Appiah argues that moral and religious disagreement between cultures is overstated. … 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Inevitably links go out of date.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.
Study Finds no God Spot in Brain 
Aug 30th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Nuns’ brains light up here there and everywhere.… Read the rest
S Africa’s Health Minister Asks ‘Whose science?’
Aug 30th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Polio in Nigeria, AIDS in South Africa, clean needles in the US, MMR in north London.… Read the rest
Ibn Warraq on Islam
Aug 29th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘While the Koran is open to some re-interpretation, it is not infinitely flexible.’… Read the rest
Olivier Roy on Islamic Evangelism
Aug 29th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Islamic revival shares the dogmatism, communitarianism, scripturalism of US evangelist movements.… Read the rest
Salman Rushdie Talks to Spiegel
Aug 29th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Whatever the murderers may be trying to achieve, creating a better world certainly isn’t one of their goals. … Read the rest
Girl Abducted by Father and Sister
Aug 29th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Relatives fear abducted girl has been taken to Pakistan for an ‘arranged’ marriage.… Read the rest
Polygamist Busted
Aug 29th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
On the lam since being charged for allegedly arranging marriages between minors and older men. … Read the rest
Sam Harris on Francis Collins’s Goddy Book
Aug 29th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
If the beauty of nature can mean that Jesus really is the son of God, then anything can mean anything. … Read the rest
Meet the Bish
Aug 28th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The Bishop of Rockford sounds like a scary guy.… Read the rest
The Bishop on What Defiles Our Human Nature
Aug 28th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘The toleration of sexual perversions among inverts, the killing of the elderly, radical feminism.’… Read the rest
Empiricism is a Good Thing
Aug 28th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Political discussions all have a policy landscape that is shaped by our common knowledge.… Read the rest
Karen Armstrong on Reconciling Contradiction
Aug 28th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The religious claim ‘there is coherence in the apparent contradictions of their sacred texts.’… Read the rest
Julian Baggini: Teach Children to Question Religion
Aug 28th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘You’re taught what people of different faiths do, but it is considered disrespectful to question if they are right to do it.’… Read the rest
Hume’s Battle With Fanatics Not Won Yet
Aug 28th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Is George W Bush switching off the light that David Hume switched on? … Read the rest
Vatican to Discuss Evolution
Aug 28th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Pope said in inaugural sermon; ‘We are not the accidental product, without meaning, of evolution.’… Read the rest
Director of Vatican Observatory Replaced
Aug 28th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
George Coyne said ID isn’t science. Naughty.… Read the rest
The Misery of Coerced Marriage in Indonesia
Aug 27th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘In many communities traditions and religious leaders are more respected than national legislation.’… Read the rest
Taliban Killing Clerics Loyal to Government
Aug 27th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Teachers, judges, aid workers, landmine removal specialists have also been killed.… Read the rest
Is This What is Meant by Community Cohesion?
Aug 27th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘The new dividing line in Tower Hamlets is no longer skin colour but religion.’… Read the rest
