‘Scientists and their works are everywhere described in an arctic language of despair.’… Read the rest

In the 1992 article that he expanded into an excellent book, Barber examines the ways Identity and Shopping are dividing the world between them.… Read the rest

‘…all but a fraction of his own writing molders unattended in America’s used bookstores. Like the New York Intellectuals with whom he was associated…he is referenced more often than read, a sad fate for a critic who wrote so much, so well and with such wit and insight.’… Read the rest

What if you want to talk about an authentic self instead of an ‘authentic self’?… Read the rest

‘Indian history from the perspective of the Hindutva ideology reintroduces ideas that have long been discarded and are of little relevance to an understanding of the past.’… Read the rest

He has his view and you have yours and they have theirs. So it goes.… Read the rest

‘To concede that no one ever believes something solely because it’s true is not to deny that anything is objectively true.’… Read the rest

‘Ramadan is a cold-blooded Islamist who believes that Islam is the cure for the malaise wrought by liberal values.’… Read the rest

‘We no longer defer to bishops or politicians; scientists are simply facing the same fate.’ Yes but bishops are one thing and scientists are another. We can demand that scientists produce evidence, but what evidence can a bishop offer?… Read the rest

‘…many of the widely accepted claims promulgated by therapists are based on subjective clinical opinions and have been resoundingly disproved by empirical research conducted by psychological scientists.’… Read the rest

It’s important to distinguish between necessary, useful technicality, and jargon or pseudo-mathematics substituting for genuine rigor.… Read the rest

‘Developments take place in a world linked by ideas rather than by race.’… Read the rest

What a coincidence that we’re here and not on that nasty Pluto.… Read the rest

‘The protection built into Theory…is composed of layer on layer of ignorance.’… Read the rest

We need to know what’s out there so that we can change it.… Read the rest