Julian Baggini: Political lies and their consequences
It’s easy to condemn political lies and catalogue their awful consequences. It’s more difficult and important to examine the consequences of not lying.
Michael P. Lynch: Truth in a Post-Truth Age
Truth, to paraphrase Oscar Wilde, is rarely pure and never simple. Given everything that has happened over the last year—from Brexit to the election of Donald Trump the U.S. presidency—you could be excused for wondering if it exists at all.
Harriet Hall: Politics, Science, and Health
Carl Sagan said, “We live in a society absolutely dependent on science and technology and yet have cleverly arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology.
Michael Shermer: The Rise of the Nones
Before the rise of the religious right in the 1980s most politicians kept their faith to themselves. In 1945, for example, President Harry Truman, wrote: “I’m not very much impressed with men who publicly parade their religious beliefs.”
Manuel Toharia: (Spanish) Por qué es importante combatir las mentiras y las concepciones erróneas en política
La política es el arte de lo posible, según Maquiavelo. Es probable que una concepción muy pragmática del arte de gobernar y legislar nos lleve a buscar sólo aquello que parece posible, olvidándonos de otros retos más difíciles, incluso casi utópicos.
Matteo Motterlini: Keeping democracy fit, or policies of proven effectiveness
Our governments have squandered enough time on ideologies and clichés concerning the Italians.
Jean Bricmont: On War and War Propaganda
All wars need preparatory war propaganda and usually are justified by lies and gross exaggeration.
Robyn Blumner: Why are there no open atheists in the U.S. Congress? Here’s why
During this year’s American presidential race atheism became an issue, and it wasn’t pretty.
José Miguel Mulet: Pseudoscience in the European food regulations
Food production is the main limitation for development. Nowadays Europe imports about 35% of the food that requires and this tendency is increasing in recent years.
Sissela Bok: Long-term costs of political lies
“¿Cómo te das cuenta de que los políticos están mintiendo? Al ver que sus labios se mueven.” Frases tan sarcásticas, difundiéndose a través de YouTube y las redes sociales,
Félix Ares: (Spanish) Política con una pizca de escepticismo
Los políticos tratan de resolver los problemas que afectan a una comunidad. Algunas veces las soluciones son meramente ideológicas, por ejemplo, si hay que permitir el matrimonio homosexual o no.
Adolf Tobeña: Exigent Doubt
Skeptics are always in the minority. Usually they appear puzzled and even shocked at the unalterable preeminence of credulity.
