Explore by Subject
Get 4 extra free issues and unlimited free access to NewScientist.com
Opinion
Seven reasons why people hate reason

Seven reasons why people hate reason

Movie Camera
When rational thinking is threatened by everyone from fundamentalists to pseudoscientists, what can you do but counterattack? A C Grayling sets the scene for our reason special report
Opinion 23 July 2008
EXPERT GUIDE
 
 
ARTICLES

Reason is just another faith

An unconditional, general reliance on a single authority is never sensible, whatever god it may invoke, says philosopher Mary Midgley
Opinion - 23 July 2008

Bubble fusion researcher in big trouble

A Purdue University committee says the scientist who claimed to have triggered "bubble fusion" in 2002 is guilty of research misconduct
News - 23 July 2008

Reason excludes creativity and intuition

Science can be an inspiration, but it can't take the leaps of faith that art can, says 2002 Turner prizewinning artist Keith Tyson
Opinion - 23 July 2008

Editorial: How to make reason more reasonable

Rethinking the rational underpinning of our society is a daunting task, but we are risking a lot if we don't make the attempt
Opinion - 23 July 2008

I hear 'reason', I see lies

Cynical use of the appearance of science is part of the armoury of the PR industry, but the defence is simple, says sociologist David Miller
Opinion - 23 July 2008

Comment: It's time for the Vatican to accept IVF

The Catholic church's demonising of the technologies that facilitate test-tube babies is making it look out of touch and irrelevant, says Michael Brooks
Comment and Analysis - 23 July 2008

Editorial: No complacency on disasters

Reports of the demise of the human race have been greatly exaggerated – but we should still plan for the worst-case scenario
Editorial - 23 July 2008

How humans dared to know

The recent passion for "Enlightenment values" owes a lot to the 18th century. But where do they come from and what do they mean today, asks A C Grayling
Opinion - 23 July 2008

No one really uses reason

If we had to think consciously about everything we did, we would never do anything at all, says neuroscientist Chris Frith
Opinion - 23 July 2008

Reason stands against values and morals

We can't assume that reason alone will tell us how to shape a moral and humane world, says Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury
Opinion - 23 July 2008

Reason destroys itself

Do we know, for certain, that two plus two is four? Of course we don't. But we must be reasonable about it, says mathematician Roger Penrose
Opinion - 23 July 2008

Editorial: Why the IMF can be bad for your health

The International Monetary Fund needs to measure the outcome of its interventions in more than just economic terms
Editorial - 23 July 2008

Controversial climate programme let off the hook

The Great Global Warming Swindle misrepresented climate science, but rules on accuracy did not apply
News - 23 July 2008

Whose reason is it anyway?

The fruits of reason have transformed our world and brought many benefits, but they have also brought problems, says bioethicist Tom Shakespeare
Opinion - 23 July 2008

Commentary: Cash prizes won't solve our energy problems

Breaking America's dependence on oil will take years of painstaking research, says Lawrence Krauss
Opinion - 16 July 2008

Books to travel with: The Invention of Everything Else by Samantha Hunt

This fictional tale of Nikola Tesla gets closer to the man than any biography
Bookends - 16 July 2008

Comment: Can fiction make a difference?

Science fiction author Stephen Baxter hopes a fictional account of global flooding will persuade people to engage with the realities of climate change
Comment and Analysis - 19 July 2008

Books to travel with: Guesstimation by Lawrence Weinstein and John A Adam

What better travel companion than a book that helps you work out the risk of a shark attack compared to the drive you just took to the beach?
Bookends - 16 July 2008

Books to travel with: Riffing on Strings edited by Sean Miller and Shveta Verma

A book on creative writing and string theory? It's got the potential to go horribly awry, but this collection of writing is stellar
Bookends - 16 July 2008

Books to travel with: Final Theory by Mark Alpert

A physics thriller, in which Einstein's unified theory drives the action, is the perfect beach reading for the physics geek who likes a dose of action
Bookends - 16 July 2008

Books to travel with: Coral: A pessimist in paradise by Steve Jones

Steve Jones's journey through coral reefs is essential reading – but you might want to leave it in your bag until the flight home
Bookends - 16 July 2008

Books to travel with: What the Nose Knows: The science of scent in everyday life by Avery Gilbert

Seeking a tour with a twist? This one through the realm of smell will awaken your senses
Review - 16 July 2008

Books to travel with: The Man Who Loved China by Simon Winchester

Joseph Needham is credited with changing the West's view of China, revealing a hotbed of invention – this is the story of his monumental quest
Bookends - 16 July 2008

Books to travel with: Central Park in the Dark by Marie Winn

You don't need to leave the city to witness real wildness – as this celebration of wildlife in New York's Central Park shows
Bookends - 16 July 2008

Editorial: Economic theory just isn't up to scratch

Traditional economic models did not foresee the deepening financial crisis in the US – it's time for a root-and-branch rethink of economic theory
Editorial - 16 July 2008

Interview: It's a dog's life...again

Will you miss your dog when it's gone? Willing to splash out on a clone? Then biotech entrepreneur Lou Hawthorne knows just the man
Interview - 16 July 2008

Comment: The developing world needs its own science journals

The lack of local journals in which to publish scientific research, in particular in fields such as health, can have serious consequences
Comment and Analysis - 09 July 2008

New legal threat to teaching evolution in the US

Religious groups hostile to the idea of evolution have adopted a cynical new tactic in Louisiana, says Amanda Gefter
News - 09 July 2008

Review: Darwin's Garden by Michael Boulter

The garden at Down House, Darwin's home for 40 years, was a hub of scientific activity that paved the way for much of today's biological sciences
Bookends - 09 July 2008

Review: Nature's Clocks by Doug Macdougall

We owe a lot to the burgeoning science of geochronology
Bookends - 09 July 2008

Interview: From rock'n'roll to the sounds of nature

Movie Camera
Bernie Krause gave up his musical career to record the natural sounds of endangered soundscapes before they are lost forever
Interview - 09 July 2008

Commentary: Don't accept this tainted money

New Scientist doesn't accept ads from organisations that say "God is the answer". A C Grayling doesn't think that goes far enough
Opinion - 09 July 2008

Editorial: Creationists launch cynical attack on school science

Creationists have been repeatedly thwarted in their attempts to introduce religious thinking into science classes in the US – now they have a new tactic
Editorial - 09 July 2008

Comment: Lab-grown meat could ease food shortage

In a world where food is short, raising livestock is a terribly inefficient use of grain. So why are we still getting our meat from animals, asks Anna Olsson
Comment and Analysis - 09 July 2008
PASSWORD LOGIN
Subscribe to New Scientist magazine