John Paul II reasserted and even amplified the doctrine of ‘Papal infallibility.’
Category: 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Inevitably links go out of date.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.
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Muslims in India
M J Akbar: ‘it is a myth that Islamic law is not amenable to re-interpretation.’
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Official State Witch
Good to know – there’s nonsense in Norway, too.
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Buffy Yes, Philosophy No
A set of pretty good essays about Buffy the Vampire-Slayer – but not about philosophy.
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Terrorism for Humanity?
Richard Wolin has suspicions about Ted Honderich’s acuity.
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Human Nature
‘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.’
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Nature Will Have Her Little Joke
Organically grown milk found to have more toxins than GM milk has.
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‘Stress De-briefing’
Therapeutic practices should be founded on research.
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When in Doubt, Beatify
Christopher Hitchens is not a fan of ‘Mother’ Teresa.
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Why is Rights Talk a Problem?
‘…people often use rights talk to avoid justifying their position. It reverses the burden of proof.’
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It’s Not Bad! It’s Difficult!
‘…a teeming mass of abysmal sentences, yearning to be coherent.’
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Denis Dutton on Bad Writing
From 1999, but relevant to ‘not bad, only difficult’ writing.
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‘Out of Touch’ With What?
Iraqi exiles are out of touch with Ba’athist dictatorship and in touch with democracy – and this is a bad thing?
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The Most Neglected Great English Poet?
Andrew Motion reviews Jonathan Bate’s ample and judicious biography of John Clare.
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Matt Ridley on ‘Superweeds’
All farming techniques have environmental benefits and drawbacks.
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Human Activities or Natural Causes?
Climate change has always happened, and the causes are not easy to figure out.
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Good News for Indian Secularists
The crowd in Ayodhya was much smaller than expected this time.
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Therapy Culture
Are we all fragile, powerless victims in need of continual professional support?
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Martha Nussbaum Remembers Bernard Williams
‘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.’
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One Person’s Bizarre Degree is Another’s…
Listen, Tom and Nicole’s divorce is an important subject.