Leslie Allan

Biography

From a very early age, Leslie Allan was drawn to the sciences. His passions included astronomy, chemistry and electronics, with his interest in the latter leading to his first career. While studying electronics and physics at RMIT, Leslie became more and more intrigued by the intersection of science and religion.

He went on to study philosophy and history of religions at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia, receiving the David Hume prize for outstanding achievement in philosophy. During this period, Leslie's key interests lay in theories of knowledge, ethics and philosophy of mind. In his later professional career, Leslie assisted a variety organisations develop their people capability and improve their systems and processes.

His current interests are in exploring the boundaries between science and philosophy. The beginnings of the universe, the seemingly absurd nature of the quantum world and the mystery of consciousness fascinate him immensely and now take up his time. He also created and now maintains the RationalRealm.com web site as a way of sharing his passion for learning and discovery and connecting with like-minded souls.

Publications

Philosophy

• What's Wrong with Democracy?

• Imre Lakatos: A Critical Appraisal

• Towards an Objective Theory of Rationality

• Descartes's Method of Doubt

• The Existence of Mind-Independent Physical Objects

• Hoffman's Conscious Realism: A Critical Review

• The Mind/Brain Identity Theory: A Critical Appraisal

• Cognitive Science and the Philosophy of Mind

• Propositional Logic – A Primer

• Meta-ethics: An Introduction

• A Taxonomy of Meta-ethical Theories

• Is Morality Subjective?

• Is Morality Subjective? – A Reply to Critics

• Is Morality a Matter of Taste? – HSV Public Lecture

• Can Morality Be Objective without God? – Discussing Religion Respectfully Address

• Why I Am a Humanist – Critical Thinkers Forum Public Lecture

• A Defence of Emotivism

• Moral Norms and Normativity

• John Rawls: Two Concepts of Rules

• Can Utilitarianism Ground Human Rights?

• The Principle of Double Effect

• Contraception and Abortion: A Utilitarian View

• Animal Rights and the Wrongness of Killing

• Henrietta Dugdale – Freethinker and Suffragist

• Free Will and Compatibilism

• Can We Be Free-Willing Robots? – Atheist Society Public Lecture

• Frankfurt Cases and 'Could Have Done Otherwise'

• Psychological Research on Free Will Intuitions: A Critical Review

• The Problem of Evil

• Plantinga's Ontological Argument

• Plantinga's Free Will Defence: Critical Note

• The Soul-Making Theodicy: A Response to Dore

• Problems with God's Attributes

• A Case Against Omniscience: Fallibility

• A Case Against Omniscience: Infinite Regress

• Is Free Will Compatible with Determinism?

• Donald Hoffman's Conscious Realism

• Bayes' Theorem and Theory Appraisal

• Book Review: The Life You Can Save by Peter Singer

• Book Review: A Historical Introduction to the Philosophy of Science by John Losee

Science

• Evolutionary Psychology: A Review

• What Is Cosmology?

• Cosmological Theories in History

• History of Cosmology Timeline

• The Anthropic Principle and Cosmic Inflation