Dr Raymond Richards is a Senior Lecturer in History and American Studies at the University of Waikato. He can be reached at ray@waikato.ac.nz
Steiner Preschools: More taxpayer-funded loopiness
1 August 2007
Rudolf Steiner kindergartens look set to cash in on free early childhood education initiatives.
History repeats
1 May 2007
A visit to the birthplace of science prompts some thoughts on spatial and temporal patterns in alternative medicine.
Zetetic Astronomy and other madness
1 February 2007
In the 21st century, there are still people who believe the Earth is flat.
President Bush to Scientists and the Sick: 'Drop Dead'
1 November 2006
In George W Bush's America, it's okay to throw human embryos in the trash, but not to use them as a source of stem cells.
Keeping it in perspective
1 August 2006
The promotion of critical thinking can seem an uphill struggle, but at least we don't get torn limb from limb for trying.
Defrauding the dying
1 May 2006
Mexican cancer clinics continue to do a roaring trade, despite their poor track record.
David Lange vs the scholars
1 February 2006
Checking facts should be part and parcel of academic life, but too often it isn't done.
Mormons still opposing science
1 November 2005
The Mormon church: anti-science and pro-repression. Still.
The Tertiary anti-Education Commission
1 August 2005
The Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) is gaining a reputation as a Mickey Mouse government organisation that harms the reputation and integrity of New Zealand's tertiary institutions.
Food irradiation causes cancer, and the sky is falling
1 May 2005
The Green Party does not have a good record when it comes to scepticism. In 2002, party co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons was an ungracious winner of our bent spoon award for her support of "etheralised cosmic-astral influences" as a means of eradicating possums.
Deadly Ignorance
1 February 2005
Pseudoscientific beliefs can be dangerous when they form the basis of government policy
Credence is Beyond Belief
1 November 2004
The Break Free tour will be coming soon to a city near you. The week-long tour of lectures and book selling will start in Christchurch at the end of November and proceed to Wellington, Taupo, Hamilton and Auckland. The person who will head the tour is Phillip Day, who supposedly is "an award-winning author, health researcher and world-class speaker."
The Emperor Has No Clothes
1 August 2004
The Enlightenment -- a period of intellectual progress in Europe and North America during the eighteenth century -- saw superstition, dogma and ignorance lose ground to reason, science and freedom of inquiry. Enlightenment thinkers questioned received ideas and used rational methods to explore new possibilities in many fields. Despite persecution by government and church, the enormous increase in the publication of newspapers and books spread ideas widely. The result was an outpouring of knowledge and understanding about the way the world works. Western civilisation's high standard of living and openness today stem from the Enlightenment.
Pseudohistory Rules
1 May 2004
Like scientists, historians use a dependable methodology to ensure their findings are reliable. Assertions of historical fact can properly be based only on empirical evidence. Historians then use their critical thinking skills to assess the trustworthiness of this data.
You support quackery!
1 February 2004
Government hypocrisy is rife amid the talk of a "knowledge-based economy"
Mormonism and Academic Freedom
1 February 2002
When Raymond Richards included a lecture on the Mormon Church in his course on American history he ran foul of not only the Mormon community but also the University of Waikato heirarchy. He told his story at the NZ 2001 Skeptics' conference in Hamilton.