Paulin considers the mystery of Hazlitt’s neglect.… 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Inevitably links go out of date.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.
American Science Under Threat 
Apr 10th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
How US science is in trouble on a number of fronts, because of religious pressures from the Bush administration.… Read the rest
No to Misuse of Genetic Tests
Apr 10th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
UK government advisors recommend strict control of genetic testing.… Read the rest
Internet Porn, Unfettered Access, Harassment
Apr 10th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Librarians file suit over threatening behavior by porn viewers and library policy of non-interference.… Read the rest
MEPs Vote Against Stem Cell Research
Apr 10th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Christian Conservatives set agenda in European stem cell research debate.… Read the rest
Culture Clash
Apr 9th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
A commitment to gender equality is an indicator of commitment to egalitarianism and tolerance overall.… Read the rest
Nonsense About ‘Partisan Bickering’
Apr 9th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The US Right is proud to be partisan, the Left (what there is of it) is keen to roll over and die.… Read the rest
Napoleon is Almost at the Gates
Apr 8th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Franco-phobia and the long-standing joke about the leftist bias of the US media.… Read the rest
Greenhouse gases in the middle ages?
Apr 7th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Perhaps global warming isn’t only a modern phenomenon…… Read the rest
Geeks Can Be Altruistic Too
Apr 7th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
They’re not all Ayn Randian Cyberselfish stock option millionaires, some are underpaid, overworked human rights researchers.… Read the rest
Which is Pollyanna, Which is Jeremiah?
Apr 7th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Complacency about the status quo can be at least as dangerous as optimism about new technology, Matt Ridley argues.… Read the rest
Is Literature a Girly Subject?
Apr 7th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Is it about ‘being honest about your feelings’? What should secondary school students read?… Read the rest
‘The Hook-handed Cleric’
Apr 6th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Is it hysteria, or caution born of experience, that prompts fears about ‘radical Muslim clerics’?… Read the rest
Those Endless Twin Studies
Apr 6th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Exactly how much do genes determine? Natalie Angier says nobody knows yet.… Read the rest
Insightful on Flabby Presuppositions
Apr 5th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Daniel Dennett joins his enthusiasm for Darwinian biology to years of thinking about free will in ‘Freedom Evolves’.… Read the rest
Michael Kelly
Apr 5th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Four New Republic writers on disliking Kelly’s politics while loving his personal qualities.… Read the rest
Jagged and Brittle Style
Apr 5th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Slate adds that the hostile voice of Kelly’s column was hard to square with his personality.… Read the rest
‘Meritocracy’ is a Canard
Apr 5th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Louis Menand says American education is not meritocratic and never has been.… Read the rest
Interview with Azar Nafisi
Apr 5th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Female genital mutilation, oppression in general, should not be brushed off as someone’s ‘culture’, Iranian teacher in exile says.… Read the rest
A Divided Left
Apr 4th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Paul Berman, Timothy Garton Ash, David Rieff discuss the Iraq war.… Read the rest
