Following the events of Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Sarah Connor and her son, John, had thought they'd been able to alter the timeline so that neither the artificially intelligent satellite SkyNet nor its Terminator killing machines would ever be created. But if they were so successful, why, then, are they now being hunted by yet another Terminator that's traveled back in time to ensure that John never grows up to be the charismatic leader of the few humans who survived Judgment Day? Told from the perspective of John himself, this first volume of The John Connor Chronicles provides insight to the thoughts and fears of a teenager who already knows what Fate has in store for him-and the burdens he has to bear along the path he must travel to become humanity's future savior.
I am an Australian philosopher, literary critic, and sometimes a creative writer - specializing in fantasy and science fiction. You might like to check out my trilogy of novels for the TERMINATOR franchise, collectively known as TERMINATOR 2: THE NEW JOHN CONNOR CHRONICLES, or my thriller KONG REBORN (a modern-day sequel to the original 1933 KING KONG movie).
My most recent books are 50 VOICES OF DISBELIEF: WHY WE ARE ATHEISTS, edited with Udo Schuklenk, and, just off the presses in 2012, FREEDOM OF RELIGION AND THE SECULAR STATE - which deals with many of the hot-button issues that arise when religion and politics meet. I examine the nature of religion and secularism, and the classical idea of liberalism, offering a philosophical and historical perspective. Among other things, I present a strong case for freedom of speech, including the freedom to criticize religion or particular religions.
However, this is not an anti-religious book. I am openly an atheist, and have argued forthrightly in favour of atheism elsewhere, but the main arguments of FREEDOM OF RELIGION AND THE SECULAR STATE should appeal to many religious people as well as to secular humanists and other non-believers. Indeed, they largely update the views of John Locke for the twenty-first century, and Locke was himself a religious believer.
I am also editor-in-chief of an online peer-reviewed journal, THE JOURNAL OF EVOLUTION AND TECHNOLOGY, and a columnist with FREE INQUIRY (watch out for my first column soon!).
After living in Melbourne for 30 years, I'm now back in Newcastle (north of Sydney), where I grew up. I was born in Sydney, which is a city that I love, so I have connections to all these places.
I'm a conjoint lecturer in the School of Humanities and Social Science at the University of Newcastle. I'm married to Jenny Blackford, whose bio you might also want to check out!
