About

- Kieren Underwood

My name is Kieren Underwood. I was born into a fundamentalist doomsday cult. I left when I was 22. I studied Theology in the United States (Oklahoma). Then I studied Computer Science in Australia (Perth).

I’m interested in the history of Christianity, cults, philosophy of science, epistemology, evolutionary psychology, and people who changed their minds.

The person I’ve read most biographies about is Jesus of Nazareth, followed closely by Napoleon the Great—both of these are very regrettable. The book I’ve read the most times is The Closing of the American Mind by Allan Bloom. My favourite non-fiction book is Ideas: A History from Fire to Freud by Peter Watson. My favourite fiction book is Foucault’s Pendulum by Umberto Eco. My favourite collection of short stories is Selected Fictions by Jorges Luis Borges. My favourite philosopher is Baruch Spinoza, despite his Ethics being ridiculous. My favourite author is Fyodor Dostoevsky. My favourite movie is Magnolia by Paul Thomas Anderson.

If I had to recommend ten books that would give you a sense of my worldview, they would be:

• I Am A Strange Loop - Douglas Hofstadter
• The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
• Darwin’s Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life - Daniel Dennett
• The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable - Nassim Taleb
• The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined - Steven Pinker
• The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life - Robin Hanson and Kevin Simler
• Rationality: From AI to Zombies - Eliezer Yudkowsky
• Notes from the Underground - Fyodor Dostoevsky
• Confessions of a Mask - Yukio Mishima
• Constantine’s Sword: The Church and the Jews: A History - James Carroll
• When Prophecy Fails - Leon Festinger, Henry Riecken, and Stanley Schachter
• The Structure of Scientific Revolutions - Thomas Kuhn

Ok, that was twelve.

I have other interests, like classical guitar, beach volleyball, and functional programming languages. They aren’t related to this blog.

You can email me at kierenjunderwood AT gmail DOT com.