It is the domination of the public realm by the private and untestable conviction that is truly repugnant, not the conviction itself. … Read the rest
Welcome to our archive of news stories relevant to the project of fighting fashionable nonsense. The stories are drawn from the electronic pages of the world’s media. On this page, you’ll find links to those stories that have been featured on Butterflies and Wheels during the current year. At the bottom of the page, you’ll find links to separate archives of stories from previous years.
We’re always pleased to hear about news stories that you think should be featured on Butterflies and Wheels. Just send an email here, if you want to point one out to us.
A note about links
Inevitably links go out of date. We suggest, therefore, that you make hard-copies of the stories that particularly interest you.
Quantum Entanglement 
May 10th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Quantum theory has been used to investigate everything from free will to consciousness.… Read the rest
The Literature of Putative Blokes
May 10th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Amis, Larkin, Osborne and Tynan had blokish tastes but they remained stubbornly literary.… Read the rest
Matt Taibbi on Fish on Eagleton on God
May 10th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Not entirely a fan.… Read the rest
The Number One Child-Killer Disease
May 10th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Pneumonia – one of the challenges that journalism neglects because they’re not new enough to be ‘news.’… Read the rest
Michelle Goldberg on Defenders of FGM
May 9th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Ahmadu sees herself as speaking for African women who value female genital ‘cutting.’… Read the rest
Pope Warns Against Politicizing Religion
May 9th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘Often it is the ideological manipulation of religion, sometimes for political ends, that is the real catalyst for tension.’… Read the rest
Parents Refuse Treatment for Son’s Lymphoma
May 9th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Survival rate for Hodgkin’s is 80 percent with chemotherapy; the parents want ‘alternative medicine.’… Read the rest
Lewontin on Browne, Costa, Coyne, Gibson
May 9th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
A remarkable amount of the history of science has been written through biographies of ‘great’ scientists.… Read the rest
Myers on the Templeton Conundrum
May 9th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Money is essential to science, and at the same time it can be a dangerous corrupter.… Read the rest
Jerry Coyne Refuses Science Festival Invitation
May 8th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
One of the Festival’s sponsors was The Templeton Foundation, so after discussion and thought, he said No.… Read the rest
Jerry Coyne and WSF Discuss the Issues
May 8th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Dance and literature don’t contradict science; faith and religion do.… Read the rest
Johann Hari on Theocratic State Education
May 8th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Forcing children to take part in religious worship every day is a law worthy of a theocracy, not a liberal democracy.… Read the rest
Refugees Flee Fighting in Swat
May 8th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
UN refugee agency said 200,000 people may have been displaced, with another 300,000 on the move.… Read the rest
Ben Goldacre on Tamiflu
May 8th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
You get better 16 or 17 hours sooner if you take these drugs. They’re not miracle cures. … Read the rest
Max Dunbar on Fish on Eagleton on God
May 7th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Liberalism, enlightenment and all those cerebral shibboleths can be halted at the barrel of a gun.… Read the rest
Quantum Arguments for God as Mumbo-jumbo
May 7th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Thanks to quantum mechanical uncertainty, scientists can’t detect stuff, so that could be God.… Read the rest
Muslims in Britain: Zero Tolerance of Homosexuality
May 7th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
None of the 500 British Muslims interviewed believed that homosexual acts were morally acceptable.… Read the rest
David Aaronovitch on Voodoo Histories
May 7th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Many English-language websites have sprung up to proselytise for the 9/11 Truth movement.… Read the rest
National Prayer Day is Even for Unbelievers
May 7th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
And hair gel is for people of all hair styles, and even for bald people.… Read the rest
