Anthropologists gather in Seattle to begin research.… 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Inevitably links go out of date.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.
Scientists Finally Study Kennewick Man 
Jul 6th, 2005 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
After nine year delay.… Read the rest
Hindu Nationalists Protest at Ayodhya Attack
Jul 6th, 2005 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Police are on high alert across India to prevent religious unrest. … Read the rest
Background of Ayodhya Dispute
Jul 6th, 2005 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Destruction of Babri mosque in 1992 prompts riots: 2000 people die.… Read the rest
Aftermath of Attack on Ayodhya ‘Holy Site’
Jul 6th, 2005 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Minimal violence compared to communal conflagrations in the past.… Read the rest
‘The Foetus is its Own Advocate’
Jul 6th, 2005 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘It’s time people began to love the foetus.’ Is it?… Read the rest
Time to Admit: Religion is Dangerous
Jul 5th, 2005 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Sam Harris says what many people think but hesitate to say.… Read the rest
Bush Admin Moves to Normalize Relations With Sudan
Jul 5th, 2005 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
So the declaration of genocide is old news?… Read the rest
David Rieff on Live 8 and Dangerous Pity
Jul 5th, 2005 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
There is no necessary connection between raising money for a good cause and spending the money well.… Read the rest
Philosophers Get the Inane List Treatment
Jul 5th, 2005 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘Ideas play only a limited role in our social life.’ Gosh, really?!… Read the rest
Too Many ‘Political’ Plays Run Gamut from A to B
Jul 5th, 2005 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The more specific the political purpose, the greater the temptations to dishonesty.… Read the rest
Nick Cohen on a Mind-changing Book
Jul 5th, 2005 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Arguments from the almost forgotten tradition of the anti-totalitarian left.… Read the rest
Guardian Readers Scoff at ‘Monster of Month’
Jul 5th, 2005 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘for Zimbabweans he has been the monster of the month for years.’… Read the rest
Amartya Sen Returns to Santiniketan Every Year
Jul 4th, 2005 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘In this superb collection of essays, Sen smashes quite a few stereotypes.’… Read the rest
Indians Have Always Asked Difficult Questions
Jul 4th, 2005 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
A fundamental western mistake to see India as in an eternal mystical fog.… Read the rest
Karl Miller Reviews Christopher Hitchens
Jul 4th, 2005 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Regards himself as a patriot, whose patriotism is universal rather than local.… Read the rest
Statement on Rights and Freedoms Criticized
Jul 4th, 2005 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Gives too much legitimacy to David Horowitz and proposed academic bill of rights.… Read the rest
Design Flaws
Jul 4th, 2005 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
An engineer who designed such a system from scratch would be summarily fired.… Read the rest
Science Needs Fantasy
Jul 4th, 2005 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Thought experiments and what if scenarios are part of the process.… Read the rest
‘Equality is not Sexy’?
Jul 3rd, 2005 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
There’s more than one kind of female genital mutilation.… Read the rest
