I was a volunteer for the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science (RDF), and a moderator for the forum part of the website leaving before everything imploded. I attended the American Atheist Conference 2008 and the Atheist Alliance International Conference of 2007.
I am also a writer for Ask The Atheists. My user name there and in the Dawkin forums of old was Homo economicus (a homage to both economics and biology). The name kind of stuck for the blog because it symbolises my interest in economics as a social science and natural science. I read Economics and Politics at University, have run for office as a councillor, and now look after my disabled brother full time.
As of June 2013 my articles here are cross posted on occasion to Harry’s Place. Also this year my apostasy story was reposted by the Rational Association and an article also reposted by The Commentator month before on Syria and Palestinians.
Since I have also written for Left Foot Forward and now have a blog on The Huffington Post.
My politics are around centre but I do not write party politics. More social politics in the broad sense of the word with a particular emphasis on secularism.
My childhood experiences in the Jehovah’s Witnesses has made me particularly concerned about the labelling and indoctrinating of children. Hence one of the reasons why I write this blog, not least because a false view of science is promoted, and reason is effectively butchered in an attempt to allow dogma to reign supreme. Free thinking in such an organisation is not encouraged. 
It really annoys when how someone feels is allowed to invalidate what we know, answer what we do not know for certain, and trump any facts we might bring to the discussion. When feelings as belief are coercively put on those that disagree, it is time to use reason and when that is not allowed by the self elected champions of decency the only thing left – ridicule and contempt.
If you want to know more (a narrative of what made me become involved with Richard Dawkins) my introduction on RDF is included in this blog here.
At the AAI conference I have met so many people, both academics, writers and activists, that have encouraged me in the writing of this blog and in my posts on the forum as well as activism. This includes giving blood against Jehovah’s Witness dogma which would refuse a blood transfusion for an infant with critical blood loss – basically labelling a child with a parent’s belief and unnecessarily putting a child’s life at further risk. For more read this post here.
I rarely stray into party politics, except during elections. I have turned my backs on Labour and the Liberal Democrats (tuition fees both the issue). I identify as a Rawlsian with even strong er anti-authoritarian sentiments. In terms of left and right my politics is “Twister” in the middle ground balance. Issues and principles matter more and I will lobby all, and be heard where I can.
For me social institutions exist for one reason – to empower citizens to greater liberty. As such education, health care and national social security insurance are important means for such things. Freedom is hollow if your life is subsistence.
I am not so active now in the secular movement due to family commitments, but do follow me on twitter @JPSargeant78 or subscribe to the blog so you will be notified when a new post comes along. Facebook: John Sargeant.
Be a free thinker. It might drive others crazy but it is what keeps me sane.
Homo economicus' Weblog 
If you really want to know about me check out http://www.myspace.com/homo_economicus
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Hi economicus, Good post.
Great blog, John! I can’t believe I’ve only just discovered it. Keep up the good work.
You left one cult (J.W.) To join another (atheism)??
“Atheism is the religion of the deranged and evolution is their creation story”.
Atheism has no tenets, beliefs, creeds, etc. To state otherwise is to show one’s ignorance, internetpastor. Everyone is an atheist… including you! I’m sure you don’t believe in many ‘gods’, and probably only believe in one, no? Atheists just go one god more than most.
You can be an atheist and believe the world is flat, or that pixies knitted the universe out of candy-floss. Very unlikely, but all being an atheist means is that you don’t believe there’s any good reason to believe that there’s a ‘God’.
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Hi John, thanks for your comment at my blog, re abortion. I made an additional comment. You remind me I haven’t given blood for a long time. I live ina small town and have friends who ar JW and others who are atheists and others who are traditional catholics, muslims, aboriginal, ‘don’t carers’. We largely pussy foot around each other.
You almost have it right…almost.
You have seen the core. You still have the truth you learned, and you understand the core is bad.
Are you ready to open the core?
Just being kind. I wanted to let you know that I viewed your blog. Don’t agree with your anti-theology, though. Find it sad that your religious background, which you use as a basis for your lack of faith, had to be a cult.
I also read “Why I am not a Christian” in college. Typically, most arguments against Christianity are based on a lack of understanding about Jesus.
Hey, at least there are guys like me that are still praying for guys like you. Hope you change your mind. Some of the greatest scientist believe in God, even if they don’t all claim traditional Christianity as their personal faith.
I am only anti the possibility that views on life, the unverse and everything could be wrong. Anyone that does not accept that, or is not prepared to examine, is an enemy of reason.
AN ATHEIST! Oh my Jehovah, so this is what happened when a former believer goes out of the Truth! Oh my land, I should have learned this first before bothering to respond to the post “JW…cult..” (https://homoeconomicusnet.wordpress.com/2008/01/17/are-the-jehovahs-witnesses-a-cult/)
I hope I didn’t waste my time on that one. I probably have seen before this person is now an Atheist and that’s why I didn;t bother to respond to the post. Tsk, tsk, tsk….
I think people respond differently on leaving the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Though I studied and was not baptised so you could argue there is hope for me.
But by all means decide atheist means something that precludes an open exchange of views. If you read this blog you will find I not only challenge but like to be challenged myself.
Awesome.
Please don’t go back to Jehovah.
We need you.
No danger there … check out the blogs tabbed Jehovah’s Witnesses to see why that isn’t going to happen.
You met Richard Dawkins?!
I have GOT to do what you do.. aha :’)
What was he like in person?
Very affable more a listener than a talker in conversation. For example when involved in filming an event in Oxford (with Sir Paul Nurse) invited myself and friends to VIP reception afterwards.
Also, some people misunderstand when I criticise or dare to correct Dawkins (in fairness this is very rare). He welcomes that challenge, and knows how to defend himself if he disagrees. At a conference I was volunteering at, he suggested Americans should not get worked up about money having “In God We Trust” printed on it
When delegates explained how that was used to reinforce the idea of America founded as a Christian Nation he accepted that, and changed his mind that it was worth pursuing after all.
Hi John hope you are well, pensioner
Good thanks, you?
Many of your pieces seem to be unanswered trolling criticisms and slagging-off of certain other people who are prominent. As a nobodt, aren’t you just trying to get well known to respond by screaming at them, by making ill informed attacks on public personalities and demanding them to answer you? Bit odd.
Try reading the “About the blog” for the motivation of why I am a blogger.
I am a nobody that just happens to be published on other websites for comment.
Live with it.
How do you decide who is a ‘somebody’ as opposed to a ‘nobody’? What qualifies you to make that value judgement?
I find it funny you would take the time to go to someone’s else’s blog, then comment on how they are a nobody. Thank you for revealing yourself. Keep up the good work John.
Trolls eh!
Superb blog, I’m a latecomer to you so please forgive me?
Daniel xxx
I wish you had the thumbs up or thumbs down button for the comments page, some of these replies are just waiting for a few hundred thumbs down.
I know what you mean – at least no one can accuse me of censoring comments 😉
Excellent Blog John and well written. Caring for someone you love is more than caring it’s care+love and given freely and from the heart, beyond commercial pricing. Good onya Fella.
“I was a volunteer for the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science (RDF), and a moderator for the forum part of the website leaving before everything imploded. ”
That is a very interesting coincidence, as I have recently had a number of email interchanges with RDFRS moderators..
What do you mean by “everything imploded”?
The old forum part (which was separate from the website news generated part though linked to) was closed to protect the charity status around 2009 (can’t quite remember when). I had always felt as it had Dawkins name on there, a discussion on fisting was not really what the forum should be about. Dawkins in the end found that, there was a firefight to save the forum involving some moderators, and it was closed earlier than planned.
I had stopped moderating to concentrate on blogging when this all kicked off. But the writing was on the wall, though I think new sense of direction could have saved it.
“It was closed”
Ok, not sure what you mean by that, or what you mean by “firefight to save the forum”
It is open now, or maybe a new version has opened to replace the closure you refer to?
https://richarddawkins.net/news/
In my view it was not “saved” as anything better than the typical mutual admiration society enforced by banning anybody capable of articulating an opposing viewpoint.
As I said, not the front news website part people comment on. The forum I am on about used to be separate. It was completely deleted.