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Walt Disney’s Views on Science and Its Dangers

John G. West
February 8, 2022
1
Series
Discovery Institute
Guest
John G. West
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Audio File (14.58M)

On this episode of ID The Future, John West, Associate Director of the Center for Science & Culture and author of Walt Disney and Live Action: The Disney Studio’s Live-Action Features of the 1950s and 60s talks about how science is portrayed in Walt Disney’s films and theme parks. Disney’s worldview was an interesting blend of 19th century morals with a 21st century vision for science and technology. A futurist, Disney was given to techno-utopianism and his works tended to reflect this, but have also bore warning messages about the dangers posed by both science and technology. John West explores these interests both in his exhibits and his film works.

John G. West

Senior Fellow, Managing Director, and Vice President of Discovery Institute
Dr. John G. West is Vice President of the Seattle-based Discovery Institute and Managing Director of its Center for Science and Culture. He also serves as the Distinguished Scholar of American Government and Christian Civic Engagement at Cornerstone University. West is an award-winning author and documentary filmmaker who has written or edited 14 books, including Endowed by Our Creator, Stockholm Syndrome Christianity, Darwin Day in America: How Our Politics and Culture Have Been Dehumanized in the Name of Science, The Magician’s Twin: C. S. Lewis on Science, Scientism, and Society, and Walt Disney and Live Action. His documentary films include Fire-Maker, Revolutionary, and the award-winning Human Zoos. West holds a PhD in Government from Claremont Graduate University, and he has been interviewed by media outlets such as CNN, Fox News, Reuters, Time magazine, The New York Times, USA Today, and The Washington Post.
Tags
technology
utopianism
Walt Disney