Russell Blackford quotes

Russell Blackford is a prominent Australian philosopher, literary critic, and author known for his insightful writings on science fiction, technology, and ethics. With a background in law and philosophy, Blackford's work explores the intersection of philosophy and pop culture, making complex ideas accessible to a wider audience. His books, articles, and essays have been widely praised for their intellectual rigor and thought-provoking analysis. As a leading voice in the field of speculative fiction, Blackford's work has garnered a loyal following and cemented his reputation as a leading thinker in contemporary philosophy. Whether dissecting the ethical implications of emerging technologies or critiquing the societal impact of science fiction, Russell Blackford's unique perspective continues to shape and influence the cultural conversation.

Today, we each need to guard against various large and small Outrage Machines of the political Left. Otherwise, we can be shunned, harassed, dogpiled, smeared, publicly shamed, devastatingly labelled, falsely accused of wrongdoing, or otherwise hurt and harmed for trivial, dubious, or non-existent transgressions. Our good reputations can be destroyed, our jobs can be threatened or ended, and our careers can be ruined.

- Russell Blackford

You don't know whether or not what someone else says is heartfelt. You might be inclined to judge that they're sincere from the way they express themselves, but it's not a publicly ascertainable fact. I cringe whenever I see a news report that somebody said something 'heartfelt'.

- Russell Blackford

When did the mainstream media and the political culture get taken over by some nineteenth-century Methodist Temperance Union? The puritanism has reached ridiculous proportions of late, and from the political Left almost as much as the Right.

- Russell Blackford

Straight news reporting should give the reader an accurate and (as far as humanly possible) objective account of the facts. It should not sneak in editorializing by claiming that what someone said was 'inappropriate' or 'problematic' or 'offensive'. That's for the reader to judge. If you purport to be publishing straight news reports, and yet you engage in this kind of semi-covert editorialising, your readers will notice and decide that you're a biased source.

- Russell Blackford

Science is implausible to untutored human common sense, but that in no way casts doubt on the correctness of well-established scientific findings. Feelings of transcendence are simply that — feelings — and, as such, have no capacity to reveal truths about a world external to the people who have them.

- Russell Blackford

Religion is inherently controversial. It's quite okay to satirize religious teachings or practices, to criticize them harshly, to try to get people to abandon them, etc. There's no need to be 'moderate' about this.

- Russell Blackford