Precautionary Tale
The latest environmentalist concept--the Precautionary Principle--seeks to stop innovation before it happens. Very bad idea.
Science
Capital Letters: Road Trip
In which our man in Washington lights out for the territories to explore culture and find the people behind the polls
Martian Chronicle
Mars may well be the next great frontier. But what kind of world should we make there?
Reasonable Doubts: Dark Bedfellows
Postmoderns and traditionalists unite against the Enlightenment
The Bonds of Life
Society depends on rules. But what sort of rules enliven our world--and what sort stifle it?
Selected Skirmishes: Hope Springs Paternal
What medical reporters think inquiring minds don't need to know
Captital Letters: Theaters of Operation
In which our man in Washington encounters show business, Beltway-style, rides uncomfortably into the sunset, and observes "the work of the American people."
Darwin and Dickens
A new breed of literary crtitics is using evolution to explain literature--and to challenge intellectual orthodoxy.
Stars in Her Eyes
Astronomer Sallie Baliunas on sunspots, global warming, and the benefits of privately funded science
Drug Trial
Is "medicalization" the first step in ending the drug war? Or just the next step in continuing it? Jacob Sullum lays out the "public health" issues and a panel of experts responds.
Pride and Prejudice
Competition and feedback are the solutions to a gatekeeper's blind spot.
A Sixth Opinion
A panel of political appointees will give Gulf War Syndrome the presidential seal.
Climate Controls
If we treated global warming as a technical problem instead of a moral outrage, we could cool the world.
Bones of Contention
A federal law stands between scientists and America's prehistoric past.
Resilience vs. Anticipation
The West is resilient and can roll with the shocks. The East copes through anticipation, the static planning that assumes perfect foresight.
Polluted Science
New air pollution regulations based on questionable science and creative economic analysis could cost billions and change the way Americans mow their lawns, heat their homes, clean their clothes, and barbecue their burgers. Can Congress stop this regulatory power grab?
