|
By Kenny McGuigan
|
|
Tuesday, 17 July 2007 |
|
In the course of human history new discoveries,
particularly in the fields of science and medicine, have challenged established
thought. This is now happening again with stem cell research. What could lead
to curing many diseases that up to now have been fatal is coming under a
barrage of criticism because of religious and reactionary prejudices.
|
|
|
By Alan Woods
|
|
Monday, 07 May 2007 |
|
The second edition of Reason in Revolt will
shortly be going to the printers. Here we publish the new Preface which deals
with some of the more important scientific findings since the book was first
published. Again, they all confirm the validity of dialectics in a remarkable
manner.
|
|
|
By Alan Woods
|
|
Wednesday, 02 May 2007 |
|
Brazil,
along with Argentina,
is one of the key countries for the Latin American revolution. Therefore it is
with great satisfaction that we can announce the forthcoming publication of a
Brazilian edition of Reason in Revolt. Here we provide the new Introduction
written by Alan for a Brazilian and more in general, a Portuguese speaking
audience.
|
|
|
By Miriam in Vancouver, Canada
|
|
Thursday, 22 February 2007 |
|
The countries most affected by HIV/AIDS are among the poorest in the
world. The layers of society affected are also among the most vulnerable, both
in the underdeveloped and developed countries. Eradicating poverty is the first
and most fundamental step in eradicating this disease, something which is
impossible under capitalism. This article provides some convincing statistics
and arguments in favour of a fundamental change in society.
|
|
|
By our oil industry correspondent
|
|
Thursday, 08 June 2006 |
|
Marx and Engels took
a great interest in science, for the same dialectical processes of change that
exist in society, economics and politics also exist in natural processes. Here our oil industry correspondent demonstrates how this is true even in the use of sound signals to
find new oil fields. He also emphasizes how in private hands new technology
does not enhance life but instead destroys it.
|
|
|
By Mick Brooks
|
|
Monday, 13 March 2006 |
|
The Internet is open to all, but capitalism demands an owner of everything and payment for everything. This new privatisation of ideas has provoked widespread indignation and sense of injustice. Tight control over intellectual property rights can actually slow down innovation. New technology has transcended the standard capitalist business model. We need to get rid of capitalism in order to unchain human creativity. The Internet shows us a glimpse of what is possible under socialism. Don't let them take it away from us! |
|
|
By Harry Nielsen
|
|
Tuesday, 13 December 2005 |
|
Our recent publication of the article Crisis in Cosmology continues to stimulate debate and comment. Here we have a reader from Italy commenting on the Olbers paradox which states that if galaxies and stars had existed for an infinite amount of time then the whole sky would look bright. So why is the night sky dark? Harry Nielsen comments. |
|
|
By Alex Nichols
|
|
Tuesday, 06 December 2005 |
|
We recently published an article on the Crisis in Cosmology by Harry Nielsen, which has provoked some comment from readers. Here we publish a letter which, in criticising the article, defends the main theories dominant in contemporary physics. This is followed by a reply which points out that the latest observations should at least lead scientists to question the validity of the Big Bang theory, a theory that dominates the thinking of mainstream physicists in spite of the all evidence. |
|
|
By Harry Nielsen
|
|
Thursday, 24 November 2005 |
|
An uncomfortable parallel can be drawn between the Big Bang story and the Christian myth of creation. At the root of the whole theory is faith, faith in things which cannot be seen or detected physically, such as an invisible form of matter and energy that is supposed to pervade the universe, or on a definite moment in time in which all matter as we know it came into being. The emphasis in theoretical physics and in mainstream cosmology is on pure thought and logic. Plasma cosmology on the other hand makes no assumption about the age of the universe; it places no limitations on the time available for large scale structures to form. The explanation for things that have occurred in the past lies in the processes that we see now, which in many cases we can explore in laboratory experiments. There is no effect without cause ‑ an infinite chain of cause and effect leads from now to the past. |
|
|
By Mick Brooks
|
|
Tuesday, 22 November 2005 |
|
Capitalism attempts to turn everything into private property, the air we breathe, the water we drink and even ideas. Attempts of capitalists to make money from “their” intellectual property are like the highway robbery of medieval aristocrats who levied tolls on traders and restricted the growth of commerce and prosperity. Today private property and the profit motive are the biggest threat to our enjoyment of new ideas, our progress and even our existence as a species. |
|
|
By Alan Woods
|
|
Thursday, 17 November 2005 |
|
A new Mexican edition of Reason in Revolt, Marxist Philosophy and Modern Science is coming out shortly. Here we provide a new introduction by Alan Woods, in which he looks at some of the more important scientific breakthroughs since the book was first published ten years ago. He also dedicates some words to the poverty of modern bourgeois philosophy which has sunk back to the level of subjective idealism. |
|
|
By Harry Nielsen
|
|
Wednesday, 13 July 2005 |
 Quantum
mechanics has given scientists and engineers a new and deeper
understanding of physical reality. It explains the behaviour of
electrons, atoms and molecules, the nature of chemical reactions, how
light interacts with matter, the evolution of stars, the bio-chemistry
of life and the evolution of mankind itself. Despite its successes it
remains an intensely controversial theory. It suggests that very small
objects such as electrons or photons behave in ways that contradict the
common sense ideas. Yet many scientists to this day refuse to accept
the fact that contradiction is an essential part of all matter. |
|
|
By In Defence of Marxism
|
|
Wednesday, 23 March 2005 |
|
We publish two letters reacting to the recently published article Bill Gates, saviour of the world?.
We seize the opportunity to call on left-wing programmers and
anti-capitalist people with an interest in computer technology in
general all over the world to get in touch. |
|
|
By Maarten Vanheuverswyn
|
|
Thursday, 17 March 2005 |
 Bill
Gates, chairman of Microsoft, recently committed himself to donating
$750 million to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation
charity. Using a lot of messianic words, the richest man in the world
is more and more presenting himself as the saviour of the world.
Maarten Vanheuverswyn looks at the reality behind the phrases and takes
a look at his company Microsoft and its predatory tactics.
|
|
|
By Espe Espigares
|
|
Tuesday, 07 December 2004 |
The discovery of the remains of an unknown pre-historic human on a
little island near Indonesia shook up the scientific community a few
weeks ago. This has been considered the most important event in
palaeoanthropology in decades. However, the discovery is accompanied by
the usual prejudices that dominate a significant part of the scientific
community. Espe Espigares looks at what really distinguishes humans
from the apes.
|
|
|
By Alan Woods
|
|
Monday, 18 October 2004 |
 A
recent Horizon programme on Channel Four asked the question “What
Really Killed the Dinosaurs?” For a hundred and forty million years,
the dinosaurs were dominant. Then, all of a sudden they all
disappeared. Something must have killed them off. What was it?
|
|
|
By In Defence of Marxism
|
|
Friday, 08 October 2004 |
|
Yesterday, US authorities issued a court order to Rackspace, a web
hosting provider, to physically remove Global Indymedia servers in the
US and UK. The agency requesting the seizure was the FBI. This has
affected approximately 20 Indymedia sites around the world. This
seizure of Indymedia’s hardware is a direct attack on civil liberties,
the right to free speech, and a not-so-subtle attempt at internet
censorship. |
|
|
By Alan Woods
|
|
Wednesday, 28 January 2004 |
|
Even those who accept the theory of evolution frequently draw reactionary
conclusions from the evidence provided by science. In Darwin’s day, natural
selection was presented as a justification of capitalism and its dog-eat-dog
morality. The fact that such ideas have no basis in what he actually wrote is
conveniently ignored. A recent BBC documentary attempts something similar in
trying to establish that the violence of human males is genetically determined
and can be proved by looking at the behaviour of chimpanzees. Alan Woods
explains why this theory is flawed. |
|
|
By Pablo Sanchez
|
|
Monday, 19 January 2004 |
|
Since last summer we have seen a widespread debate about the pros and
the cons of GM products. There are people for and against GM products from all
the different political shades. The bourgeois papers have been very keen on
giving voice to different people in the debate. What is missing, however, is a
class point of view. No one poses the question from the point of view of
ordinary working people. |
|
|
By Rob Lyon
|
|
Monday, 19 January 2004 |
|
On December 23, 2003 the US government officially acknowledged the outbreak of
BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) in a herd of cattle in the state of
Washington.This is officially the first case of mad cow in the US, but is in
reality the second case of an outbreak in the integrated Canadian and US cattle
industry. The farming and cattle crisis is at root a reflection of the
crisis of capitalism worldwide and a result of "globalization". |
|
The way
the computer industry functions today is a perfect illustration of all the
faults and massive inefficiencies of capitalism, where the primary goal is not
serving the interests of society. Developing, improving and distributing
software takes place only where big profits can be made. This stands in sharp
contrast to free software, where human knowledge and the produce of human
labour is used to the advantage all of society.
Science & Tech. 
