Category Archives: Philosophy

How the rainbow illuminates the enduring mystery of physics

Posted on 03/01/2017 by Jon Butterworth

At Aeon Magazine (who commissioned it) but also in The Atlantic and Quartz. This summer I went on a family holiday to Cornwall, on the Helford River. The peninsula south of the river is, rather wonderfully, called The Lizard. Standing on its … Continue reading →

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Could the Higgs boson have been discovered by accident?

Posted on 18/09/2016 by Jon Butterworth

We have a tendency to oversimplify complicated issues. Sometimes this gives useful clarity, but more frequently it gives a distorted impression of what I am stubborn enough to call the truth. Clarity can be seductive, but is disastrously misleading if it … Continue reading →

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Neutrinos, antimatter, and science as a holistic detective agency

Posted on 23/01/2016 by Jon Butterworth

‘Holistic’ is a much abused word. Like ‘quantum’ and ‘paradigm’, it is beloved of snake-oil sellers of many types. But some kind of interconnectedness forms a key part of science’s defence against spurious results and crackpots. Two new scientific results … Continue reading →

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Given a multiverse, does astrology work somewhere?

Posted on 01/03/2015 by Jon Butterworth

At the Guardian.

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