Stories by John Horgan

Freud did not originate his famous description of Copernicus and Darwin as deflators of humanity's anthropomorphic world-view.

An influential theory of literature can help explain the angst that afflicts some modern scientists.

No modern scientist comes close to Einstein's moral as well as scientific stature

A leader of the Manhattan Project recalls a discussion of whether the Trinity test would ignite Earth's atmosphere and destroy the planet

A prominent poitical scientist argues that our fears of nuclear weapons have been excessive.

How science and religion conflict converge--or not.

The much-touted deep-brain-stimulation treatment for depression has failed a second major trial.

The media are touting meditation’s potential for treating everything from anxiety to AIDS, but strong, objective evidence is lacking.

The persistence of "color therapy" reveals the weakness of conventional treatments for mental illness. 

"Optimists" argue that our fears of nuclear weapons have been "alarmist" and counter-productive.

TMS and other "electro-cures" for depression are becoming popular in spite of limited demonstrated effectiveness

Neurologist Oiver Sacks, a best-selling chronicler of disorders of the brain and mind, describes how he copes with stage fright.

A new study shows that the U.S. spends far more than Europe on cancer care but has a higher mortality rate for lung cancer, the leading killer

John Horgan critiques biologist Jerry Coyne's new book Faith vs. Fact: Why Science and Religion Are Incompatible.

The claimed existence of a "feel-good gene," like nearly all reported linkages of complex human traints and disorders to specific genes, is based on flimsy, contractictory evidence

John Horgan lists 25 of his favorite science(y) books, from Freud's The Interpretation of Dreams to Joyce's Ulysses

Neurologist Oliver Sacks has conjectured that rhythm serve as a binding force both within individual brains and at the level of societies.

So many people are singing the praises of neurologist and author Oliver Sacks that I hesitate to chime in. In February, Sacks revealed in The New York Times that he has terminal cancer, and reviewers are now raving about his new autobiography, On the Move, and entire oeuvre.

In my last post Steven Weinberg, one of history’s greatest physicists, answers questions about progress—or the lack thereof—in particle physics, cosmology and politics.

One might think that success in science requires seeing through your own bullshit as well as the bullshit of others. But in my experience, this quality is quite rare.

Of the weird conversations I’ve had in my life, many of the weirdest took place while I was researching my 2003 book Rational Mysticism, which explores religious experiences and other exotic states of consciousness.

I’ve been blabbing a lot about free speech lately–in posts here and here, on New Hampshire Public Radio and the online chat show Bloggingheads.tv, in my classes.

For an in-class exercise, I like asking students: “What’s your utopia?” I tell them that utopias aren’t fashionable these days; “utopian” is generally employed in a derogatory sense, meaning naively optimistic

One of the coolest—and most stressful–moments of my career took place November 7, 1996, when I was a staff writer for Scientific American.