About Me

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Australian philosopher, literary critic, legal scholar, and professional writer. Based in Newcastle, NSW. My latest books are THE TYRANNY OF OPINION: CONFORMITY AND THE FUTURE OF LIBERALISM (2019); AT THE DAWN OF A GREAT TRANSITION: THE QUESTION OF RADICAL ENHANCEMENT (2021); and HOW WE BECAME POST-LIBERAL: THE RISE AND FALL OF TOLERATION (2024).

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

An announcement! Re Free Inquiry

I'm sure I told y'all that I had some big announcements coming up. Here's one of them. I think I can now announce this one. *Looks around furtively.*

I'm pleased to announce that in 2012 I will be joining Free Inquiry as one of its columnists. This puts me in the company of, for example, Richard Dawkins and leading bioethicist Arthur Caplan; if not for his recent death, it would also have put me in the company of Christopher Hitchens, but sadly that has not come to be. The list of columnists is pretty damn impressive, actually, so I am now sufficiently humbled, daunted, etc., to feel the need to prove my worth to the team.

Off I go to work on my first contribution in my new role...

11 comments:

Chrys Stevenson said...

Congratulations! Great to see you getting the recognition your work deserves.

You may not get to 'co-author' with Hitch, but I'm sure you'll do him proud.

Steve Zara said...

Congratulations Russell! It's good to see your thoughtful approach to religion and politics getting recognition.

Alex said...

Congrats from a fellow down-underling; Free Inquiry needs your levelheadedness, especially in subjects of great passion. Good luck, and keep us posted.

Anonymous said...

Fantastic news for you, Russell. As one of the most level, and reasonable commentators around, you'll make them look even better. Mishy Godard Dunleavy

Darrick Lim said...

Congrats Russell! I used to occasionally buy FE from Borders, since it was the only stockist in Melbourne. Now that Borders has gone bust, guess I'll have to get a subscription to read your column.

Charles Sullivan said...

Free Inquiry sent a poll of sorts to subscribers about a year and a half ago. It had a section where you could write in suggestions to improve the magazine.

I wrote something about enlisting some atheist bloggers, and I mentioned you among 4 or 5 other candidates.

Yes, you may thank me now.

Russell Blackford said...

That may well have helped, Charles, and I'd thank you anyway. So thank you.

Russell Blackford said...

And now I just have to remember what the other announcements were. Oh well, I'm sure we'll get to them if I haven't sort of covered some already.

Jean Kazez said...

Congratulations, Russell. I finally got hold of the last issue and found your essay particularly clear and forceful. I think you'll be one of their best and most readable columnists.

p.a. FI needs to find a way to let people buy single issues using electronic readers and/or online. I finally bought that issue in Birmingham, Alabama (!) - not a single bookstore in Dallas sells it.

Ophelia Benson said...

Congratulations!

The Hitchens connection is good, isn't it? The cover of the August/September issue, which has my first column, includes this:

also

Christopher Hitchens
Wendy Kaminer
Arthur Caplan
Ophelia Benson

It pleases me.

severalspeciesof said...

irCongrats...