Dan Barker – författare

In today's media-flooded world, there is no way to control all of the information, claims, and enticements that reach young people. The best thing to do is arm them with the sword of critical thinking.Maybe Yes, Maybe No is a charming introduction to self-confidence and self-reliance. The book's ten-year-old heroine, Andrea, is always asking questions because she knows "you should prove the truth of a strange story before you believe it.""Check it out. Repeat the experiment. Try to prove it wrong. It has to make sense." writes Barker, as he assures young readers that they are fully capable of figuring out what to believe, and of knowing when there just isn't enough information to decide. "You can do it your own way. If you are a good skeptic you will know how to think for yourself."

This captivating book affirms a child's ability to think, to seek information, and to question "why?"Children should be given information, not dogma, and tools for critical thought, not holy books, asserts Dan Barker. Maybe Right, Maybe Wrong teaches children important humanistic ideas. Andrea, the book's main character, distinguishes between rules and principles, finds that there is not always a "right" thing to do, and realizes that sometimes the "right" thing is to choose the lesser "wrong." Her most important insight: Regardless of one's own beliefs, you should respect everybody's human rights. Through Andrea, Barker painlessly teaches "situation ethics" to children.Maybe Right, Maybe Wrong doesn't speak down to kids, but uses simple language and fun illustrations to make a tough topic understandable.

Scholarly editions in print have long been central to literary studies, produced according to well-established methodologies. In recent decades, digital scholarly editions have gained prominence, with some publishers digitising existing print editions and others creating born-digital resources. The shift from print to digital demands not only new editorial approaches but also sustained attention to issues of technical and financial sustainability - key concerns for resources of reference. The challenge is not merely to replicate print editions in digital form but to transcend their limitations and fully exploit the affordances of the digital medium. This essay examines these issues by focussing on one case-study: the creation of the digital Oxford University Voltaire, launched in 2026, which builds upon the Complete Works of Voltaire (205 vols, 1968-2022). By tracing the transition from print to digital, the authors aim to highlight both the opportunities and complexities inherent in scholarly editing today.

What words come to mind when we think of God? Merciful? Just? Compassionate? In fact, the Bible lays out God’s primary qualities clearly: jealous, petty, unforgiving, bloodthirsty, vindictive—and worse! Originally conceived as a joint presentation between influential thinker and bestselling author Richard Dawkins and former evangelical preacher Dan Barker, this unique book provides an investigation into what may be the most unpleasant character in all fiction. Barker combs through both the Old and New Testament (as well as 13 different editions of the “Good Book”), presenting powerful evidence for why the Scripture shouldn’t govern our everyday lives. This witty, well-researched book suggests that we should move past the Bible and clear a path to a kinder and more thoughtful world.