Fail better
The films of Adam Curtis tell the histories of utopian ideas gone disastrously wrong. So why does he think we need more of them? Daniel Trilling meets the acclaimed documentary…
Culture
Book review: The Almost Nearly Perfect People by Michael Booth
If your Nordic knowledge is limited to ABBA, snow and Vikings, read this book, says Anna Vesterinen
Book review: Zealot by Reza Aslan
This article is from the Spring 2014 issue of New Humanist magazine. You can subscribe here. Reza Aslan was the author granted a priceless publicity gift by Fox News in…
Here come the bohemians
Jonathan Lethem has become the leading American novelist of his generation by chronicling the hopes and failures of the Left, writes Fatema Ahmed
How I got to sit in the famous seat
This article is from the Spring 2014 issue of New Humanist magazine. You can subscribe here. Whoever you support, football is about loss, and how you cope with it. Not…
People power
The history of Western art tells a story of how humans came to think of themselves as beings who could shape the world
Should Hamlet travel to North Korea?
Shakespeare’s Hamlet tells the story of a young prince who avenges the murder of his father, the king, by killing the uncle who took his place as monarch. Its double-crossing…
Beyoncé is good for feminism
Reactions to the pop megastar tell us much about race and gender. But let's not exaggerate the importance of celebrity voices in what should be a leaderless movement, says Reni…
The Spring 2014 New Humanist is out now!
Adam Curtis interviewed; sacred art from Dante to Tavener; the science of happiness and more...
Classless broadcasting: Benefits Street
The controversial documentary series Benefits Street reveals everything that’s gone wrong with Channel 4, argues Mark Fisher