Russell Blackford (born 1954) is an Australian writer, philosopher, and literary critic.

Early life and education

Blackford was born in Sydney, and grew up in the

city of Lake Macquarie The City of Lake Macquarie is a local government area in Greater Newcastle and part of the Hunter Region in New South Wales, Australia. It was proclaimed a city from 7 September 1984. The area is situated adjacent to the city of Newcastle and ...

, near

Newcastle, New South Wales Newcastle ( ; Awabakal: ) is a metropolitan area and the second most populated city in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It includes the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie local government areas, and is the hub of the Greater Newcastle area ...

. After graduating with first-class honours degrees in both arts and law from the University of Newcastle and

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb ...

respectively, Blackford was awarded a PhD in English literature, also from Newcastle, on the return to myth in modern fictional narrative (as postulated by

Northrop Frye Herman Northrop Frye (July 14, 1912 – January 23, 1991) was a Canadian literary critic and literary theorist, considered one of the most influential of the 20th century. Frye gained international fame with his first book, '' Fearful Symm ...

). He completed a Master of Bioethics at

Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university has ...

and was awarded a second PhD, in philosophy (also from Monash), for a thesis entitled "The philosophy of human enhancement". His supervisor was Justin Oakley.

Career

As a fiction writer, Blackford specialises in science fiction,

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

and

horror fiction Horror is a genre of fiction which is intended to frighten, scare, or disgust. Horror is often divided into the sub-genres of psychological horror and supernatural horror, which is in the realm of speculative fiction. Literary historian ...

. His work includes four novels published by iBooks, three of them forming an original trilogy (The New John Connor Chronicles) set in the world of the

Terminator Terminator may refer to: Science and technology Genetics * Terminator (genetics), the end of a gene for transcription * Terminator technology, proposed methods for restricting the use of genetically modified plants by causing second generation s ...

movies. His non-fiction work frequently deals with issues involving science and society, particularly philosophical

bioethics Bioethics is both a field of study and professional practice, interested in ethical issues related to health (primarily focused on the human, but also increasingly includes animal ethics), including those emerging from advances in biology, me ...

cyberculture Internet culture is a culture based on the many way people have used computer networks and their use for communication, entertainment, business, and recreation. Some features of Internet culture include online communities, gaming, and social medi ...

transhumanism Transhumanism is a philosophical and intellectual movement which advocates the enhancement of the human condition by developing and making widely available sophisticated technologies that can greatly enhance longevity and cognition. Transhuma ...

, and the history and current state of the science fiction

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other f ...

. His work has appeared in many magazines, journals, and reference books, and has been featured most prominently in '' Quadrant'', a monthly journal of literature and policy. It draws on his academic qualifications in a number of fields. Since 2008, he has also been a Fellow of the

Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies The Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies (IEET) is a technoprogressive think tank that seeks to "promote ideas about how technological progress can increase freedom, happiness, and human flourishing in democratic societies."Joseph R. ...

. He was a speaker at the

2010 Global Atheist Convention Atheism, agnosticism, scepticism, freethought, secular humanism or general irreligion are increasing in Australia. Post-war Australia has become a highly secularised country. Religion does not play a major role in the lives of much of the popul ...

and a contributor to ''The Australian Book of Atheism''.Atheists for Freedom of Speech. pp 299–312 in Bonett, Warren (Editor). 2010. The Australian Book of Atheism. Melbourne, Vic: Scribe

Bibliography

Novels

*''The Tempting of the Witch King'', Melbourne, Cory & Collins, 1983, *''The New John Connor Chronicles'': **''Dark Futures: Book One of

Terminator 2 ''Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' is a 1991 American science-fiction action film directed by James Cameron, who co-wrote the script with William Wisher. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick, and Edward Furlong, it is t ...

: The New John Connor Chronicles'', iBooks, August 2002, 336p, **''An Evil Hour: Book Two of Terminator 2: The New John Connor Chronicles'', iBooks, May 2003, 368p, **''Times of Trouble: Book Three of Terminator 2: The New John Connor Chronicles'', iBooks, September 2003, 384p, *''Kong Reborn'', ibooks, Inc. November 2005, 320p,

Non-fiction books

*''Hyperdreams: Damien Broderick's Space/Time Fiction'' (), Originally published in 1998 as chapbook 8 in the ''Babel Handbooks series on Fantasy and Science Fiction Writers''. Review of the writings of SF author

Damien Broderick Damien Francis Broderick (born 22 April 1944) is an Australian science fiction and popular science writer and editor of some 74 books. His science fiction novel ''The Dreaming Dragons'' (1980) introduced the trope of the generation time machin ...

. *''Strange Constellations: A History of Australian Science Fiction'' (with Van Ikin and

Sean McMullen Sean Christopher McMullen (born 21 December 1948 in Sale, Victoria) is an Australian science fiction and fantasy author. Biography McMullen is one of Australia's leading science-fiction and fantasy authors and has written over 70 stories and 1 ...

), Greenwood Press, ''Contributions to the Study of Science Fiction and Fantasy'', May 1999, 264p, **Reviewed in:
"Science Fiction in Australia"
by Michael Levy (''Science Fiction Studies'' 27:1 (March,2000) "Russell Blackford ... among Australia's most widely respected critics" *''Freedom of Religion and the Secular State'', Wiley-Blackwell, 2012. *''50 Great Myths About Atheism'' (with Udo Schuklenk), Wiley-Blackwell, 2013. . *''Humanity Enhanced: Genetic Choice and the Challenge for Liberal Democracies'', MIT Press, 2014. . *''The Mystery of Moral Authority'', Palgrave Pivot, 2016. . *''Science Fiction and the Moral Imagination: Visions, Minds, Ethics'', Springer, 2017. . *''The Tyranny of Opinion: Conformity and the Future of Liberalism'', Bloomsbury, 2018 .

Editor

*''Urban Fantasies'', anthology of 13 stories, edited with David King, Ebony, 1985. *''Contrary Modes'', proceedings of the academic track of Aussiecon 2, edited with Jenny Blackford, Lucy Sussex and Norman Talbot, 1985. *''50 Voices of Disbelief: Why We Are Atheists'', co-editor with Udo Schuklenk, 2009. *''Intelligence Unbound: The Future of Uploaded and Machine Minds'', co-editor with

, 2014. * ''Philosophy's Future: The Problem of Philosophical Progress'', co-editor with

, 2017.

Academic articles

*"Judicial Power, Political Liberty and the Post-Industrial State." Australian Law Journal 71 (1997): 267–93. *"Thinking about Cloning: A Reply to Judith Thomson." Journal of Law and Medicine 9 (2001): 238–50. *"Stranger Than You Think: Arthur C. Clarke's Profiles of the Future." Prefiguring Cyberculture: An Intellectual History. Ed. Darren Tofts, Annemarie Jonson, and Alessio Cavellaro. Sydney: Power Publications, 2002; co-published Boston: MIT Press, 2003: 252–63. *"Try the Blue Pill: What's Wrong with Life in a Simulation?" Jacking In to the Matrix Franchise: Cultural Reception and Interpretation. Ed.

Matthew Kapell Matthew Wilhelm Kapell is a historian and anthropologist, with master's degrees in each discipline, who has a Ph.D. in American Studies. Early in his career he co-authored chapters on the genetics of human growth and the effects of poverty on grow ...

and William Doty. New York: Continuum, 2004: 169–82. *"Should We Fear Death? Epicurean and Modern Arguments." Immortality Institute, ed. The Scientific Conquest of Death: Essays on Infinite Lifespans. Buenos Aires: LibrosEnRed, 2004: 257–69. *"Human Cloning and 'Posthuman' Society." Monash Bioethics Review 24 (2005): 10–26. *"Stem cell research on other worlds, or why embryos do not have a right to life." Journal of Medical Ethics 32 (2006): 177–80.

Short stories

*"The Load on Her Mind", '' Westerly'' Volume 27, (1982). *"Crystal Soldier" (1983) in ''Dreamworks: Strange New Stories'' (ed. David King) *"Glass Reptile Breakout" (1985) in ''Strange attractors: Original Australian speculative fiction'' (ed. Hale and Iremonger) *" The Sword of God" (1996) in '' Dream Weavers'' (ed. Paul Collins) *"Lucent Carbon" (1997) in ''

Eidolon (Australian magazine) Eidolon Publications was a small press publisher based in North Perth, Western Australia. The company previously published the speculative fiction magazine ''Eidolon'' which ran from 1990 to 2000 and published books under the name of Eidolon Books ...

'', #25/26 *"The Soldier in the Machine" (1998) in '' Dreaming Down-Under'' (ed.

Jack Dann Jack Dann (born February 15, 1945) is an American writer best known for his science fiction, an editor and a writing teacher, who has lived in Australia since 1994. He has published over seventy books, in the majority of cases as editor or co-edit ...

Janeen Webb Janeen Webb (''née'' Pemberton) is an Australian writer, critic and editor, working mainly in the field of science fiction and fantasy. Biography The daughter of a Second World War Australian Army commando and salesman, Webb was brought up in ...

) *"Byzantium vs Republic of Australia" (1998) in ''

Aurealis ''Aurealis'' is an Australian speculative fiction magazine published by Chimaera Publications, and is Australia's longest running small-press science-fiction and fantasy magazine. The magazine is based in Melbourne. History and profile ''Aureali ...

'' #20/21 *"The King with Three Daughters" (2000) in ''Black Heart, Ivory Bones'' (ed.

Ellen Datlow Ellen Datlow (born December 31, 1949) is an American science fiction, fantasy, and horror editor and anthologist. She is a winner of the World Fantasy Award and the Bram Stoker Award (Horror Writers Association). Career Datlow began her career ...

Terri Windling Terri Windling (born December 3, 1958 in Fort Dix, New Jersey) is an American editor, artist, essayist, and the author of books for both children and adults. She has won nine World Fantasy Awards, the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award, and the Bram ...

) *"Two Thousand Years" (2000) in ''

'' #29/30 *"Smoke City" (2003) in ''Gathering the Bones'' (ed.

Ramsey Campbell Ramsey Campbell (born 4 January 1946) is an English horror fiction writer, editor and critic who has been writing for well over fifty years. He is the author of over 30 novels and hundreds of short stories, many of them winners of literary awa ...

Dennis Etchison Dennis William Etchison (March 30, 1943 – May 29, 2019) was an American writer and editor of fantasy and horror fiction.

) *"The Name of the Beast Was Number" (2004) in ''Microcosms'' (ed.

Gregory Benford Gregory Benford (born January 30, 1941) is an American science fiction author and astrophysicist who is professor emeritus at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of California, Irvine. He is a contributing editor of ''Reas ...

) *"Idol" (2004) in '' Oceans of the Mind'' XII - reprinted (2014) in ''Novascapes'' (ed. C.E. Page) *"Manannan's Children" (2008) in ''Dreaming Again: Thirty-five New Stories Celebrating the Wild Side of Australian Fiction'' (ed. Jack Dann)

References

* David Seed. ''A Companion To Science Fiction'' Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2005.

Footnotes

External links

* *
Blackford's blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blackford, Russell Living people Australian atheists Australian science fiction writers Australian speculative fiction critics Writers from Melbourne People from Newcastle, New South Wales Writers from Sydney Science fiction critics Bioethicists University of Newcastle (Australia) alumni Melbourne Law School alumni Monash University alumni 21st-century Australian philosophers 20th-century Australian philosophers Australian transhumanists 1954 births Australian male novelists