The SciencesJuly 2, 2019
My Encounter with the Late Mitchell Feigenbaum, Chaos Pioneer and Critic
The renowned discoverer of order underlying chaos was surprisingly skeptical of claims that computers were creating a revolutionary new science
Stories by John Horgan
John Horgan is a freelance journalist and a former Scientific American staff writer. He comments on science in his free online journal, Cross-Check, and he has also posted his self-published books Mind-Body Problems (2018) and My Quantum Experiment (2023) online. Horgan teaches science writing at the Stevens Institute of Technology.
MedicineJuly 1, 2019
Is Medicine Overrated?
Given medicine’s poor record, physicians should prescribe and patients consume far fewer medications, a new book argues.
MedicineJune 25, 2019
Meta-Post: Posts on Cancer
Cross-Check columns on cancer and related topics
The SciencesJune 20, 2019
Quantum Computing for English Majors
The poet who discovered Shor’s algorithm answers questions about quantum computers and other mysteries
Mental HealthJune 12, 2019
Why Freud Should Be Dead
Freud’s most implacable modern critic recounts the flaws of psychoanalysis and its founder and deplores their persistent influence
BiologyJune 9, 2019
Was Darwin Wrong?
A journalist recounts the epic story of modern challenges to evolutionary dogma
CognitionJune 3, 2019
Free Will Is Real
Philosopher Christian List argues against reductionism and determinism in accounts of the mind
Mental HealthMay 17, 2019
Meta-Post: Posts on Brain Implants
Cross-Check columns on brain implants and other technologies for manipulating minds
Mental HealthMay 16, 2019
Meta-Post: Posts on Buddhism and Meditation
Cross-Check columns, critical and not so critical, on Buddhism, meditation and related topics
Mental HealthMay 15, 2019
Meta-Post: Posts on Psychedelics
Cross-Check columns on psychedelics and related topics
Mental HealthMay 13, 2019
Why We're Still Fighting over Freud
A debate over the relevance of psychoanalysis to brain research highlights science’s lack of progress in understanding the mind
Mental HealthMay 13, 2019
Meta-Post: Posts on Mental Illness
Cross-Check columns on efforts to explain and treat mental disorders
CognitionMay 8, 2019
Be Careful with Occam’s Razor, You Might Cut Yourself
A biologist-philosopher cautions against banishing from our worldview things that science cannot comprehend
CognitionMay 2, 2019
In Defense of Disbelief: An Anti-Creed
We should doubt all theories and theologies that claim to solve the problem of who we really are
CognitionApril 25, 2019
Meta-Post: Posts on the Mind-Body Problem
Cross-Check columns on consciousness, free will and other mind-related puzzles
The SciencesApril 19, 2019
Making Sense of Quantum Mechanics
Philosopher David Albert thinks there might be a “clear and straightforward” way of thinking about quantum phenomena
CultureApril 9, 2019
Thomas Kuhn Wasn't So Bad
A former student of the influential philosopher defends him against filmmaker Errol Morris’s “character assassination”
Public HealthApril 1, 2019
New Zealand Acts to Reduce Mass Shootings. Why Won't the U.S.?
“Freedom loving” National Rifle Association thwarts Americans’ desire for tougher gun controls
Public HealthMarch 25, 2019
Meta-Post: Posts on War and Peace
Cross-Check columns on war and related topics
CultureMarch 19, 2019
Was Thomas Kuhn Evil?
Filmmaker Errol Morris, once Kuhn’s grad student, accuses him of being a bad philosopher and bad person.
The SciencesMarch 7, 2019
Okay, Maybe Proofs Aren't Dying After All
Experts argue that proofs are doing fine, contrary to a controversial 1993 prediction of their impending demise
The SciencesMarch 4, 2019
The Horgan Surface and the Death of Proof
Mathematicians take revenge on the author of a controversial article about proof by naming an object after him.
Public HealthFebruary 26, 2019
Meta-Post: Horgan Posts on Poverty and Other Social Problems
Cross-Check columns on poverty, inequality, racism, sexism and violence. Plus progress and Noam Chomsky
Public HealthFebruary 18, 2019
Revolt against the Rich
Nobel laureates, a new congresswoman and others urge raising taxes on the ultrawealthy to counter surging inequality