Book on non-European contributions to science discovers what historians already know, Anthony Grafton’s review says.
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Inevitably links go out of date.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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Miserable Apathy
Leon Wieseltier tears a strip off Louis Menand’s perspectivism.
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Menand on Orwell
Louis Menand says ‘Big Brother’ and ‘doublethink’ and ‘thought police’ are popular phrases because they prop up slippery slope arguments.
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CHE Links on Michigan Case
The Chronicle of Higher Education gives links to articles relevant to University of Michigan’s race-conscious admissions policies, a Supreme Court issue.
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All Hitler All the Time
Students at UK secondary schools are being given too much Hitler and too little of all the rest of history.
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Rodent Studies
Education is about making more money so vocational training is the way to go so media studies should be fine but then what did Hodge mean by ‘Mickey Mouse’? It’s all so confusing.
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Bioterrorism fears and censorship
Should sensitive biological information be withheld if it might be used by bioterrorists?
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Annoyingly Snide Interview With Dawkins
All the dreary old accusations trotted out: he’s aggressive, intolerant, cold. Why? Because he doesn’t suck up to religion, apparently.
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New Scientist Reviews Dawkins
A brief review of A Devil’s Chaplain.
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Not an Anglican but an Evangelical
Richard Dawkins wants to share the good news, and expose fraudulence in the process.
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Bogus Signatures
One author forged the signatures of seven co-authors: not good practice, even if the research is correct.
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Spoiling Students
Self-esteem, student evaluations, therapy-mindedness, all lead to pleasing students rather than inspiring them.
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Texas Professor and Evolution
A university education is not supposed to confirm pre-existing ideas.
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Something else for Greenpeace to get confused about?
Nanotechnology could become the new genetically modified food (kind of), say report authors.
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Politics and Darwinism
Melvin Konner reviews The Blank Slate and Darwinian Politics.
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Teachers as Cops
Who has time to teach when school is a war zone?
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Who Is Paying?
Is conservative funding more focussed and coherent than the other kind? If so, why?
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What a Good Idea!
Simon Blackburn, Richard Dawkins and others call for Darwin Day.
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Does Freedom Evolve?
Is human agency the product of nature, or of history and politics?
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Never Met an Adaptive Tale He Didn’t Like?
Sometimes economic explanations work better than evolutionary ones, says this review of The Blank Slate.