The Latest

New Fentanyl Documentary Produced by Senior Fellow Robert Marbut Coming January 2025

Discovery Institute's Fix Homelessness initiative is proud to partner with filmmaker Stephen Wollwerth in the production of this documentary that explores the fentanyl crisis in depth. The documentary is produced by Senior Fellow Dr. Robert G. Marbut, Jr., the former Executive Director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness under both the Trump and Biden administrations.

Podcast

How Animal Joints Challenge Evolutionary Pathways

Stuart Burgess
October 7, 2024
Dr. Stuart Burgess has been studying the arrangement, design, and shape of vertebrate limbs and joints for years. He shares what he learns with engineers working in the field of biomechanics. On this ID The Future, Dr. Burgess discusses his new paper on multi-functioning animal joints with host Dr. Brian Miller. Joints have good examples of irreducible complexity, such as the knee joint’s four bar linkage or the arched structure of the foot. But animal joints are also multi-functional: designed to perform multiple different functions. This adds an extra layer of irreducible complexity that would require forward planning to accomplish. “Multi-functioning greatly narrows the solution space,” explains Burgess. “So if life has evolved by chance, you would not

Jonathan Wells Puts Natural Selection In Its Place

Jonathan Wells
October 4, 2024
Dr. Jonathan Wells was a true giant of the intelligent design research community. As we mourn his recent passing, we also celebrate anew his considerable contributions to the arguments for intelligent design and the debate over evolution. On this episode of ID The Future out of the vault, Dr. Wells continues a conversation with Tom Woodward on The Universe Next Door. Dr. Wells explains more of the icons of evolution he details in his popular book and why much of what we hear about evolution is wrong. Listen in as they discuss Darwin’s finches, four-winged fruit flies, humans with tails, and more. Many, like famed evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, put their faith in natural selection to account for the diversity of life on Earth. But gradual, unguided evolutionary mechanisms

In What Sense is Consciousness a Property?

Robert J. Marks II
October 3, 2024
On this episode, hosts Robert J. Marks and Angus Menuge welcome Dr. Mihretu Guta to discuss his contribution to the recent volume Minding the Brain. Dr. Guta discusses the nature of consciousness and the challenges in understanding it from a philosophical perspective. He argues that consciousness is a unique property that is deeply subjective and personal, making it difficult to study scientifically. Guta contrasts first-order and second-order approaches to understanding consciousness, emphasizing the need to go beyond just the empirical observation of mental phenomena and examine the underlying metaphysical and ontological questions. The discussion covers a number of relevant topics, highlighting the profound and puzzling nature of consciousness and the importance of philosophical

Events

Date
Oct222024
October
10
Oct
22
22
2024

Author Q&A Webinar on “The Privileged Planet”, 2nd Edition

The Center for Science and Culture
Date
Oct222024
October
10
Oct
22
22
2024
Online Event
Join us for a special webinar celebrating the 20th anniversary of The Privileged Planet. We’re excited to celebrate the release of the 2nd edition of the acclaimed book, joined by the authors themselves. In this free online webinar, astrobiologist Guillermo Gonzalez and philosopher of science Jay Richards will discuss groundbreaking scientific advances since the original 2004 publication, evaluate the implications of these findings on the “privileged planet” hypothesis, and answer your questions during a live Q&A session. This is a unique opportunity to gain insights into our remarkable place in the cosmos directly from the authors themselves. Don’t miss out! The webinar is free, but registration is required. When Tuesday, October 22, 20245:00

More Events …

Date
Oct31Nov012024
October
10
Oct
31
31
2024

COSM Technology Summit 2024

The New American Century
The Bradley Center
Date
Oct31Nov012024
October
10
Oct
31
31
2024
Hyatt Regency Bellevue
Bellevue, WA

COSM 2024 will hail the New American Century: exploring a technological transformation and revival of our country and economy as redemptive and cosmic as its renewal of technology. Join us October 31 – November 1 in Bellevue,

Programs