Category Archives: debate

The Science of Akin

Posted on August 24, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

From the Guardian, one possible theory for the source of Akin’s idiot ‘science’: The idea that rape victims cannot get pregnant has long roots. The legal position that pregnancy disproved a claim of rape appears to have been instituted in … Continue reading →

Posted in politics, Science & Faith | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Yes, It’s A Good Thing

Posted on August 13, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

That it is still possible to debate the advantages of extensive family planning efforts in the developing world (and, for that matter, here) never fails to astound. The Economist reports here on a paper that only reinforces the case: [W]hen … Continue reading →

Posted in Science & Faith | Tagged | 1 Comment

“Sawdust on the Floor”

Posted on August 13, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

From the memoirs of Mark Edward, a prominent former psychic: I’m quite confident that I would know by now if I had a spirit guide or my Aunt Ethel’s watchful ghost alongside me. I have looked and searched, then looked … Continue reading →

Posted in Science & Faith | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Abdus Salam

Posted on July 13, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

Cross-posted on the Corner: Writing in the Spectator, Shiraz Maher suggests (correctly, surely) that most people are unlikely to have heard about Pakistan’s contribution to the discovery of the Higgs Boson, and explains why that is just fine with Pakistan: … Continue reading →

Posted in Science & Faith | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Earth Day!

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford
Posted in culture, Science & Faith | Tagged , | Comments Off on Earth Day!

On The Economics of the Pill (2)

Posted on March 11, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

In an article for Bloomberg News, Virginia Postrel asks why certain types of oral contraceptive require a prescription. Here is an extract: Requiring a prescription “acts more as a barrier to access rather than providing medically necessary supervision,” argues Daniel … Continue reading →

Posted in debate | Tagged , | 4 Comments

A Natural Phenomenon

Posted on March 4, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

I’ve no particular enthusiasm for the ‘New Atheists’ (they are far too religious for my tastes), but, in its combination of incoherence and hysteria, this attack on them by Bryan Appleyard (H/T Andrew Sullivan) takes some beating. Here’s an extract … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, Religion, Science & Faith | Tagged | 3 Comments

The “Bioethics” Fraud

Posted on February 18, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

Instapundit: “It’s always in bioethicists’ professional interest to suggest that a new technology raises troubling moral issues that require deep (funded) thought and extensive (lucrative) conferences.” Indeed.

Posted in science, Science & Faith | Tagged | 2 Comments

Against Self-Government

Posted on January 28, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

The Council of Europe is, in theory, meant to be some sort of bulwark for the citizens of its member countries against the power of the overreaching state. That’s the theory. But here’s how it really works. The Daily Mail … Continue reading →

Posted in politics, Religion, science, Science & Faith | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

A Test of Civilization

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

Count me skeptical whether there is a ‘right’ to die, or a right to very much else for that matter, but a truly humane society would not force this helpless man to go to the courts for the relief he … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, Religion, science, Science & Faith | Tagged , , | 4 Comments