An article I wrote about the recurrence of car crash imagery in emo music – in track titles, lyrics, and music videos. I look at how this trend harks back to the 'teen tragedy songs' of the 50s and 60s.
I also include a list of tracks featuring this theme.
An article on my relationship to writing, and why thinking of writing in an atelic (non-goal-oriented) way can make it a more fulfilling practice.
Philosopher Timothy J. Pawl on why we need to rediscover the older meaning (and virtue) of meekness.
Em dashes and semicolons (more so em dashes) have become associated with AI content nowadays, to the extent that writers avoid them, or are being told to avoid using them (or at least to cut down on their use). In this article, I argue why this is a loss to human writing and should be resisted.
Hey Tom, thanks for sharing this piece, and good question as well! I can't say I've revisited the topic much since I wrote it. But you're right, the Islamic world is underrepresented, often due to heightened stigma and religious/legal prohibition around psychedelics and drugs in general.
Some research has found that, for many people, psychedelics increase rather than decrease death anxiety.
In my latest blog post, I look at whether a triggering of apeirophobia (a fear of eternity or eternal life) may be one reason for this.
An essay on the films of Mike Leigh, one of my favourite directors.
I look at how Leigh portrays anxiety in Britain through his eccentric characters, in films such as Bleak Moments, Life is Sweet, Naked, and Career Girls.
#film #cinema #mikeleigh #britishcinema
An excerpt from my book, published by @iai.tv. It's taken from Chapter 9, where I apply Henri Bergson's theory of dèja vu to the intense feeling of familiarity that many people experience on DMT.
#philosophy #books #memory
I wrote about how we can apply Mark Fisher's theory of 'the weird' to the many weird experiences that people have on psychedelics.
An essay on apeirophobia (the fear of an eternal afterlife) and how certain philosophical views may help address it.
New blog post.
I recently finished a new biography of #Schopenhauer from @davidbatherwoods.bsky.social (highly recommend). One part that stood out was Schopenhauer's warning about how excessive solitude can feed social anxiety.
#philosophy #mentalhealth
The Company of Strangers (1990, Cynthia Scott)
Images (1972, Robert Altman)
Blind Chance (1987, Krzysztof Kieślowski)
Once Were Warriors (1995, Lee Tamahori)
Aniara (2018, Pella Kågerman, Hugo Lilja)
Audition (1999, Takashi Miike)
Lilya 4-Ever (2002, Lukas Moodyson)
Cure (1997, Kiyoshi Kurosawa)
Stop Making Sense (1984, Jonathan Demme)
I watched 329 films in 2025. Here are my top 10 watches:
The Devils (1971, Ken Russell)
An article I wrote on Brian Yuzna's amazing body horror films, including From Beyond (1986), Society (1989), and Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation (1990).
I also explore the question of why people enjoy films that trigger a negative emotion like disgust.
A brilliant new biography of #Schopenhauer from @davidbatherwoods.bsky.social
A slightly modified excerpt from my book Altered Perspectives. It's taken from Chapter 7, 'On Plant Spirits and Psychedelic Teleology, Part I'.
I discuss whether animism violates Occam's razor, as well as the criticisms of Occam's razor and why animism isn't committed to the supernatural.
The (current) tell-tale signs of AI-generated content.
Recently, I’ve been getting AI-generated emails about how someone’s read my book (they haven’t) and wants to help promote it. They’re full of these annoying turns of phrases and writing patterns.
