Cameron Allan McKean
Cameron is a writer, editor and underwater anthropologist in Melbourne, Australia. After a decade in Tokyo working as an arts journalist, he began doctoral studies at Deakin University involving fieldwork with scientists and divers at coral reefs in the Pacific Ocean. Cameron is a former books and culture editor for The Japan Times, and a past contributor to CNN, ArtAsiaPacific, Dwell, Apartamento, and art-agenda.
Edited by Cameron Allan McKean
Animals
idea
You can think like an animal by silencing your chattering brain
The desire is partly whimsical, but a brief shapeshift across the taxonomic gulf could help us better empathise with animals
by Bryony Tolhurst
Technology and media
idea
The reason that even hands-free calls are risky for drivers
Cars are filled with ever more communication and entertainment tech, but our minds are stuck with the same limitations
by Robert Rosenberger
Bioethics
idea
Why, in a universe of pain, I’m saving stranded earthworms
Any action can seem futile amid so much suffering. I’ve realised the important thing is to stop despairing and do something
by Claire E Schultz
Stories and literature
idea
Your life is not a story: why narrative thinking holds you back
Our stories help us make sense of a chaotic world, but they can be harmful and restrictive. There’s a liberating alternative
by Karen Simecek
Music
idea
Why did bloody knights write love songs about spring blossoms?
The masculinity of medieval knighthood was expansive enough for both graphic violence and the joys of a flower meadow
by Jennifer Saltzstein
Rituals and celebrations
idea
For Plato, rationalists and mystics can walk the same path
Why did such a keen proponent of reason turn to the Eleusinian Mysteries to explain his ideas about knowledge?
by Sam Woodward
Nature and the environment
idea
Rewilding attachment theory by recognising Earth as a caregiver
We are raised by people, but we are also raised by the Earth – here’s what that means for our emotional development
by Vanessa Chakour
Brain injury and dementia
idea
Dementia is not a death. For some, it marks a new beginning
Advocates are reframing the syndrome as a different way of being – one in which potential for growth and connection endures
by Isabel Sutton
Grief
idea
Grief is not a process with five stages. It is shattered glass
The five stages describe a grief that’s knowable and controlled. An accident in my kitchen helped me find a truer metaphor
by Joshua Thomas
Transcendent experience
idea
Do you find the 21st century overstimulating? Try ‘longstorming’
As the treadmill of life speeds up, sublime outdoor spaces help us tap into timescales that are longer, slower, planetary
by Vincent Ialenti
Knowledge and reason
idea
What we gain by recognising the role of chance in life
Appreciating the world is random can foster perseverance, gratitude for our own luck and empathy for the plight of others
by Mark R Rank
Music
idea
I learned to hear the music of Earth’s underwater musicians
If we consider the sounds of whales and other organisms with an open mind, we find a strange beauty – and can even join in
by David Rothenberg