressed practical and theoretical issues. Sartre himself had been encouraged to experiment with drugs by Tania Zazoulich (who recommended that drugs would make him an authentic writer, Sartre War Diaries p.61), and there are public health implications to the uncritical acceptance of influencers who may inspire high-risk behaviours. There is also an emerging view within academic philosophy that mind-altering substances may provide insightful experiences (Letheby), a perspective with conceptual correlations with the anti-psychiatry movement, which Sartre had influenced via R. D. Laing (1927-1989). Such views call for robust critique. This project also raises the question of the demarcation criteria between philosophy and mysticism.

Tākapu (Australasian Gannet, Morus serrator) 1:1 scale card model

1:1 card scale model of the skeleton of the Tākapu, Australasian Gannet (Morus serrator). Assemb... more 1:1 card scale model of the skeleton of the Tākapu,
Australasian Gannet (Morus serrator). Assembly required.
Not suitable for children.

This model is based on skeletal remains found at Otarawairere Bay, near Whakatāne; the most likely home of this bird was the tākapu colony on Whakaari/White Island.

Review of Henry Martyn Lloyd’s Sade’s Philosophical System in its Enlightenment Context, Palgrave Macmillan, 2019. $78.25USD.

Lloyd has set the record straight, and as such exposes much of the scholarship on Sade before hi... more Lloyd has set the record straight, and as such exposes much of the scholarship on Sade before him as so much pseudo-profound kitsch. For Lloyd, Sade was an actual apologist for rape and murder, yet the author of a significant response to the moral thought of his, and our, age. And Lloyd knows his Sade. Henceforth, no serious scholar of Sade can ignore this book, or pretend that the Paris school still has a monopoly on Sade scholarship.

The Motorcycle in the Art Gallery: Industrial Design and Art

The Motorcycle in the Art Gallery, 1997

When New Zealand based conceptual artist Billy Apple (born Barrie Bates, b. 1935) displays a mot... more When New Zealand based conceptual artist Billy Apple (born Barrie Bates, b. 1935) displays a motorcycle from his personal collection in a gallery as one of his 'artworks,' is this actually a legitimate artistic statement or is it just confusion over what artistry actually is? I tend towards the latter view.

This dissertation is born of a general prejudice against official culture, canonical ideas of art and culture, and the ‘caste- system’ that differentiates between fine art and other cultural activities. It is based on the premise that there are close similarities in the practices and products of both fine and the products of the industrial arts.
The aim of the project is to undermine the ideal of fine art as being of a necessarily superior caste to other applications of imagination and creativity. That is, it is a challenge to the idea of ‘art’ as some mysterious, totally unique practice.
By the traditional standards of creativity, imagination, technical skill, and of understanding of nature and of materials, the works of the engineer or industrial designer may surpass those of the fine arts in terms of art- making. The cultural aspects of industrial design will be the primary focus of the dissertation, although engineering as a creative art will also be discussed.

Errata: at page 78, the name of Clément Ader (2 April 1841 – 3 May 1925), the pioneering aviator, is erroneously rendered as 'Adler.' (In my defense, Adler is German for 'eagle').

Additions:

Billy Apple's weirdly redundant 'tribute' to John Britten is described here:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/christchurch-life/art-and-stage/visual-art/83160198/exhibition-review-great-britten--a-work-by-billy-apple.

For an excellent account of the inspiration that bats have given aviation, see Tessa Laird's book, Bat. London: Reakton Books Ltd, 2018, pp. 26-27.

https://www.podularity.com/thehedgehogandthefox/2018/09/23/tessa-laird-on-the-weird-world-of-bats/

An Unblinking Gaze: On the Philosophy of the Marquis de Sade (PhD thesis in philosophy)

Throughout the 20th Century, a number of philosophers, writers, artists and film makers have impl... more Throughout the 20th Century, a number of philosophers, writers, artists and film makers have implied that there is some profound significance to the work of Donatien Alphonse François, the Marquis de Sade (1740-1814). The project at hand is to evaluate the claim that Sade, in some sense, is a philosopher, and to assess what his philosophy amounts to. There are two aspects to this task. Firstly, I will consider the various philosophical interpretations of Sade’s work. This part of the study will serve as a guide into the Sadeian labyrinth, and will establish some of the more central interpretive themes, in particular the claim that Sade’s thought anticipates that of the Nazis, or that he brings early Modern thought to its logical conclusion. Secondly, I will inquire into Sade’s writings themselves. Of particular interest are Sade’s thoughts concerning the nature of sexuality, psychology, and the human condition in general, his critique of conventional morality, and his description of the nature of power.

Ruth Lenore Galpin War Diary February 1942- December 1943

Ruth Lenore Galpin war diary February 1942- December 1943 , 1942

Service Number 69456 AWMM Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC) WAACs (R22502074) Embarkation: WW... more Service Number 69456 AWMM
Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC) WAACs (R22502074)

Embarkation:

WW2 Sister AWMM New Zealand Army Nursing Service AWMM

Descriptions of army service in Egypt and visits to British Mandate Palestine.

Online Cenotaph record link:
https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C118326

Seeing Snakes. On Knowledge, Delusion and the Drug Experience.

Dale Jacquette, ed. What were we just talking about? Cannabis and Philosophy Chapter 2. Oxford: Blackwell, 2010. , 2010

Advocates of psychedelic drugs argue that they can induce experiences that are of great spiritual... more Advocates of psychedelic drugs argue that they can induce experiences that are of great spiritual and philosophical value, and that they have the potential to ‘expand consciousness.’ But can drugs, as William James (1842-1910), Aldous Huxley (1894- 1963), and Timothy Leary (1920- 1996) argue, allow us to see beyond the horizon of ordinary perception — that is, see things as they really are? To put the philosophical question more generally, can an artificial change (by the means of drugs, electrical stimuli, or psychosurgery) to the brain— to the mind’s material foundations — reveal knowledge through the resulting experience? And could such a change actually provide an authentic religious experience, or rather, knowledge of what it is like to have an authentic religious experience? Or are such claims of instant enlightenment merely a mystical façade?

Raphael Waters: Some Epistemological Questions Concerning the Non-Medical Use of Drugs

Revue de l’Université d’Ottawa, 1975

"The non-medical use of psychoactive drugs has risen sharply over the past few years but although... more "The non-medical use of psychoactive drugs has risen sharply over the past few years but although a great deal has been written by psychologists, psychiatrists and other experimentalists, little seems to have been written from the philosophical point of view. The extremely difficult question of the dependability of our noetic powers and their aberrations under the influence of these pharmacologically active substances seems especially to have been neglected. The purpose of this paper is to try to shed some light on the facts from a philosophico-pharmacological interdisciplinary study viewpoint inspired by Aristotelian psychology."

This classic 1975 paper by Raphael T. Waters (1924-2010) is the first systematic analysis of the case for 'epistemic benefits' of the psychedelic drug experience. I have posted it here as it is otherwise unavailable. Waters was pharmacist, philosopher and theologian, so was uniquely qualified for this analysis.

No philosophical discussion of psychedelic drugs and their allegedly revelatory powers is sound without acknowledging Waters' arguments, for they are classic. (The only comparable, yet far less analytic, thinker on this topic at the time was R. C. Zaehner {1913-1974}). To evade them in making the case for psychedelically induced 'wisdom' is to evade the honest toil of serious philosophy, to dabble in mere salesmanship. Yet, to date, to my knowledge, only G. T. Roche (2010) and Chris Letheby (2021) have cited this paper.

This paper is reproduced with
permission from the University of Ottawa Press.

Please note that I am not the author; unfortunately this platform is designed such that I can't remove my name from the authorship field.

Halluciner: Sur le délire, la connaissance et l’expérience de la drogue

La Philosophie et le Cannabis., 2011

Ed. Dale Jacquette, Fritz Allhoff. Champs sur-Marne, France: Original Books. Pp.59-74. Traduit de... more

The Enigma of the Will: Sade's Psychology of Evil. Janus Head 2009, 11 (2), 365- 401.

Janus Head, 2009

Scholars have traditionally taken the Marquis de Sade to he a straightforward advocate of immoral... more Scholars have traditionally taken the Marquis de Sade to he a straightforward advocate of immoral hedonism. Without rejecting outright this view, I argue that Sade also presents a theory of the psychology of pleasure, placing him amongst the more insightful psychological thinkers of the late 18th century. This paper outlines Sades description of the immoral will, in particular his account of how an agent can come to enjoy the humiliation, torture and murder of others. I argue for thefollowing claims: firstly, that Sade, perhaps despite himself, suggests that the sadistic will is patholo^cal; secondly, that Sades work gives a far less flattering view of the sadistic will than is commonly supposed.

دیدن مارها : دربارهی توهم، دانش و تجربهی مواد روانگردان جی.تی.راش ترجمه سارا پورحسنی

Falsafidan.com (in Persian), 2018

Seeing Snakes: On Delusion, Knowledge and the Drug Experience. Dale Jacquette, ed. What were we ... more Seeing Snakes: On Delusion, Knowledge and the Drug Experience.
Dale Jacquette, ed. What were we just talking about? Cannabis and Philosophy Chapter 2. Oxford: Blackwell (now Wiley-Blackwell). , 2010.

The Farsi (Persian) translation is by philosopher Sara Pourhassani, for which I am deeply grateful.

A sceptical critique of some of the myths surrounding hallucinogenic drugs. In spite of the increasingly popular view that such drug use can lead to epistemic or spiritual revelation, much of the evidence suggests that the 'psychedelic revelation' is consistent with being a delusional disease state.

Link to the online version (with illustrations):

http://falsafidan.com/farhang/%d8%b4%d8%a7%d9%87%e2%80%8c%d8%af%d8%a7%d9%86%d9%87-%d9%88-%d9%81%d9%84%d8%b3%d9%81%d9%87/cannabis/#more-9218

Black Sun: Bataille on Sade

Janus Head, 2006

Georges Bataille is one of the most influential thinkers to have seriously considered the work of... more Georges Bataille is one of the most influential thinkers to have seriously considered the work of Donatien Alphonse François, the Marquis de Sade. What is undeniable is that the two thinkers share a number of thematic and theoretical commonalities, in particular on the subject of human nature and sexuality. However, there are serious theoretical divergences between the two writers, a fact generally overlooked in the secondary literature. Rather than being a mere precursor to Bataille, as himself implies, I suggest that Sade is a very different thinker, a fact that Bataille does not fully acknowledge.

Closing one’s eyes to danger: Against the Disability Rights Critique of Genetic Screening.

In Kohji Ishihara, Shunzo Majima, eds, Applied Ethics: Perspectives from Asia and Beyond. Sapporo, 2008: Center for Philosophy and Applied Ethics (CAEP), Graduate School of Letters, Hokkaido University (ISBN 978-4-9904046-0-4). Chapter 13. , 2008

In this paper I discuss the Disability Rights Critique, as proposed by Erik Parens, Adrienne Asch... more In this paper I discuss the Disability Rights Critique, as proposed by Erik Parens, Adrienne Asch, and other authors. In particular I will discuss a). the argument that prenatal testing is tantamount to eugenics, and is hence immoral; b). the argument that testing is based on frivolous reasons, hence is discriminatory, c). the argument that prenatal screening expresses negative attitudes towards disability; and d). the argument that society needs the diversity created by disabled persons. Call these the Pernicious Eugenics Argument, the Frivolous Reasons Argument, the Expressivity Argument (Asch’s term), and the Diversity Argument. My conclusion will be that all of them fail, but the purpose of this essay is not wholly critical. In arguing that the Disability Rights critique does not provide persuasive reasons for limiting access or development of such programs, I want to defend the moral and legal principles of autonomy and community wellbeing that justify community- wide genetic screening programs.

A revised version of this chapter appeared as
“The Ethics of Genetic Testing,” in Roy G. Beran, Ed. Legal and Forensic Medicine. Berlin: Springer-Verlag GmbH, 2013, pp. 1519- 1533.

The Enigma of the Will: Sade's Psychology of Evil. Janus Head 2009, 11 (2), 365- 401. 401.

Scholars have traditionally taken the Marquis de Sade to be a straightforward advocate of immoral... more Scholars have traditionally taken the Marquis de Sade to be a straightforward advocate of immoral hedonism. Without rejecting outright this view, I argue that Sade represents a theory of the psychology of pleasure, placing him amongst the more insightful psychological thinkers of the late 18th Century. This paper outlines Sade's description of the immoral will, in particular his account of how an agent can come to enjoy the humiliation, torture and murder of others. I argue for the following claims: firstly, that Sade, perhaps despite himself, suggests that the sadistic will is pathological; secondly, that Sade's work gives a far less flattering view of the sadistic will than is commonly supposed.

Europe After the Rain: 20th Century Thought, from Spengler to Deleuze

Unused notes for an introductory course on 20th Century Continental philosophy, covering the more... more Unused notes for an introductory course on 20th Century Continental philosophy, covering the more well known ideas in modern European thought (existentialism, structuralism, critical theory), as well as more obscure figures who, while having been overlooked by academia, nevertheless represent some of the fundamental issues in the status of European philosophical thought and its relationship with historical events. The first of these is Oswald Spengler, whose lugubrious vision of Western civilization in decline arguably foreshadowed post-Modernism. The second is Jean Améry, a survivor of Auschwitz, for whom Nazism was itself an outgrowth of European thought.

PHI 232 Lectures- Kyoto School, Watsuji Tetsuro, Max Stirner and Ayn Rand on egoism

Lecture notes on ethics from 2007. Lakeland College Wisconsin, Japan Campus.

Der Meskalinrausch: Seine Geschichte und Erscheinungsweise

Expired copyright; classic text on mescaline by Kurt Beringer (1893-1949).

Ver Serpientes: Sobre engaños, saber y la experiencia con drogas.

In Cannabis - Filosofía para todos: ¿De qué estamos hablando. Translated by Mariano Antolín. Barcelona: Cáñamo Ediciones, , 2013

Ciertos defensores de las drogas psiquedélicas mantienen que éstas pueden producir experiencias q... more Ciertos defensores de las drogas psiquedélicas mantienen que éstas pueden producir experiencias que tienen un gran valor espiritual y filosófico, y que poseen la capacidad de “expandir la conciencia.” Pero, como maintienen William James (1842-1910), Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) y Timothy Leary (1920-96), ¿pueden permitirnos ver más allá del horizonte de la percepción habitual; esto es, ver las cosas como son de verdad?

The Water Closet: On the Art and Technology of Sanitation Systems

Enjoy Gallery , 2008

Art talk, part of Summer Residency Exhibition, Vincent Grocery event, Enjoy Gallery (curated by ... more Art talk, part of Summer Residency Exhibition, Vincent Grocery event, Enjoy Gallery (curated by Laura Preston, presentations by Dan Arps, Richard Frater, Xin Cheng), 27 June-12 July 2008.

In this lecture I propose an alternative to a central dogma in art-theoretical discourse: that Duchamp's Fountain represents, in the words of Duchamp and Breton, an elevation of an "ordinary object" to the "dignity of a work of art" (Duchamp and Breton, 1938). Without wishing to dwell on the exotic ontology of installation art, I merely suggest that there is no such thing as a merely "ordinary object," and that to insist on the "dignity of the work of art" is to ignore the significant dignity of manufactured objects, in particular water-closets, their history and cultural implications, and the network of systems and infrastructure that they are connected to.