Bruce Chapman

Cofounder and Chairman of the Board of Discovery Institute

Archives

Corker Bill is Still Best Hope Against Bad Iran Deal

Bruce Chapman
April 26, 2015
The U.S. Senate is expected to vote next week on the Corker/Menendez bill to require a subsequent vote on any Iran deal that the Obama Administration completes by early summer. There is great uncertainty about everything involved, however. To start with, the Iranians and the American Administration are saying contradictory things about what they have “agreed” on. Increasingly, as the Israelis Read More ›

Valuable, Under-Reported Protection from Nuclear Attack

Bruce Chapman
April 14, 2015
You have plenty to worry about, don’t you, without turning your anxious eyes to the problem of possible nuclear attack on the U.S. Even less worrisome for most people is the chance of an electro-magnetic pulse (EMP) attack that would close down electricity, computers–everything but pre-modern infrastructure–for half or more of the country. Both kinds of danger have been described eloquently by Discovery Sr. Fellow John Wohlstetter (Sleepwalking with the Bomb), among others. Yet the possible can become the probable without preventive measures. The point of missile defense is to make it clear to adversaries that an attack is likely to fail and to lead to a very successful counter-attack. The good news that is not being widely reported is Read More ›

A “Brokered Convention” is Possible for National GOP

Bruce Chapman
March 11, 2015
Quick now, name the likely Republican candidates for President in 2016. It’s tough, isn’t it? And it takes time. There are so many of them — more than in living memory, literally — that even savvy political reporters can’t keep them all in mind. An article by Stephen F. Hayes in a recent Weekly Standard came up with 18. Some Read More ›

Cyber War Concerns Will Not Go Away

Bruce Chapman
January 5, 2015
How much danger, really, are we facing from foreign attacks on America’s electronic infrastructure? Some, like our senior fellow George Gilder, are skeptical. But another senior fellow, John Wohlstetter, is more concerned. Here is “Faust’s Networks,” his article today at American Spectator.

Exaggerating the Cuba Change

Bruce Chapman
December 23, 2014
To me, the most remarkable thing about President Obama’s decision to recognize Cuba diplomatically is that it does not represent as big a change as either the President or his critics suggest. We soon can have an “embassy” in Cuba where we have an “interests section” now. Well, that interests section is bigger than most of our embassies around the world, especially in countries with only eleven million people. The sign on the outside wall may change, and there may be more paling around with diplomats in Havana posted from other countries. But the essential differences will be minor. Continue reading at Chapman’s News & Ideas.

Have a Hobbit Party for Thanksgiving

Bruce Chapman
November 26, 2014
The Thanksgiving holiday is a perfect occasion for reading The Hobbit Party by Jonathan Witt and Jay Richards, both of them Discovery fellows. It’s an amusing and sage guide to Tolkien’s philosophy as applied to modern times–to economics, for example. The distinguished Catholic priest/cultural guide, Fr. C. John McCloskey, does the book proud in Catholicity.com.

Politics of Education Necessary for Reform

Bruce Chapman
October 14, 2014
Discovery Institute’s site on our new book on education is up online now: Every School, by Donald P. Nielsen. Don is a successful technology businessman whose volunteer service included the Seattle School Board, where he was President.

Chapman Center (I Blush) Opens at Discovery Institute

Bruce Chapman
September 17, 2014
Believe it or not, having a luncheon in my honor Monday was a bit like getting married; it was lots of fun, but a surprisingly tense occasion. Before 170 guests at Seattle’s Harbor Club, Discovery’s President Steve Buri and other colleagues formally announced the new “Chapman Center on Citizen Leadership.”

Paul Schell: Mayor, Innovator, Friend

Bruce Chapman
July 27, 2014
Paul Schell, a former Mayor of Seattle and civic innovator, died unexpectedly this morning from complications after heart surgery. Paul is remembered fondly at Discovery Institute as a founding Co-chairman of the Board in 1990 (with Tom Alberg) and served for several years in that capacity. He was my long time friend, his daughter Jamie a god-daughter. Paul, born in Read More ›

Oh, the things you can eat!

Bruce Chapman
July 22, 2014
Raw, vegan, gluten-free, paleo. In Seattle, where elimination diets abound, I’m a convinced and happy omnivore. I gladly eat fresh melons from Mexico (it helps the Mexican economy and consoles me on a rainy day) and I also shop at the farmer’s market for anything local they have on offer — maybe somebody’s artisanal chèvre cheese or heritage tomatoes. Our Read More ›

Unsettling Science

Bruce Chapman
August 28, 2013
Real Clear Science is a disappointing source of scientific news and opinion, largely because it seems to be edited with the idea that there is no mere "opinion" to it.

“Materialism” Means More than Greed

Bruce Chapman
August 19, 2013
For those who deplore materialism in science, it is useful to consider that the lack of a sense of the spiritual in people's lives often finds its replacement in the pursuit of status and things.

Bill Nye and Science Lies

Bruce Chapman
July 24, 2013
Imagine someone called "The Democracy Guy" or "The Medicine Guy" who rendered judgments on a subject he hadn't fairly studied and did not accurately represent.

Ball State Should Get on the Ball

Bruce Chapman
June 8, 2013
A writer in the em>Fort Wayne (IN) News-Sentinel says the Freedom from Religion Foundation has provoked an "inquisition" into the teaching of a professor of physics.

Contagious Apophenia in the Senate

Bruce Chapman
May 22, 2013
Misperceiving patterns and lessons from random information is a form of psychiatric disease called "apophenia," a delusional condition the sufferer confuses with reality.