The British government is proposing to offer legal protection to those abused on religious grounds. The philosopher Julian Baggini and the journalist Nick Cohen agree that Muslims are at the heart of the new law, but vigorously dispute its principle and practicality.

A new paper from the Institute for Economic Affairs decries environmental ‘alarmism’ on climate change. For Julian Baggini, this latest anti-green polemic reflects a phase of public debate where the public retreats and the zealots entrench. A more mature, open-minded dialogue is needed.

Our debate on journalism and war has relied upon notions such as truth, objectivity and balance; but what are the philosophical foundations of these ideas? Here the editor of ‘The Philosophers Magazine’, against what you might expect, concurs with David Loyn’s defence of the ideal of objectivity, and suggests that Loyn’s critics have crossed the line from healthy scepticism to defeatist relativism.