Kevin R. D. Shepherd

Kevin R. D. Shepherd (born 1950) is a British writer. He has composed diverse books ranging from Psychology in Science (1983) to Pointed Observations (2005). He innovated the lengthy website www.citizeninitiative.com in 2007. That website produced shocks in some directions. It has become noted for the seven letters of Kevin Shepherd which complain about commercial mysticism and forms of alternative therapy that include LSD therapy (currently illegal). Those letters were written to official sectors and also to certain organisations. The Citizen Initiative (CI) website also preserves other documents relating to the problem of “new spirituality” and attendant evasions of principle. Included is a webpage describing a phenomenon of sectarian cordon that occurred in Wikipedia, the internet encyclopaedia which some analysts have discerned as being subject to drawbacks. See also kevinrdshepherd.info (uploaded in 2009) and independentphilosophy.net (2009). The same writer has a blog on philosophy at Observations and Reflections (commencing 2009). His fifth website is citizenphilosophy.net (2010).

The present website (2008) is arranged in a FAQ format. There is here a fairly extensive range of reference points reflecting the published output of Kevin R. D. Shepherd.

The FAQ menu comprises 25 entries, and covers subjects such as ecology, philosophy, anthropology, sociology, and analysis of crime. In the first article, Kevin Shepherd identifies with what he calls citizen philosophy. There is also a contribution on the dangers of recreational drugs, and a warning about forms of alternative therapy. There are other articles on the history of philosophy and religion, spanning Islam, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, and Christianity. Some recent Hindu gurus are also investigated. These treatments are accompanied by due analysis of cults, suspect organisations, and some sectarian tactics of defamation. In addition, the commercial mysticism of the Findhorn Foundation receives critical assessment, and contemporary versions of “perennial philosophy” are examined and found wanting, ranging from that of Aldous Huxley to Ken Wilber. The FAQ menu ends with a criticism of contemporary art.

FAQ  menu  contents  by number:

1. Citizen philosophy is here introduced, being the approach favoured by Kevin Shepherd. This factor became evident in the sub-title of his book Pointed Observations, which stated Critical Reflections of a Citizen Philosopher.
2. An article affording a critical assessment of current computer usage.
3. A version of ecological priorities, with especial reference to the Club of Rome and James Lovelock.
4. A critical view of Paul K. Feyerabend, the philosopher of science who promulgated the “against method” version of relativism.
5. A presentation of citizen sociology, or a version of sociography, in relation to the contemporary yob problem in Britain. Includes reference to the skinhead and punk antecedents to yob behaviour.
6. Confrontation with the cultural materialist strategy of Marvin Harris, the “neomaterialist” anthropologist.
7. A perspective on socialism and sociology, and with reference to Hegel, Karl Marx, and Max Weber.
8. A critical view of Jacques Derrida, the philosopher of deconstruction.
9. Reasons for self-published works in contrast to establishment and commercial preferences operative in the book trade.
10. Criticism of “new age” trends, with especial reference to the Findhorn Foundation, UNESCO, and Kate Thomas.
11. On the dangers of recreational and addictive drug use in Britain, and representing resistance to cannabis, cocaine, and LSD.
12. A critique of Grof Transpersonal Training, which signifies the Holotropic Breathwork of Stanislav Grof, and also the closely associated LSD therapy and MDMA therapy.
13. Analysis of commercial mysticism and ecobiz at the Findhorn Foundation.
14. An investigation of “perennial philosophy,” being a critical survey of such exponents as Aldous Huxley, Adi Da Samraj, and Ken Wilber.
15. On Greek philosophy, which though outdated, is here viewed as having some relevance in certain respects.
16. Overview of Islamic philosophy, including the falasifa, Ibn Khaldun, Sufism, Suhrawardi and variants of ishraq, and Seyyed Hossein Nasr.
17. Investigating the critical rationalism of Sir Karl Popper, and with reference to Bryan Magee.
18. Remarks on Zoroastrianism and Zarathushtra (Zoroaster), in commemoration of Professor Mary Boyce.
19. A coverage of some nineteenth and twentieth century Hindu gurus, including Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and Aurobindo.
20. Some Buddhist complexities, including the D. T. Suzuki/Hu Shih debate, Shakyamuni, Nagarjuna, Tibetan Vajrayana, and the sudden-gradual polarity in Chinese Buddhism.
21. Some Christian events, including the dissolution of the monasteries in Britain, Friar Roger Bacon, Celtic monasticism, John Scottus Eriugena, and Antony the Copt.
22. A refutation of sectarian polemic and libel, with complexities relating to Wikipedia and Google Search in the instance of Gerald Joe Moreno.
23. Investigating the cult of Sathya Sai Baba, with reference to allegations of abuse, purported miracles, the reincarnation claim, and other matters.
24. Cults and suspect organisations from Japan to America, and with reference to cult monitoring organisations such as FAIR, FECRIS, and INFORM.
25. On art and craftsmanship, moving from the Georgian era to a critical angle on contemporary art and the associated spending mania.

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The photographs of Kate Thomas are also copyrighted with similar considerations of potential legal complexity in cases of abuse.

Copyright © 2010 Kevin R. D. Shepherd. All Rights Reserved. Page uploaded September 2008, last modified January 2010.