Are you continually surprised at the lengths intelligent people will go to rationalize belief systems contrary to good science? Even to common sense? I still am, and I’ve been involved in science-based skepticism for a very long time. So even if you are a longtime reader of SI, where we repeatedly explore the psychology of why people so strongly hold onto their beliefs, I bet you nevertheless also sometimes get taken aback. New examples emerge virtually every day. From the antics of antivaxxers (anti-mask-mandate truckers blockading bridges for weeks), to the assaulters of the U.S. Capitol stimulated by conspiracy theories and lies about a stolen election, to flat earthers and their increasingly conspiratorial views—and every topic in between—there seems no limit to peoples’ determination to defend views that to the rest of us seem ridiculous, even dangerous.

In this issue, Jason Rosenhouse, a professor of mathematics at James Madison University, writes cogently about “The Failures of Mathematical Anti-Evolutionism.” Mathematical anti-evolutionism? He has been following the topic for years, and he tells us all about it. In fact, he wrote an upcoming book from Cambridge University Press about the subject. If old-earth creationists are more sophisticated than the young-earth variety, and if intelligent-design proponents are more sophisticated than regular creationists, then I suppose those who use mathematics to deny evolution are superficially more sophisticated still.

Rosenhouse gives them careful consideration. He understands and analyzes their arguments. He deciphers their flaws. He shares his conclusions with us, and they don’t require any mathematics. Despite proponents’ use of theory, math symbols, and Greek letters, he says, “The whole line of reasoning amounts to nothing.”

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The great scientist E.O. Wilson has died. He understood, to an almost unparalleled degree, the world of the small (social insects) and the mutual dependencies from one species to the next—and one scale of life to the next—that make up our entire interconnected biosphere. He was a clear and best-selling author, one of the most famous fellows of our Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. In our special memorial section, I briefly chronicle his life and work. We then present moving personal reminiscences and tributes (and some criticisms) from biologists Richard Dawkins and Sean B. Carroll and cognitive scientist Steven Pinker.

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The world has taken a terribly wrong turn. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has brought back memories of World War II. Our emotions are raw: anger, anguish, sorrow, helplessness, empathy, and deep admiration for the brave people of Ukraine. Apart from the brutality and wanton destruction, Vladimir Putin’s disinformation and lies to the world and his own people are familiar to skeptics, who recognize nonsense when they see it. But we can take no solace in that. We are a community that values human rights, individual freedom, and reason and rationality. All that, and much more, is in peril.