New Humanist (Rationalist Association) - discussing humanism, rationalism, atheism and free thought

Should science guide policy?

With Andrew Landsley's health reforms under fire it's worth asking what kind of evidence the proposals are based on. This is one of the subjects Richard Wilson considered when he delved into the contentious area of "evidence-based" policy, for our current issue, and asks what role scientific data should play in politics.

Latest from the New Humanist Blog

At the altar of non-belief: philosopher Alain de Botton proposes a temple for atheists (27 January): Alain de Botton has been accused of many things – of being superficial, self-absorbed and most recently (by Terry Eagleton) "banal" – but no one would call him stupid. The PR campaign for his latest book Religion for Atheists: A Non-Believer's Guide to the Uses of Religion, is a case... Read full post At the altar of non-belief: philosopher Alain de Botton proposes a temple for atheists

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Web Exclusives

A theocracy on the Nile? (January 2012): The triumph of the Islamist parties in Egypt's elections has raised fears of a religious takeover of the state. Austin Mackell reports from Cairo
Against the barbarians (January 2012): Hannah Arendt’s humanism was not the opposite of religion but of self-absorption and totalitarianism, says Finn Bowring
Blots on a landscape (January 2012): Martin Rowson on the genius of Ronald Searle’s line
The mind ironic (December 2011): Matthew Adams remembers winning a £10 bet, and gaining a lifetime's inspiration from Christopher Hitchens

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From the Archive

Faultline (March/April 2011): From the Philippines to West Africa the tenth parallel, the line of latitude 700 miles north of the equator, is a geographical frontline between Christianity and Islam. Eliza Griswold has researched the resulting conflict for seven years. This is her dispatch from Nigeria

Quiz

What kind of humanist are you?: Are you hardline or happy, hedonist or hounded? Answer the questions below and find out how far your personality suits your philosophy

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In the January/February 2012 issue

Cover of New Humanist Volume 127 Issue 1 January/February 2012

Fear stalks the markets: In times of economic crisis irrationality wins the day, says Lyndsey Jones
Memory loss: A rewritten Hungarian constitution is part of a Europe-wide process of evading responsibility for the crimes of the past, says Thomas Land
Book review: Towards a New Manifesto by Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer: Nina Power puzzles over a heavyweight intellectual partnership