Warning, what follows is what ChatGPT came up with when I asked it to write a biography for me. It sounds very plausible and some of it is, indeed, based on reality, but it is mainly untrue. Do not rely on it or on any bio of anybody that you suspect ChatGPP has produced. I'm sure this generalizes much more widely. ChatGPT has a pretty good prose style but can't be relied on for factual claims.
(I now fear that simply by publishing this hilariously inaccurate biography I'll be reinforcing it. Oh well ...)
Russell Blackford is an Australian philosopher, literary critic, and writer born on October 27, 1954, in Sydney, Australia. He is known for his contributions to the fields of ethics, political philosophy, and philosophy of religion, as well as his work as an author and critic of science fiction, fantasy, and horror literature.
Blackford completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and Philosophy at the University of Sydney in 1977, followed by a Master of Arts degree in Philosophy in 1981. He later received a PhD in the same field from La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia, in 1994. His doctoral thesis was titled "The Mystery of Moral Authority".
Blackford's academic career has included teaching positions at several universities in Australia, the United States, and Europe, including the University of Melbourne, Monash University, and the University of New England. He has published extensively in academic journals and edited collections, with a particular focus on ethics, political philosophy, and the intersection of science and religion.
In addition to his academic work, Blackford is also a prolific writer and editor of science fiction, fantasy, and horror literature. He has authored several books, including "The New Mythology: An Anthology of Modern Myths" (1997), "1001 Nights in the Iraq War" (2007), and "Freedom of Religion and the Secular State" (2012), and has edited numerous anthologies of science fiction and horror.
Blackford is an active member of the Australian Skeptics and the Secular Party of Australia, and has been a vocal critic of pseudoscience and supernaturalism. He has also been an advocate for secularism and humanism, and has argued for the separation of church and state in political and legal matters.
Today, Blackford continues to write and publish in both academic and popular contexts, and is widely regarded as one of Australia's most prominent public intellectuals. He currently resides in Newcastle, New South Wales, where he teaches philosophy at the University of Newcastle.
