Caution, falling moguls
Is he a loser, a kvetcher, a fatalist or a comic genius? Michael Bywater goes in search of the real Woody Allen
Culture
Religion is bullshit
From philosophy to fart jokes George Carlin always got there first, says Robin Ince
Mistaken identity
Obsessing about culture traps people in their own history, argues Kenan Malik
Revolutionising Tom Paine
Recording his new radio play, Trevor Griffiths discovered the true revolutionary spirit of Tom Paine
Torch bearers
Politics, religion and money may be wrestling to control the Olympics. But, argues Paul Sims, they’ll never be a match for the sheer drama
Art or puffery? A defence of advertising
An adman for almost 50 years Winston Fletcher explores the art, and ethics, of the sell
The Sun and Moon Corrupted by Philip Ball
Philip Womack enjoys a popular scientist's debut novel
The Unthinkable by Amanda Ripley
Helene Joffe prepares for the worst
The Book of Dead Philosophers by Simon Critchley
Simon May comes face to face with mortality
Metropole by Ferenc Karinthy
Jonathan Derbyshire admires a dystopian classic