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Contents Autumn 2024 REGULARS p. 3 Editor’s Note p. 6 The Q&A Film director Ken Loach on reclaiming Britain’s tradition of solidarity p. 9 Witness News and analysis from our team p. 71 Crossword Set by Chaliapin p. 73 Brainteaser Set by Chris Maslanka A newly approved malaria vaccine could transform countries across Africa (page 38) COLUMNS p. 8 Soapbox Let’s remember the Pacific War before it’s too late By Samira Ahmed p. 16 Cosmos A telescope the size of the Earth By Marcus Chown p. 70 In a word “Landslide” By Michael Rosen p. 74 Shapchat On the art of eavesdropping By Shaparak Khorsandi FE ATURE S p. 18 Society What’s behind the “toxic culture” in the NHS, and how might it be healed? By Pavan Amara p. 22 Politics Will Guatemala’s new president succeed in his crackdown on corruption? By Jody García p. 26 Inter view We ask writer and asylum campaigner Natasha Walter what it means to be a humanist today By Jessica Abrahams p. 30 Ethics Ultra-disciplined schools are great for grades, but are they good for our kids? By Cherry Casey p. 34 Ideas Why is the feeling of being betrayed so uniquely horrible? By Peter Salmon p. 38 Science A malaria vaccine rollout holds huge promise in Sierra Leone By Jody Ray p. 42 Reportage Meet the Indians fighting back against religious hate By Kunal Purohit CULTURE p. 48 Music Finally, I get Taylor Swift – it’s not about the songs By Jessa Crispin p. 52 Comedy Richard Herring on laughing in the face of death By Ralph Jones p. 56 Psychology Adults enjoy acting like O L I F R A P E B Y T Y P O G R A P H Y . C OV E R R AY J O DY B Y P HO T O 4 New Humanist | Autumn 2024
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Contributors little kids, and maybe that’s not so bad By Dan McCarthy p. 60 Film Fly Me to the Moon offers a twist on Apollo 11 – but stays true to the science By Briley Lewis BOOKS p. 64 Politics The story of modern Ukraine is told through the lives of its leaders By Bethany Elliott Reviews p. 66 Andrew Copson on Christian heresy p. 67 Andrew Mueller on fluke, chance and chaos p. 68 Lucy Popescu on giving “slave Jim” a voice p. 69 Noah Berlatsky on how to wonder better POETRY p. 51 Robert Serban p. 55 Patrick Dubost p. 59 Grigore Chiper p. 63 Jamie McKendrick Jessica Abrahams is deputy editor of New Humanist Samira Ahmed is a journalist and broadcaster who presents Front Row on BBC Radio 4 and Newswatch on BBC1 Pavan Amara is a freelance journalist and a former midwife Noah Berlatsky is a freelance writer based in Chicago. His first poetry collection is Not Akhmatova Cherry Casey writes about children’s welfare and policies affecting young people Marcus Chown is the author of The Magicians: Great Minds and the Central Miracle of Science Andrew Copson is chief executive of Humanists UK Jessa Crispin is the editor of The Culture We Deserve and author of My Three Dads and The Dead Ladies Project, among others Bethany Elliott is a writer specialising in Russia and Eastern Europe Jody García is a Central American investigative journalist based in Guatemala Ralph Jones is a writer and performer who has written for the New Yo r k e r, the Guardian, Wired and Vanity Fair Shaparak Khorsandi is a comedian, author and vice-president of Humanists UK Briley Lewis is a PhD candidate at the University of California, Los Angeles, studying astronomy and astrophysics Chris Maslanka is the author of several puzzle books Dan McCarthy is a writer and editor with a background in behavioural insights, history, and American studies Andrew Mueller is a contributing editor at Monocle. His latest book is Carn, on Australian Rules football Lucy Popescu is a writer, editor and arts and literary critic with a background in human rights Kunal Purohit is an independent journalist and the author of H-Pop: The Secretive World of Hindutva Popstars Michael Rosen is a poet and broadcaster. His latest book is Getting Better: Stories of Trauma and Recovery Jody Ray is a writer and journalist focused on global politics, international development and global health. He is currently reporting from Sierra Leone Peter Salmon is the author of An Event Perhaps: A Biography of Jacques Derrida Niki Seth-Smith is editor of New Humanist New Humanist, ISSN 0306-512X, is published four times a year by the Rationalist Association © 2024 New Humanist Printed by Blackmore Ltd, Dorset The views expressed in New Humanist are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the Rationalist Association New Humanist | Autumn 2024 5

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Contributors little kids, and maybe that’s not so bad By Dan McCarthy p. 60 Film Fly Me to the Moon offers a twist on Apollo 11 – but stays true to the science By Briley Lewis

BOOKS

p. 64 Politics The story of modern Ukraine is told through the lives of its leaders By Bethany Elliott

Reviews p. 66 Andrew Copson on Christian heresy p. 67 Andrew Mueller on fluke, chance and chaos p. 68 Lucy Popescu on giving “slave Jim” a voice p. 69 Noah Berlatsky on how to wonder better

POETRY

p. 51 Robert Serban p. 55 Patrick Dubost p. 59 Grigore Chiper p. 63 Jamie McKendrick

Jessica Abrahams is deputy editor of New Humanist

Samira Ahmed is a journalist and broadcaster who presents Front Row on BBC Radio 4 and Newswatch on BBC1

Pavan Amara is a freelance journalist and a former midwife

Noah Berlatsky is a freelance writer based in Chicago. His first poetry collection is Not Akhmatova

Cherry Casey writes about children’s welfare and policies affecting young people

Marcus Chown is the author of The Magicians: Great Minds and the Central Miracle of Science

Andrew Copson is chief executive of Humanists UK

Jessa Crispin is the editor of The Culture We Deserve and author of My Three Dads and The Dead

Ladies Project, among others

Bethany Elliott is a writer specialising in Russia and Eastern Europe

Jody García is a Central American investigative journalist based in Guatemala

Ralph Jones is a writer and performer who has written for the New Yo r k e r, the Guardian, Wired and Vanity Fair

Shaparak Khorsandi is a comedian, author and vice-president of Humanists UK

Briley Lewis is a PhD candidate at the University of California, Los Angeles, studying astronomy and astrophysics

Chris Maslanka is the author of several puzzle books

Dan McCarthy is a writer and editor with a background in behavioural insights, history, and American studies

Andrew Mueller is a contributing editor at Monocle. His latest book is Carn, on Australian Rules football

Lucy Popescu is a writer, editor and arts and literary critic with a background in human rights

Kunal Purohit is an independent journalist and the author of H-Pop: The Secretive World of Hindutva Popstars

Michael Rosen is a poet and broadcaster. His latest book is Getting Better: Stories of Trauma and Recovery

Jody Ray is a writer and journalist focused on global politics, international development and global health. He is currently reporting from Sierra Leone

Peter Salmon is the author of An Event Perhaps: A Biography of Jacques Derrida

Niki Seth-Smith is editor of New Humanist

New Humanist, ISSN 0306-512X, is published four times a year by the Rationalist Association © 2024 New Humanist Printed by Blackmore Ltd, Dorset

The views expressed in New Humanist are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the Rationalist Association

New Humanist | Autumn 2024

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