Hi there!
This is Ilari Mäkelä, a Finnish philosophy graduate and an independent science writer. I have a BA in Philosophy and Psychology from Oxford and a Master of Philosophy from Peking University (北大). On this site, you can find my scribblings on topics around human nature, moral psychology, and the philosophy of human sciences more generally. I sometimes post about topics of metaphysical curiosity, such as free will and materialism, but my focus is on questions related to a life well-lived.
From the blog
The Harmful Delusion of a Singular Self ~ Gregory Berns
Gregory Bern’s has just released a new book: Self Delusion: The Neuroscience of How We Invent – And Reinvent – Our Identities. I had the honour…
Distorting Darwinism – or What Evolution Does not Tell us About Humans
Evolution can shed light on the human condition. But scepticism is needed when bleak claims are declared from the armchair. In this essay, published in the Skeptic,…
Erich Maria Remarque on the Psychology of War
In “All Quiet on the Western Front”, the German novelist portraits war as both inexplicably horrible and surprisingly humane.
Darwinian Ethics, Aced: A Review of “Origins of Morality” by Dennis Krebs
Dennis Krebs’ excellent overview of evolutionary moral psychology succeeds in celebrating Darwin as source for understanding ethics.
Cultural Training: Lessons from Brain Sciences
A book chapter I had the privilege of co-authoring with Professor Han Shihui, a leading figure in the field of cultural neuroscience.
Virtues in War: A Review of “A Cooperative Species” by Bowles and Gintis
Humans are not born selfish. But why? Bowles and Gintis suggest that Darwin was right: altruism is good the group. But this leads them to the…
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