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The Spring 2016 issue of New Humanist is on sale now! You can find it in branches of WH Smith at mainline train stations, airports and selected high street stores.

Live in the UK? Subscribe now and get six months of New Humanist for just £1! See below for terms and conditions.

Highlights include:

Cover story – The Myth of Human Nature: Tim Lewens, a Cambridge professor of the philosophy of science, on evolution and why we behave the way we do.

What,” asked the distinguished evolutionist Michael Ghiselin in 1997, “does evolution teach us about human nature?” The answer he gave will surprise those who suppose that the evolutionary sciences describe the deepest and most ubiquitous aspects of our psychological makeup. Ghiselin informed his readers that evolution “teaches us that human nature is a superstition.” Why would anyone say such a thing? Doesn’t talk about human nature amount to talk about the ways we are all the same? What could be objectionable about that? We can begin to understand the problems if we look back 180 years.

PLUS:

  • Shappi Khorsandi, the new president of the British Humanist Association, talks to Ariane Sherine
  • Samira Shackle investigates Prevent, the government's counter-terrorism strategy
  • Sally Feldman asks what Gloria Steinem’s life in activism can teach a younger generation
  • Reni Eddo-Lodge on race in the entertainment industry and whose stories get to be told
  • Giovanni Tiso on David Bowie and the social media cathedral
  • Ronald Binns recounts the strange death of the Loch Ness monster
  • Marcus Chown explains what Einstein’s theory of relativity does and doesn’t tell us about black holes
  • Chitra Nagarajan reports from Nigeria on growing religious fundamentalism and the threat to human rights
  • Peter Singer discusses his moral philosophy with JP O’Malley
  • Martin Spence on humanism and what the Renaissance did for us
  • Mark Fisher appreciates Peter Kay and his celebration of everyday life
  • Keith Porteous Wood of the National Secular Society discusses the “Vatileaks” scandal
  • Max Goldman asks what we should expect of our politicians when it comes to scientific evidence
  • Richard Smyth takes aim at the cult of nature writing
  • New poems; columns from Michael Rosen and Laurie Taylor; a cover illustration by Martin Rowson; cartoon by Grizelda; book reviews; cryptic crossword and Chris Maslanka's quiz

Get six months of New Humanist for just £1! UK customers, direct debit only. After six months your subscription will continue at the annual rate of £27. You can cancel at any time. Overseas readers can subscribe for £27 a year or take out a digital-only subscription for £10.