Part 1 - The unknowability of free will supports a leap of faith

This book admits that belief in God takes a leap of faith. However that leap was less daunting for me when I recognised three things:

• The main reason for sticking with atheism was a concern that I would be judged by others for my lack of intellect or discernment if I followed another path
• It doesn't seem possible to determine whether or not human beings have genuine free will
• If free will does exist, there seems to be no possible mechanism to explain it

The unknowability of free will is available in flipbook format (13MB please be patient) and as a pdf file (350KB)

Part 2 - Model Theory of Perception. Strategies for choosing and validating our models of reality

The Model Theory of Perception (MTP) posits that all perception is model-mediated. While this is a well-established stance in neuroscience and philosophy, its counter-intuitive nature often prevents its implications from being widely understood.

The first part of the work is dedicated to clarifying this concept for a non-specialist audience, employing verifiable examples - such as the perceptual illusion of the enlarged horizon moon - to demonstrate the model-dependent nature of experience.

The book outlines a perceptual loop mechanism, effective in primary senses like vision and audition, that refines these models based on sensory input.

The central argument, however, extends this theory to the social domain. I propose that we perceive our place in society through analogous models and employ the same loop for refinement. While the loop works well for the primary senses, I identify systematic errors in the application of this perceptual loop in the social arena, demonstrate their costs and provide a framework for improvements, arguing for its value in effective personal development.

Model Theory of Perception is available in flipbook format (23MB please be patient) and as a pdf file (600KB)