On Books

Dawkins makes a convincing case for religion as a by-product of childhood trust. What interests me more is what belief gives the believer. True and good are different judgments.

The Selfish Gene changed me. I realised I didn't have to indulge the 'wishes' of my genes. I could have wishes of my own, and that felt enormously freeing.

In just two quotes: one from Bertrand Russell about Bishop Colenso and the Zulus, and one from Saint Augustine about the vice of curiosity.

Native Australians kept captive dingos as companions, watchdogs, and even as living blankets, giving rise to the expression "five-dog night" to mean a very cold night.

If William of Malmesbury is to be believed, the king, when John was dining with him, asked: "What separates a Scot from a sot?" and John replied, "Only the dinner table."

What kind of physicist picks locks for fun, and traces his Nobel-winning work back to a wobbling cafeteria plate?

Вороны в тот день летели по небу не простые, а красные. Примета была самая дурная, да что с того: давненько уж не бывало в Многоборье добрых знамений.

Snow outside? Try another door. Pete the cat holds his human responsible for the weather and insists on checking all eleven doors for a way into summer.