Last night I hosted The Big Libel Gig at the Palace Theatre in London, where comedy, science and human rights came together to proclaim that "England's libel laws have become a dangerous joke". Why did I host the gig? Out of ignorance.
Let me explain.
Every book I read should leave me knowing more, whether it's a little more about Plato or planets or patio design. Unfortunately, on the way to knowing a little more, I've also discovered that I never knew just how little I knew in the first place.
It turns out there's even more things I didn't know I didn't know. I felt like that when Simon Singh's fracas with the British Chiropractic Association began. I knew I didn't know much about the libel laws of England and Wales, but I was even more ignorant than I had imagined.
How could a scientist not be able to criticise ideas he found unscientific? Surely there were laws to protect that important right? Science moves forward by healthy and heated debate, not fear and silence. The days when scientists are burnt at stakes are hopefully over, which may be a pity because they do burn with a delightful blue fame.
I re-embraced science after it was bored out of me in school around the time my voice started to break. Since returning to science I have discovered wonderful things about macaque monkey behaviour and the surface temperature of Venus, but I have also discovered that I spent years being bamboozled by snake oil salesmen and believing things that were not just unscientific, but frankly idiotic.
I've been trying to make up for lost time, poring over the wonderful stories of scientific discovery and getting headaches as I mull over the idea that there was a time when time did not exist.
Scientific progress over the past 400 years has been phenomenal. We have discovered the workings of outer space and the inner mind. Unfortunately, one ancient discovery is the potency of money over all else. We are entering a time where science writers are having their right to criticise censored by a fear of bankruptcy and all those times when editors say: "Well I agree with what you're writing, but we'd better not publish as it's a big company and they have deep pockets for a court case."
Why all this bother over some mouthy scientists, you might ask.
Well it's not just scientists facing the threat of legal action, it's investigative journalists, political bloggers, pretty much anyone who publishes their opinion, whether it's backed up by empirical evidence or not. In a country that likes boasting of its free speech and democratic process, that seems a parlous state of affairs.
And the most important reason for me hosting this gig? Last year, Simon Singh kindly bought me a book signed by Carl Sagan. If he loses his case, he won't be able to afford to buy me another, and I think that would be a pity.
Robin Ince is a stand-up comedian, writer and actor
Sign the Petition for Libel Reform
