Daniel Dennett joins his enthusiasm for Darwinian biology to years of thinking about free will in ‘Freedom Evolves’.… Read the rest
Latest News
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Inevitably links go out of date.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.
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
Background on Blair, Bush, and the War
Apr 4th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The PBS show ‘Frontline’ offers a wealth of material on the negotiations over Iraq, the UN, diplomacy, pre-emptive war, and Blair’s role.… Read the rest
Class Divide in Education
Apr 3rd, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Report ‘shows that educational success in Britain is more determined by social class than in any other country.’… Read the rest
Are Private Schools Unfair?
Apr 3rd, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Adam Swift’s new book argues that educational privilege is incompatible with equality of opportunity.… Read the rest
Supremes Release Tape
Apr 3rd, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Wide interest in affirmative action case prompts the Supreme Court to release tape of the hearings.… Read the rest
US Supreme Court Hears Affirmative Action Case
Apr 2nd, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Rice backs Bush but acknowledges she was a beneficiary of Affirmative Action; Powell disagrees with the President.… Read the rest
Audio of Supreme Court Debate
Apr 2nd, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
National Public Radio offers highlights of arguments on Affirmative Action. Hear Scalia in full sarcastic mode.… Read the rest
Two Very Different Views of the War
Apr 2nd, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
One speaker critical of Bush’s foreign policy, one who helped create it.… Read the rest
E.O. Wilson
Apr 2nd, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Harvard profiles the pioneer of sociobiology.… Read the rest
What is Hypocrisy?
Apr 2nd, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Adam Swift examines some bad moves in the argument over education.… Read the rest
Encyclopedia of Stupidity Reviewed
Apr 1st, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Bierce, Flaubert mentioned, Fashionable Dictionary inexplicably not.… Read the rest
Helpful or a Source of Conflict?
Apr 1st, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Scholarships and other programs explicitly for minorities are under attack.… Read the rest
Affirmative Action on Trial
Apr 1st, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
US Supreme Court is to hear arguments on racial preferences in university admissions today.… Read the rest
Aggressive Contempt for Popular Opinion
Mar 31st, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
But what makes the journo think he has a right to look at the kitchen when he’s been refused permission? Which is the rude one here?… Read the rest
Mismatch? Growing? Gulf?
Mar 30th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Carol Tavris asks a great many skeptical questions of a new book on the gulf between women and men, and whether the cure might be worse than the disease.… Read the rest
