Mindfields: return to the ducking stool

India's use of brain scanning to convict two people for murder is a travesty of justice, says A. C. Graylin

In search of the essence of personality

A. C. Grayling assesses where we now stand on the question of what makes a person the same person throughout their life

Conversation on truth

Book synopsis: Following Conversations on Religion (Continuum 2008), here is a fascinating line up of original interviews tackling one of today's most vexing issues - that of truth. These discussions explore the question of what truth is, and what role it has in private, public, political and scientific discourses. Some thinkers, see truth as something concrete and immutable, others believe that it is an essentially meaningless concept. And for many contributors it is the practical application of truth which engages them. Each fascinating chapter explores the subject from a new angle, including Nick Davies and Peter Wilby's view on truth in the media, Prof. Martin Kusch's reflections in relation to science and Mary Warnock's consideration of truth in the context of ethics and art. Other contributors include Mary Midgely, Noam Chomsky and A. C. Grayling. This is a book of quite exceptional interest and importance

Scepticism and the possibility of knowledge

A book on scepticism from Anthony Grayling is to be greatly valued. Grayling is rare among academic philosophers: he is not only a brilliant thinker, but also has the power to communicate serious ideas to a wide audience. The subject of Scepticism is one of particular interest to people today. It is well known that Grayling reserves particular scepticism for religious statements, but that is only part of this compelling new book. Scepticism as a philosophical term is as old as the Greeks but has more recently been advanced by Montaigne, Descartes and Hume. To these, what little we know that seems certain is based on observation and habit as opposed to any logical or scientific necessity. Thus, sceptical views relate directly to epistemology – the theory of knowledge and what we can know – and, in the modern turbulent world, it is Grayling’s contention that these are issues that all contemporary people need to focus on. In seeking understanding of the human condition we need more than just a set of beliefs about it: all belief is irrational. We want to know or garner some kind of proof about the fundamental truths of human existence. This is the crux of the dilemma facing intelligent people today and is greatly illuminated by this book

The physics of traffic

Beware congestion reduction schemes that treat vehicles as particles - they're likely to make the problem worse

Mindfields: between male and female

A few brave individuals are changing the simplistic stereotyping that aims to force us all into two distinct sexes

Why I am not a believer

Book synopsis: 50 Voices of Disbelief: Why We Are Atheists presents a collection of original essays drawn from an international group of prominent voices in the fields of academia, science, literature, media and politics who offer carefully considered statements of why they are atheists