Walter Myers III

Board of Directors, Discovery Institute

Walter is a Principal Engineering Manager leading a team of engineers, working with customers to drive their success in the Microsoft Azure Cloud. He holds a Master’s Degree in Philosophy from Biola University's Talbot School of Theology, where he is an adjunct faculty member in the Master of Arts in Science & Religion (MASR) program teaching on Darwinian evolution from a design-centric perspective. He is also a board member of the Orange County Classical Academy (OCCA), a classical charter school in Southern California associated with Hillsdale College. He is a former board member of the Lincoln Club of Orange County, where he served as Programs Chair from 2015-2018, fighting to reduce the power and scope of government, advocating for free markets, lower taxes, and more freedom for all. He is a regular contributor to the Discovery Institute Evolution News and Views website writing on parallels in the design of computer systems and biological organisms. Walter lives in sunny Southern California where he enjoys road biking and landscape/night photography when time permits.

Archives

The Folly of Electric Vehicle Mandates and Subsidies

All-battery electric vehicles (BEVs) have been hailed as a breakthrough innovation that will end the reign of inefficient, emission-spewing gasoline-powered vehicles — in the same manner that gasoline-powered vehicles put the horse and buggy out to pasture at the turn of the last century.

Plug-in Hybrids Are the Future

If PHEVs were the preponderant vehicles, there would be no rush to build out an all-EV infrastructure, giving filling stations time to adjust and “right size” the number of fast chargers based on market demand rather than government mandates.

The Critical Turn: A Response to Stanley Kurtz’s “The Blue State Education Nightmare”

The most destructive thing that can be done is to teach children to disparage America by separating American citizens into categories of either oppressor or oppressed, and worse, telling children they are either one or the other. Parents across America must unite to end critical pedagogy in K-12 education, which is not only poisoning the minds of American youth, but also leading to the educational system failures we’re seeing in Rhode Island and other states who have adopted, in whole or in part, critical ideology in their schools.

AOC and a Day Without Fossil Fuels

Green New Deal Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez calls for an end to fossil fuels by 2035. Her desire to protect the earth for future generations is understandable, even laudable. But what she doesn’t seem to appreciate is that humans are here on earth with lives to live, and in using the resources the earth provides there will always be some level of impact on the planet.

The Case for Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles

All-electric battery vehicles (BEVs) have become all the rage, particularly with the political class, who see them as a magical means to combat climate change. We know, of course, there is no such thing as magic. But that won’t stop politicians from making proclamations, followed by policies that bring about bad, even destructive, results.

Tackling Misconceptions About Charter Schools

What many don’t understand is that charter schools are public schools – funded by federal and state funds – but privately run. The advantage of charter schools is that they are exempt from state and local regulations to a substantial degree, giving them the flexibility and autonomy to innovate and meet the needs of students.

The Need for Classical Education Beyond Charter Schools

A classical education, particularly within the context of charter schools, is the remedy for the failure of our current K-12 education system to produce well-rounded, well-educated individuals who exhibit true moral virtue and respect for others.

Electric Vehicles: Not a Panacea for the Gas Crunch

Former Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and current Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg recently argued that electric vehicles were an affordable solution to the now record gas prices. But he didn’t specifically say how. It turns out that if one considers the real costs and practicalities of owning and operating an electric vehicle, his statement is false.

Affirmative Action Is a Symptom of Our Failing K-12 Education System

However well-meaning, affirmative action is not the answer. It fails to address the root causes of educational performance disparities, creates an atmosphere of unequal opportunity and protection, and can even have negative effects on the very students who are meant to reap its benefits. We should instead come together and focus our efforts on reforming and redesigning K-12 education.

Affirmative Action is a Symptom of Our Failing K-12 Education System

Once again, the Supreme Court is set to review race-conscious admissions policies, this time those of Harvard University and the University of North Carolina. Though I don’t favor affirmative action policies, I would argue that both proponents and critics of affirmative action overlook a far more important issue: the failure of America’s K-12 education system, which creates the wide educational disparities affirmative action is intended to remedy in the first place.

Walter Myers COSM 2021 Interview

Discovery Institute Senior Fellow Jay Richards interviews Walter Myers, Principal Engineering Manager at Microsoft, about the COSM 2021 panel discussion, Is It the End for Silicon