Kenneth Francis

Kenneth Francis is the current Editor of Mind Matters and a Contributing Editor at New English Review. For the past 30 years, he has worked as an editor in various publications, as well as a university professor in journalism. He also holds an MA in Theology and is the author of The Little Book of God, Mind, Cosmos and Truth, The Terror of Existence: From Ecclesiastes to Theatre of the Absurd (with Theodore Dalrymple), and Neither Trumpets Nor Violins (with Theodore Dalrymple and Samuel Hux). His most recent books are Theology in Science, Theology in Music: How Christian Themes Permeate Classic Songs, Theology in Film: How Christian Themes Permeate Classic Movies, and Cities of the Absurd: Strange Tales from the Dark Metropolis and Corridors of the Absurd: Sinister tales from the Deep Halls of Power and Dreams.

Archives

A Long Night’s Journey into the Dark Side of AI

_{Like AI, the subconscious mind can process a vast amount of information.}_{Kenneth Francis
May 17, 2026}

Science Fiction writers have over the past 100-plus years been warning us about the horrors of a dystopian future, but now we are reaching the point where such Sci-Fi stories are now becoming ‘Faction’.

Understanding the Atheist’s Mind

_{Naturalism is the belief that everything in the universe is a blind accident, with no ultimate purpose.}_{Kenneth Francis
May 12, 2026}

In a Godless universe, love, self-sacrifice, friendship, relationships, pro-creation, art and literature are nothing more than relatively subjective illusions to pass the time and avoid boredom with no ultimate purpose or objective meaning.

The Scourge of Buzzwords

_{Surely the ‘chattering classes’ can be more creative with their language?}_{Kenneth Francis
April 29, 2026}

From Facebook to Twitter [now 'X'], any lover of the English language would not be inclined to ‘LOL’ but weep in despair at the lack of creativity.

The Colonized Hive Mind

_{Most thinking people have all seen the hive-mind types staring blankly into their iPhones.}_{Kenneth Francis
April 22, 2026}

Those with empty lives only believe in things that they like, usually spoken by those in authority who mirror their ideological preferences.

The Resurrection Does Not Have Any Signs of Being an Invented Story

_{The Resurrection is one of the most studied events in history.}_{Kenneth Francis
April 5, 2026}

The majority of distinguished biblical scholars agree on the witnesses’ testimonies of the appearances of Jesus after the crucifixion.

Boredom Eats the Soul

_{Are we entering the darkest night in history?}_{Kenneth Francis
April 3, 2026}

Boredom can also be a proxy for other risk factors, leading to self-destructive behaviours such as drug/alcohol abuse, hardcore pornography addiction, unbridled promiscuity, crime, and, in the worst-case scenario, suicide.

Dogs Are So Much Like Humans

_{Dogs can read facial expressions, communicate jealousy, and display empathy.}_{Kenneth Francis
March 25, 2026}

A Japanese study found that simply looking at a dog can increase levels of oxytocin, a chemical released by the pituitary gland that’s associated with human bonding and affection.

Crucial Links to the Eyes, Bones, and Mind

_{The eye is the most fascinating organ in the human body.}_{Kenneth Francis
March 24, 2026}

In literature, one of the most famous books of the 20th century and beyond focuses on vision: 1984, with Big Brother always watching you.

Reflections on the ‘Brave New World’ of Farming

_{Unfortunately, we’ve come a long way from those Halcyon laidback hazy days of the sitcom TV classic, Green Acres}_{Kenneth Francis
March 18, 2026}

When it comes to farming, the Dutch government has decided nitrogen is the devil that plagues the Netherlands, but the UK government is fighting a war against its own Beelzebub which takes shape in the form of methane.

Does the ‘Mind Have its Own Place’?

_{And does Trump’s Mind Matter When He Echos “Paradise Lost”?}_{Kenneth Francis
March 12, 2026}

Let us not forget that the Founding Fathers of the US Constitution all read, and were probably influenced, by Milton’s poem.

Demons from the Id

_{One such strange condition of mental turmoil is schizophrenia.}_{Kenneth Francis
March 5, 2026}

A retired psychotherapist from Arizona who spent some 40 years working in hospitals and prisons with schizophrenic patients, was quite disturbed when his analysis of some patients pointed to the supernatural.

Agnosticism, Appearance, and Reality

_{Regarding God, the evidence for fact and truth on creation and morality is everywhere}_{Kenneth Francis
March 1, 2026}

People can be agnostic on many things, such as historical events, like the authenticity of the moon landings, who shot JFK, or even the existence of the external world.

Is Berkeley’s Universe a Spiritual Hologram

_{Berkeley looks from within as his starting point.}_{Kenneth Francis
February 25, 2026}

For Berkeley, God is the basis for improving one’s life, not damaging it, and a common-sense view of life is the best path to achieving such a goal.

AI and the “Accursed Flower”

_{If AI ever gets too big for its algorithmic boots, God might ‘Tower-of-Babel’ it.}_{Kenneth Francis
February 20, 2026}

Whatever the AI pros and cons for or against human flourishing, never forget that the universe has a moral order.

How The Mind Perceives the External world

_{On first sight, we would see a person immediately in a phenomenological way and not scientifically.}_{Kenneth Francis
February 15, 2026}

Phenomenologically, our primary truths and experiences, if functioning properly, are sufficient to tell us all we need to know about an action, event or object.

Dreams Remain a Mystery

_{The uncanny thing about dreams is the landscape or surroundings one perceives.}_{Kenneth Francis
February 7, 2026}

The Bible has many references to dreams. But what are these mysterious thoughts that occupy our minds as we sleep?

Do Spiders Dream of Arachnology Professors?

_{How did the spider know that the mirror on my car would attract its prey during daytime hours?}_{Kenneth Francis
February 1, 2026}

But webs aside, consider the other strange, sometimes ingenious, tiny creatures/organisms, like a colony of termites, that produce astonishing land structures.

The Aesthetics of Imperfection and Decay

_{A lament for beauty in an age that no longer sees it}_{Kenneth Francis
January 25, 2026}

But there is something beautiful about the imperfection of certain objects, architecture, and in the Arts, especially old buildings, films, paintings, and music.