Was New Atheism a mistake?

Richard Dawkins is best known for his controversial advocacy of atheism, especially in The Selfish Gene (1976) and The God Delusion (2006). But could the pugnacious evolutionary biologist have a romantic side? His new podcast, The Poetry of Reality, suggests …

Passing Observations 170

    When 20,000 people were questioned, 76% of them said they regarded politicians as partly or completely corrupt. The other 24% must have all been politicians. Politicians buy votes by making promises they know they cannot keep, and have no intention

A Scary Story

The following paragraphs are taken from my book The Medicine Men:

‘Over eighty cases of vaginal cancer in young women have been attributed in America to the use by their mothers of oestrogens during pregnancy. The women were given doses …

The cynical hysteria around AI

When it comes to whipping up AI hysteria, there is a tried-and-tested algorithm — or at least a formula. First, find an inventor or “entrepreneur” behind some “ground-breaking” AI technology. Then, get them to say how “dangerous” and “risky” their …