• by Martin Rixham

Here I intend to examine some of the most fundamental assumptions of science. One of the greatest human achievements in history was the realisation that the world and its natural phenomena can be explained. At some point in history almost all of existence must have had only a supernatural explanation. The world was seen as a place controlled by gods or spirits whose existence was merely assumed as necessary to explain what otherwise could not be. But at some point it must have been realised that at least in some cases these supernatural explanations were not necessary. The tides, the seasons, the eclipse of the sun, in all these cases even if the issue could not initially be proven one way or the other it could at least be hypothesised that these phenomena could be explained without resorting to the supernatural. Theories such as these represent what we call science and are the basis for much of the achievement of modern civilisation.

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The day to celebrate the Earth and Science

Leap day is the single day we all think about our place in the universe, and how we know that place; it honors the earth we live on and our knowledge of the science of nature.

This is why we propose to baptize the 29th of February 2012 “Galileo Day”: a day of wonder about the beauty of the universe around us. A day to recognize the benefits of science and of the scientific method. Finally, a day to honor the individuals who stand up for what they know is true. As Galileo Day or Earth Moves (Us) Day, Leap Day could eventually become a public holiday.

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• by Martin Rixham

Looking at the world today it would be easy to conclude that mankind is at the beginning of a new chapter in the history of global conflict. This is the conflict of religious ideology. The greatest part of the last century was dominated by conflicts of political ideology, between democracy and autocracy, between socialism and capitalism. But with the fall of the Soviet Union some 20 years ago the last of these great conflicts was won. Now the conflicts in the world clearly have a different source and to many this is religious extremism.

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• by Sam Gardner

Green gadgets are all around us. Photovoltaic cells will produce electricity, hybrid cars will cut greenhouse gases and bio-diesel is a sustainable fuel for cars and aeroplanes.

These green gadgets show promising technological pathways, but hailing them as saviors is not accelerating the drive for the greening of the economy. On the contrary, by detracting the attention from the investments that are already now economical and environmentally ready, they are used as a populist alternative for environmental policy.

Indeed, supporting the green gadgets as if they are sufficient is just populist politics: they promote a solution to a perceived problem, without taking into account the analysis of the problem and the alternative solutions. This is why good green policy should never promote a technical option. Instead it should promote an environmental objective, and judge the technical solutions on their merits.

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With Orwell's new literary language came the new fiction: direct, no-nonsense and almost formulaic. Like a Hollywood blockbuster, anything that didn't contribute to the Plot was discarded. And so writers were presented with a solid theory on book-writing: use gripping plots, eye-catching stories and memorable characters. All writers needed was an assembly line of original ideas, and the literary factory was complete. The final blow to classic fiction came with Orion's abridged nineteenth-century classics. This series cut a handful of large classics (Moby Dick, Ana Karenina) in half. It marks a milestone and raises a little flag of caution: even though there have always been abridged versions of (and radical messing-about with) books, this series actually proposed their bastardized books as a virtue. Books should not be formulaic and under strict control; publishers should help foster creativity by loosening their tight editing leash.

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