We can only make life truly miserable for the vast majority of people, not extinguish human life entirely. … 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Inevitably links go out of date.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.
Pinker on the Downward Trend in Violence 
Jan 2nd, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Things were actually worse in the past.… Read the rest
An Epic History of the Pentagon
Jan 2nd, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
George Scialabba says House of War moves us, edifies us, chastens us, as an epic ought to.… Read the rest
Xian Lawyers Want Queen to Block Gay Rights
Jan 2nd, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Petition cites ‘discrimination’ against Christians in Sexual Orientation Regulations.… Read the rest
What about altruism?
Jan 1st, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
What we admire is genuinely unselfish behaviour.… Read the rest
Witnesses Taunted Saddam in Last Seconds
Jan 1st, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
An ugly, degrading business.… Read the rest
No Religion and an End to War
Jan 1st, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Edge asked more than 150 scientists and intellectuals: ‘What are you optimistic about?’… Read the rest
The Edge Annual Question
Jan 1st, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Dennett, Pinker, Shermer, Holton, Goldstein, Diamond, Blackmore, Harris, Ridley, Loftus, Smolin.… Read the rest
The Evaporation of the Mystique of Religion
Jan 1st, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Dennett says it is no longer feasible to shield the young from unreligious facts.… Read the rest
Science and the Decline of Magic
Jan 1st, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Shermer is optimistic that science is winning out over magic and superstition.… Read the rest
The Capacity to Understand One Another
Jan 1st, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Rebecca Goldstein thinks our understanding of propositional attitudes is key.… Read the rest
How Old Grand Canyon?
Dec 31st, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Old Grand Canyon fine; how you?… Read the rest
Wanna Believe in Ghosts
Dec 31st, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
It’s all about how you see the world, so I’ll just see it the ghosty way.… Read the rest
A C Grayling on the Deaths of Tyrants
Dec 31st, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Delay diminishes the one-time tyrant to a pathetic figure; his execution becomes a moment of bathos.… Read the rest
Many Muslim Women Refuse to Wear Veils
Dec 31st, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘seeing younger women adopt the veil in its various forms is a strange and troubling experience.’… Read the rest
A Petition, a Retraction, a Clarification
Dec 31st, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Panda’s Thumb clears things up.… Read the rest
Hajj Pilgrims Stone the Devil
Dec 30th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Good, glad that’s taken care of.… Read the rest
Ethnic Hatreds are Rarely Primordial
Dec 30th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
A key factor is whether the relevant social norms impose pressure to identify in ethnic terms.… Read the rest
No Shortage of Pseudoscience in 2006
Dec 30th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The Brain Gym, the Dore program to cure dyslexia, magical magnetic bandages on the NHS.… Read the rest
The Best Upcoming Science Books
Dec 30th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
John Gribbin, Lee Smolin, Steve Jones, Oliver Morton, Marcus Chown, Heather Ewing.… Read the rest
