6 jam versus 24 jam, and libertarian paternalism.… 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Inevitably links go out of date.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.
Much Bolder Than it Looks 
Jun 29th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
And not a summer cottage read. George Graham reviews Daniel Dennett’s Freedom Evolves.… Read the rest
Marina Warner Reads Harry Potter
Jun 29th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Dr. Faustus meets Horatio Alger, and Rowling piles on the horror.… Read the rest
What is Irony, Again?
Jun 28th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Watching ‘Big Brother’ can be lazy or maybe postmodern, but ironic, no.… Read the rest
Eagleton on Orwell
Jun 27th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Opinion on him was divided, as it would be on any animal with the rib-cage of a hippo and the snout of a badger.… Read the rest
Not Deceptive but Crudely Deceptive
Jun 26th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘…no audience is easier to beguile than one that is smugly confident of its own sophistication.’… Read the rest
Wool
Jun 26th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Another call for ‘demotic science’ from the Economic and Social Research Council.… Read the rest
Post-traumatic stress and counseling
Jun 25th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Surprise, surprise, it’s not always good to talk.… Read the rest
What Are the Tasaday?
Jun 25th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
What is a lost tribe anyway? From Marie Antoinette to Imelda Marcos, what are the uses of ‘simple people’? Where does the World’s Fair come in?… Read the rest
A Talk With Steven Pinker
Jun 25th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The blank slate became Official Theory, enforced by “accusation, intimidation, name-calling and moralising intellectual questions that are questions of fact”. … Read the rest
Orwell Centenary
Jun 25th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The Guardian offers a page of Orwell links.… Read the rest
Historians Discuss Foner
Jun 24th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
And interesting issues are raised – is objectivity possible? If not, why write history at all? Why not just pledge allegiance to something?… Read the rest
Historians and Plagiarism Again
Jun 24th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Philip Foner helped himself to students’ work, and many of them fumed but kept quiet about it.… Read the rest
Innocuous or Threatening?
Jun 24th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Does enlightenment summon its own enemies into being?… Read the rest
Pick up Another, More Challenging Book
Jun 23rd, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘…the outlandish claims that were frequently made for Potter made you wonder whether some of these people had ever read anything else.’… Read the rest
Adults Read Harry Potter
Jun 23rd, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
It’s become hip to regress into childhood.… Read the rest
Split Decision in Michigan Case
Jun 23rd, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Michigan’s law school can continue to consider race; undergraduate programme is unconstitutional.… Read the rest
Mixed Decision in US Affirmative Action Case
Jun 23rd, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The US Supreme Court narrowly upholds University of Michigan’s use of race in admissions, rejects point system.… Read the rest
Words Do Matter
Jun 22nd, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Under God, one man one vote, Muslim child – language does shape our consciousness.… Read the rest
Creationism Gaining Ground in the US
Jun 22nd, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The Dini case, a conspicuous ‘debate’ in Tucson, a new ‘Special Counsel for Religious Discrimination’ in Ashcroft’s Justice Department.… Read the rest
