Discovery Institute

From SourceWatch

The Discovery Institute (D.I.) is a think tank and conservative political, policy, economic, religious and industry lobbying organization. It is best known as the driving force behind the Intelligent design movement. D.I. was founded in 1990 by Bruce Chapman, a former Reagan administration official.

Contents 1 Overview 2 Controversy 2.1 Industry friendly views and anti-activist editorials 3 Finances 3.1 Funding 4 Projects 5 Discovery Institute registered websites 6 Personnel 7 Board of Directors 8 Senior Fellows 9 Adjunct Fellows 10 Contact 11 Articles & sources 11.1 Sourcewatch articles 11.2 References 11.3 External articles

Overview

Discovery Institute projects include technology, science and culture, law, the government, economics, religion, foreign affairs and cooperation within the bi-national region of Cascadia. According to its website, its mission is to promote ideas in the common sense tradition of representative government, the free market and individual liberty. Positions are promoted through books, reports, legislative testimony, articles, public conferences, debates, media outlets and the Institutes' own publications and website. ^[1]

Controversy

Although D.I. describes itself as based on the apologetics of C.S. Lewis, ^[2] there is little to no basis for this claim. D.I. promotes capitalism, human exceptionalism and animal testing, whereas C.S. Lewis was a harsh critic of capitalism, human exceptionalism and animal testing. ^[3] Although his writings were often Christian allegories, he also wrote on psychology and pagan mythology. He was not an evangelical Christian. Such misrepresentations of a connection to a popular author and cultural figure may serve to add undue prestige to ideologies and agendas.

Senior fellow Wesley J. Smith closely followed the Terri Schiavo case in 2005 and wrote frequent editorials on the topic. He is also known for his diatribes against the animal rights movement.

Industry friendly views and anti-activist editorials

The Discovery Institute's views and editorials are reliably corporate and industry friendly. Wesley J. Smith and his spouse, Debra J. Saunders promote D.I.'s positions through their editorials featured on D.I. ^[4], ^[5], ^[6], ^[7] and other conservative publications. Member organizations of D.I. include the Fur Commission. ^[8] See also Wesley J. Smith, sections 2 & 3 & Debra J. Saunders, section 2.

Finances

By far the largest amount of funding goes to The Center for Science and Culture, (formerly The Center for Renewal of Science and Culture), a separate division, devoted to promoting the teaching of "intelligent design" (creationism). Chapman calls the center "our No. 1 project." According to the groups 2005 IRS Form 990 annual return, the Discovery Institute had total revenue of $2.989 million in the 2005 calendar year. ^[9]

Funding

The Discovery Institute's CSC director, Stephen C. Meyer, has reported that much of the money comes from wealthy conservative religious fundamentalists such as Howard Ahmandson Jr. (member of the board) and religious organizations such as the Maclellan Foundation. "We'll take money from anyone who wants to give it to us. Everyone has motives. Let's acknowledge that and get on with the interesting part," Meyer told the Washington Post. ^[10]

Projects

• Science and Culture - The arm of the Discovery Institute that promotes Intelligent design. Supporting efforts include Teach The Controversy and the Academic Freedom Bills.
• Technology and Democracy - Study technology as engine of growth, support for elimination of government regulation.
• Cascadia - Voice for creative solutions to metropolitan, state, regional, and national transportation problems.
• Bioethics - Study issues relating to: assisted suicide, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, human genetic manipulation, human cloning, animal rights movement.
• Economics - Research national fiscal and monetary policy, limit tax and regulatory policies to business, electronic currency, internet tax, financial privacy.
• Academic Freedom Bills - The Discovery Institute, through it's academicfreedompetition.com website and other activites, is the source of the many anti-evolution Academic Freedom bills bills introduced in State legislatures between 2004 and 2008.[1] These bills purport that teachers, students, and college professors face intimidation and retaliation when discussing scientific criticisms of evolution, and therefore require protection.[2][3] Investigation of the allegations of intimidation and retaliation have found no evidence that it occurs.[4] They are based largely upon language drafted by the Institute and derive from language originally drafted for the Institute's Santorum Amendment. As of December 2008, only the Louisiana bill has been successfully been passed into law. According to the Wall Street Journal, the common goal of these bills is to expose more students to articles and videos that undercut evolution, most of which are produced by advocates of intelligent design or Biblical creationism: "They have spent years working school boards, with only minimal success. Now critics of evolution are turning to a higher authority: state legislators. In a bid to shape biology lessons, they are promoting what they call "academic freedom" bills that would encourage or require public-school teachers to cast doubt on a cornerstone of modern science."[5]

Discovery Institute registered websites

The Discovery Institute has registered over two hundred website domain names.[6]. The majority of these sites are intelligent design-related, registered and operated by Discovery Institute Fellows and associates. William Dembski, for example, registered and operates UncommonDescent.com, OverwhelmingEvidence.com, and DesignInference.com while the institute's Casey Luskin set up IdeaCenter.org.

1. IntelligentDesign.org
2. EvolutionNews.org
3. IDTheFuture.com
4. DissentFromDarwin.org
5. DarwinAndDesign.com
6. DarwinismAndID.com
7. IconsofEvolution.com
8. FromDarwinToHitler.com
9. PriviledgedPlanet.com
10. DarwinDayInAmerica.com
11. JudgingPBS.com
12. ReviewEvolution.com

Personnel

Personnel, as listed on the Institute's website as at November 2007, include: ^[11]

• President - Bruce Chapman
• Vice Presidents - Steven J. Buri and Stephen C. Meyer
• Wesley J. Smith, Discovery Institute senior fellow and assisted suicide ethicist.

Board of Directors

• Howard Ahmanson
• Tom Alberg
• William Baldwin
• Charles K. Barbo
• Christopher T. Bayley
• Bruce Chapman
• Robert J. Cihak
• Slade Gorton
• Richard R. Greiling
• Robert J. Herbold
• Susan Hutchison
• Michael D. Martin
• Byron Nutley
• James Spady
• Michael K. Vaska
• Raymond J. Waldmann

^[11]

Senior Fellows

• Robert J. Cihak
• George Gilder
• Hance Haney
• David Klinghoffer
• Stephen C. Meyer
• Wesley J. Smith
• Bret Swanson
• John G. West
• John Wohlstetter

^[11]

Adjunct Fellows

• Howard L. Chapman
• Edwin Meese
• Richard Rahn
• Robert Spitzer ^[11]

Contact

Discovery Institute
1511 Third Ave Suite 808
Seattle, WA 98101
Website: http://www.discovery.org/

Articles & sources

Sourcewatch articles

• Religious groups
• Terri Schiavo
• Mack L. Hogans - Board Member
• Wesley J. Smith
• Debra J. Saunders
• National Review
• Weekly Standard
• Industry-friendly experts
• Criminalising civil disobedience
• Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act
• Intimidating democracy
• Intimidating foundations
• Conservatives target the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

References

1. ↑ Discovery Institute http://www.discovery.org/about.php About Discovery: Mission Statement], accessed June 2009
2. ↑ Adrian Grant About: The Discovery Institute, Averagetech.com, February 2009
3. ↑ Irish Anti-Vivisection Society Vivisection by CS Lewis, accessed March 2009
4. ↑ Wesley J. Smith Liberation Theology The twisted thinking motivating PETA Discovery Institute, August 4, 2005
5. ↑ Wesley J. Smith The Most Tasteless PR Campaign Ever: PETA Outdoes Itself, Discovery Institute, March 2003
6. ↑ Debra J. Saunders, Better Dead than Fed, Discovery Institute, June 2005
7. ↑ Debra J. Saunders, American Terrorist, Discovery Institute, June 2007
8. ↑ The Fur Commission What is Fur Commission USA?, accessed June 2009
9. ↑ Discovery Institute, Guidestar, accessed November 2007.
10. ↑ Peter Slevin, "Battle on Teaching Evolution Sharpens", Washington Post, March 14 2005.
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3} Discovery Institute "About Discovery: Fellows", accessed November 2007.

External articles

• James Still, "Discovery Institute's 'Wedge Project' Circulates Online",The Secular Web, August 31, 2002.
• Karen L. Willoughby, "Discovery Institute emerging as force in creation, public policy", Baptist2Baptist, May 15, 2001. "Anti-evolutionists have a new rallying point: the Center for the Renewal of Science and Culture at Discovery Institute, a public policy forum based in Seattle."
• Steve Benen, "The Discovery Institute: Genesis Of 'Intelligent Design'", Church & State, May 2002.

• "While supporters of church-state separation frequently consider groups such as the Christian Coalition and Family Research Council their principal adversaries, the Discovery Institute has quietly positioned itself as the most effective and politically savvy group pushing a religious agenda in America's public school science classes. ... Over the last decade, nearly every book used in the intelligent design movement has either been distributed by the Institute or was written directly by one of the group's scholars."

• Barbara Forrest, Intelligent Design: Creationism's Trojan Horse, Church & State, February 2005.
• "Bioethicist Wesley J. Smith Condemn's Judge's Ruling in Schiavo Case," Discovery Institute News, March 22, 2005.