India’s Science and Rationalists’ Association held a demonstration to protest against the beatification… 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Inevitably links go out of date.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.
Human Nature 
Oct 22nd, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘Pinker and Wilson do a much more impressive job with the humanities than any humanist I know has been able to do with the sciences.’… Read the rest
Muslims in India
Oct 22nd, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
M J Akbar: ‘it is a myth that Islamic law is not amenable to re-interpretation.’… Read the rest
Official State Witch
Oct 22nd, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Good to know – there’s nonsense in Norway, too.… Read the rest
Buffy Yes, Philosophy No
Oct 22nd, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
A set of pretty good essays about Buffy the Vampire-Slayer – but not about philosophy.… Read the rest
Terrorism for Humanity?
Oct 22nd, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Richard Wolin has suspicions about Ted Honderich’s acuity.… Read the rest
Nature Will Have Her Little Joke
Oct 21st, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Organically grown milk found to have more toxins than GM milk has.… Read the rest
‘Stress De-briefing’
Oct 21st, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Therapeutic practices should be founded on research.… Read the rest
When in Doubt, Beatify
Oct 21st, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Christopher Hitchens is not a fan of ‘Mother’ Teresa.… Read the rest
Why is Rights Talk a Problem?
Oct 20th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘…people often use rights talk to avoid justifying their position. It reverses the burden of proof.’… Read the rest
It’s Not Bad! It’s Difficult!
Oct 20th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘…a teeming mass of abysmal sentences, yearning to be coherent.’… Read the rest
Denis Dutton on Bad Writing
Oct 20th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
From 1999, but relevant to ‘not bad, only difficult’ writing.… Read the rest
‘Out of Touch’ With What?
Oct 19th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Iraqi exiles are out of touch with Ba’athist dictatorship and in touch with democracy – and this is a bad thing?… Read the rest
The Most Neglected Great English Poet?
Oct 19th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Andrew Motion reviews Jonathan Bate’s ample and judicious biography of John Clare. … Read the rest
Matt Ridley on ‘Superweeds’
Oct 18th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
All farming techniques have environmental benefits and drawbacks.… Read the rest
Human Activities or Natural Causes?
Oct 18th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Climate change has always happened, and the causes are not easy to figure out.… Read the rest
Good News for Indian Secularists
Oct 18th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The crowd in Ayodhya was much smaller than expected this time.… Read the rest
Therapy Culture
Oct 17th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Are we all fragile, powerless victims in need of continual professional support?… Read the rest
Martha Nussbaum Remembers Bernard Williams
Oct 17th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘his liberal-democratic sympathies made him eschew obscurity, seeking a style that could be grasped by anyone who was willing to face the issues along with him.’… Read the rest
One Person’s Bizarre Degree is Another’s…
Oct 17th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Listen, Tom and Nicole’s divorce is an important subject.… Read the rest
