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NEW HUMANIST VOLUME 123 No 6 Tel 0207 436 1171 Fax 0207 079 3588 Email info@newhumanist.org.uk Editorial Offices 1 Gower Street, London WC1E 6HD

Editor Caspar Melville Commissioning Editor Laurie Taylor Associate Editor Sally Feldman Editorial Assistant Paul Sims Designer Nick McKay Cover Martin Rowson Business Manager Judith Walker Subscriptions Jillian Gibbins Subscriptions enquiries subs@newhumanist.org.uk Tel 0207 436 1171 Advertising info@newhumanist.org.uk Website www.newhumanist.org.uk ISSN 0306-512X

Published by the Rationalist Association registered charity No 1096577, a company limited by guarantee No 4118489 RA President Jonathan Miller Vice presidents Laurie Taylor, Susan Greenfi eld, Paul Kurtz RA Board Jim Herrick, David Pollock, Diana Rookledge, John Metcalf, Laurie Taylor, Sally Feldman, Jose Gonsalves, Marilyn Mason, Winston Fletcher Chairman: Jonathan Stopes-Roe Honorary associates (an incomplete list) David Aaronovitch, Peter Atkins, Lord Birt, Colin Blakemore, Noam Chomsky, Bernard Crick, Richard Dawkins, Sanal Edamaruku, Ekow Eshun, Michael Foot, AC Grayling, Stuart Hall, Tony Harrison, Simon Heff er, Christopher Hitchens, Eric Hobsbawm, Richard Hoggart, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Sir Ludovic Kennedy, Sir John Maddox, Haydn Mason, Claire Rayner, Amartya Sen, David Starkey, Ralph Steadman, DJ Stewart, Ian Stewart, Claire Tomalin, David Tribe, Arnold Wesker, Francis Wheen, Lewis Wolpert For a full list visit our website

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reGulArs 3] Editorial viva la revolucióón 6] Parish news 8 ] Yours sceptically readers’ letters 49] Negligent angels chris maslanka’s quiz 50] Endgame Laurie Taylor puts his foot in it

FeATures 10] Zero confidence Will crunch lead to punch? asks Steven Lukes 12] Deep trouble Kerem oktem visits a Turkey caught between theocracy and fascism 16] Nine lessons and carols for godless people ricky Gervais, robin Ince, Phill Jupitus, natalie Haynes, darren Hayman and many more . . . 24] Changing our minds The brain is far more flexible than we thought, says norman doidge 26] God trumps Which religion is simply the best? Find out by playing our exclusive festive card game

28] Uncertainty principle Alexei Sayle tells Laurie Taylor why he no longer needs to be right 32] Something to declare Human rights means favouring the downtrodden, says conor Gearty 35] Hingland flings Sally Feldman finds out what’s under the kilt 39] Dangerous mind? edward Said has been subjected to a torrent of accusations. Stephen Howe fillets the facts 42] All that is solid melts into art damien Hirst is the artist we deserve, says daniel miller