The Right to Freedom of Thought in the 21st Century

Here's a new peer-reviewed paper from me, this time on the topic of the right to freedom of thought in the 21st century. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frai.2019.00019/full I've also published a short blog article on the same topic, if you don't have time to look through the longer article. https://theconversation.com/freedom-of-thought-is-under-attack-heres-how-to-save-your-mind-124379 SMJ

In Which We Float

I've just taken my first step into a brave new world, namely writing fiction. Here's my first effort, a short story entitled In Which We Float. It was published in the November issue of Crossways Literary Magazine. Thus begins the process suggested by Samuel Beckett: "Try again. Fail again. Fail better." SMJ

Stimulating voices

A new blog from me entitled: "Brain stimulation can boost creativity – but could it also help you hear inspirational voices?” It ranges from neurostimulation and voice-hearing to Terence McKenna and Tulpamancy, Hilary Mantel and the Air Force. I hope you find it stimulating. SMJ

My blog on the Huffington Post

A blog I wrote on voice-hearing for the Huffington Post is one of their 'Featured Blog Posts' in their Science section this morning, which is nice. http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/simon-mccarthyjones/a-contested-experience-th_b_16130450.html?utm_hp_ref=science

A light that never goes out? Washington v. Trump

After having examined a ruling from the Pakistan Supreme Court a few weeks ago, this week I chanced to read the ruling from the State of Washington v. Trump case. In this, the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals denied the attempt to reinstate President Trump's immigration ban. You can read the full ruling here. I'm not going …

Wise words from the West Wing

I was re-watching the second season of the TV series The West Wing today. One of the episodes (#10, Noël) included a scene which, although speaking to a range of experiences, seemed particularly applicable to voice-hearing. One of the characters, Josh, is struggling with some experiences resulting from having been shot, and has just come …

The importance of love

In the sciences 'love' is often treated in a way that appears to take literally its status as a four letter word. Indeed, in leading works on hallucinations this word is often more effectively excluded than any expletive. But does this matter? Do we need to think about love in order to understand and explain …

Beginning of my blog

Welcome to my blog! For more details on my work, check out simonmccarthyjones.com