jump to navigation

About me

I am currently researching some of the fundamental characteristics of the current financial crisis and the economic theories and presuppositions which underlie it, including the psychological assumptions.

Keynes is at the center of a number of critics’ view. But I like Hyman Minsky and James K. Galbraith, who have either extended Keynes’ theory or developed one complementary to it.

I have carried out research into the evidentiary basis of clinical psychology and psychotherapy, including the insanity defense.

Both areas overlap one another considerably.

I have written a computer manual for phobics, a computer-based statistics tutorial accompanied by interactive exercises, and published various papers and a book, where the emphasis was on logical and/or statistical analysis. For some years, I was peripatetically engaged with web site design technology.

I do science/technical writing/research, and I include social science within the sciences. Indeed, in my opinion, some applications of logical analysis in the philosophy of science should be included as part of scientific discussions.

I realize that this is not the standard view; nevertheless, it seems to me that the pressures that are now beginning to be felt for realigning some traditional disciplines, or even inventing new hybrids, will become irresistible as time goes on.

I can be reached by email at: zen143717 (at) zen (dot) co (dot) uk.

Select Publications:

The 21st Century’s First Perfect Storm: A View from the Economic Margins (2009)

Evidence and Explanation in Psychotherapy (2008)

Statistical Analysis and Psychotherapeutic Datasets (2007)

An Introduction to Computing for the Compleat Computer-phobe (1995)

“A Reappraisal of the Concept of ‘Culture'” Social Epistemology (1995)

Statistics Without Pain: Online tutorial in elementary statistics w/ interactive exercises (1992)

“University Education in a Free Society”, Higher Education Review (1988)

Talcott Parsons’ General Action Scheme: An Investigation of Fundamental Principles.

*************************************************

My use of quotes: I use quotes, single and double, primarily in two ways.  One is the so-called scare quote convention, which suggests that one ought to be skeptical of what is being referred to by the quoted item or as a way of alerting the reader.  The other is as a name of the term or sentence within the quotes.  Under this convention, a sentence within quotes constitutes a name of the sentence quoted.

Under the second convention, the naming convention, nonquoted items are viewed as referring to something “outside” (scare quotes) themselves, while quoted items are viewed as names of themselves. For example, a sentence within quotes is considered to function as a name of the sentence. A quoted sentence is also called a proposition.

Another way of saying this: a nonquoted item is being used (to refer), while a quoted item is being mentioned (nonreferentially as a name of itself), the so-called use-mention distinction.

Grammatical upshot: Under both conventions, in order to maintain consistency if nothing else, punctuation marks ALWAYS fall outside the quote marks, with only two exceptions – when a complete sentence is being quoted or speech is being employed.

************************************

For a more detailed CV, check here.