Slings & arrows
Evolutionary archaeologist Timothy Taylor on the outrageous fortune that made us the dominant ape
Ideas
Who are you calling a fanatic?
Rationalists should think twice about using a term which has, in its day, been used to condemn those who struggle for freedom and equality, says Alberto Toscano
Of human greed: Laurie Taylor interviews David Harvey
A search for the reasons for the economic meltdown has prompted a turn back to Marx. Laurie Taylor meets the “dialectical materialist” geographer David Harvey who, 40 years into his…
Variety
The American philosopher William James died a hundred years ago. Jonathan Rée calls for a return to his humane example
Book Review: Is God Still an Englishman? by Cole Moreton
Francis Beckett finds out whether the English have lost their soul
Thinkers: Voltaire
Fame and fortune allowed the great 18th-century writer to challenge the powers of the state, says Ian Davidson
For uselessness!
In the UK the axe is falling on philosophy departments. Nina Power reports from the frontline
Book Review: On Evil by Terry Eagleton
Beneath the diaphanous veil of ambiguity, the wit and the nuance-sense Terry Eagleton fails to get to the real heart of darkness, says AC Grayling
Gloom merchant
To be truly happy we must be pessimistic, says Roger Scruton
Shadow pope
What do the Pope and the secular philosopher Jürgen Habermas have in common, asks Jonathan Rée