Friday, October 31, 2008

Introduction To Kevin RD Shepherd

Introduction To Kevin RD Shepherd
Kevin Shepherd is a garrulous writer adept in writing loose, tabloid-like diatribes composed of rumor, hearsay and poorly researched claims. This blog was created to refute and respond to Kevin R. D. Shepherd’s articles against Joe Moreno located on KRD Shepherd’s citizeninitiative.com and kevinshepherd.net domains.

Although Kevin Shepherd can often be seen boasting that his research is objective, well researched, serious, etc., he never attempted to contact Moreno before publishing his rambling slop against Moreno on his websites. Judging from Kevin Shepherd’s article against Moreno, it is easy to ascertain that he is a thoroughly biased conspiracy theorist incapable of formulating a sober argument, let alone conducting any semblance of adequate or impartial research.

Kevin Shepherd is a self-publisher via:

  1. Philosophical Press

  2. New Media Books Ltd

  3. Citizen Initiative

  4. Anthropographia Publications


Kevin Shepherd self-publishes his books for various reasons he tries very hard to justify. It is Moreno’s personal opinion that Kevin Shepherd self-publishes his own material (rather than by established third-party publishers) because:

  1. Kevin Shepherd’s material is controversial, convoluted and conspiratorial and publishers do not wish to be associated with his works. Even Routledge (a well-established and giant publisher) turned away Shepherd’s manuscript.

  2. Kevin Shepherd has no academic credentials and his authority on the subjects he writes about is highly dubious.

  3. Kevin Shepherd’s subject material interests a very small and exclusive reading population.

  4. Kevin Shepherd’s books are biased and push a self-serving agenda.

  5. Kevin Shepherd’s publications under various self-publishing names is indicative of vanity publishing.


Kevin Shepherd has no claim to any sort of academic credentials (which Moreno discussed in his original article). Even on Kevin RD Shepherd’s pesonal website (Ref), he failed to list any verifiable academic credentials he may possess. Rather, he stated he undertook a private research project” at the Cambridge University Library (not to be confused with Cambridge University itself) “with a reference from Corpus Christi College”. He alleged that he established the Intercultural Research Centre of Anthropography in the town of Cambridge (again, not to be confused with Cambridge University) in the 1980s. Needless to say, the IRCA was short lived and no remnants of it can be found in any credible or scholarly sources or references. Kevin R.D. Shepherd refers to himself as a “serious amateur”, a term he described as:

“...a phrase in use at Cambridge and Oxford Universities that describes a writer who does not hold academic honours but who does attempt serious work with annotations.”

A search of the Oxford University website reveals that the term “serious amateur” is rarely used. The term is used exclusively in relation to astronomy and photography (Ref). A search of the Cambridge University website reveals that the term “serious amateur” is used exclusively in relation to astronomy and botony (Ref). Contrary to Kevin Shepherd’s erroneous claim, the term “serious amateur” is not a well known term relating to writers at either Cambridge or Oxford (despite their scholarly, extensive and heavily sourced websites).

Kevin Shepherd fully conceded that he has “no academic role” although he boasts that he follows “academic rules in citing sources to a greater extent than many academic philosophers” (a self-laudatory statement not backed up by any independent academic philosophers or scholars).

Kevin Shepherd is the registrant for citizeninitiative.com & kevinrdshepherd.net:

Domain name: CITIZENINITIATIVE.COM
Administrative Contact:
Shepherd, Kevin kevinrdshepherd@btinternet.com
PO Box 5757, Dorchester, Dorset DT2 7ZX GB
+44.1935826757 (Ref)

Domain name: KEVINRDSHEPHERD.NET
Administrative Contact:
Shepherd, Kevin kevinrdshepherd@btinternet.com
PO Box 5757, Dorchester, Dorset DT2 7ZX GB
+44.1935826757 (Ref)