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Michael-Medved-Listening
Michael Medved Microphone

The Origin of Animal Life

No question is greater or more ultimate than that of our origins as living creatures. Darwinian theory tells the story of our origins one way. Biblical creationists tell another. Does that exhaust the possibilities? Stephen Meyer, doesn’t think so. Trained in the philosophy of science at Cambridge University, Dr. Stephen Meyer directs Discovery Institute’s Center for Science & Culture. Meyer’s first Read More ›

Stump-Speaking-Bingham
"Stump Speaking" (1853-54) by George Caleb Bingham (1811-1879), oil on canvas, Saint Louis Art Museum, Gift of Bank of America.

New Book Says Politicians Are “The Worst Kind of People to Run the Government, Except for All the Others”

Political “middlemen” who infringe on the relationship between the people and their elected representatives constitute a growing danger to democracy, according to new book, Politicians, by Bruce K. Chapman. “Politicians themselves are partly to blame for ceding responsibilities to unelected powers,” says Chapman, himself a former elected and appointed official. “Those powers include bureaucrats and judges, but also media, academics, non-profit cause groups, ‘professional reformers’ and  campaign businesses that ‘live off of’ politics, rather than ‘for it.” A good example of shifted responsibility, says Chapman, is Congress’ relinquishment of authority to government regulatory agencies. Another, Chapman says, is the “scandal business” that increasingly monopolizes public attention and is incentivized by unrealistic federal legislation. The advent of social media, which might Read More ›

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What is Intelligent Design?

How do we recognize design? How do we realize that something has been put together intentionally by an intelligent agent? What is intelligent design? Our minds recognize the effects of other intelligent beings when we see the purposeful arrangement of parts, such as the letters and words in a book. Or, the intentional design of something like Mt. Rushmore. We Read More ›

Close-up shot of microscope

Yes, Intelligent Design Is Detectable by Science

Editor’s note: The online journal Sapientia recently posed a good question to several participants in a forum: “Is Intelligent Design Detectable by Science?” This is one key issue on which proponents of ID and of theistic evolution differ. Stephen Meyer, philosopher of science and director of Discovery Institute’s Center for Science & Culture, gave the following reply. Biologists have long Read More ›

Drones Can Protect Us From Kim’s Missiles

Stephen Meyer and Hudson Institute’s Arthur Herman writing in The Wall Street Journal:

“President Trump’s announcement that he will meet with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un caught everyone by surprise. The big question is: Will the meeting reduce the threat of North Korean ballistic missiles?

Given North Korea’s record of deceit, the president will need an insurance policy against Mr. Kim’s penchant for bad-faith negotiating, especially concerning his nuclear program.

Fortunately, Congress can make a down payment this week in its 2018 omnibus spending bill, and soon after when it authorizes the Pentagon’s 2019 budget.”

Read More ›

Photo by The New York Public Library

The Time Is Right for Tax Fairness and Sensible Spending Priorities in Seattle

Local residents are getting their first taste of property-tax hikes courtesy of Olympia this month and, in many cases, it’s shocking. According to The Seattle Times, a spokesman for the county assessor noted the 2018 boost is “the largest property-tax increase in King County in modern history.” In at least one community — Carnation — homeowners of a median-assessed-value property might see an astonishing 30 percent increase.

While middle-class Washingtonians are paying more taxes than ever, some politicians are laying the blame on the state’s “regressive” tax system. But, as is often the case, proponents of higher taxes cloak a more complete picture of state taxes and spending prioritization with emotional arguments about “inequality and fairness.” Recently, King County Executive Dow Constantine and King County Assessor John Wilson joined the debate, pressing the case in a Seattle Times Op-Ed for tax reform, even calling a proposal for a new capital-gains tax as one of “several innovative ideas.”

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Let technology take the wheel for safer, less-congested roads

Writing in the Seattle Times, Discovery Institute board member Brian Mistele, and Tom Alberg of Madrona Venture Group explain the mission of the Cascadia Center’s ACES Northwest Network. They explain that Pacific Northwest is in prime position to embrace the ACES approach to transportation at a broad regional level and be a leader for the nation in our approach to these life and culture changing vehicles.

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Revolutionary

Revolutionary tells the story of biochemist Michael Behe and the revolution he helped spark with his book Darwin’s Black Box, inspiring a new generation of scientists and thinkers who are challenging Darwinian evolution and exploring evidence in nature of intelligent design. Learn about Behe’s journey, how those opposed to his ideas tried to kill intelligent design in federal court, and how recent Read More ›

Trump wants to cut red tape? He should start with the CFPB.

Writing at The Hill, Senior Fellow Jay Richards argues that President Trump should move to abolish the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The CFPB, a government agency created in 2011, was sold to the public as a fix to the causes of the 2008 financial crisis–but, in practice, is characterized by overreaching regulation with an unprecedented lack of oversight or accountability. Read Jay Richards’ article at The Hill.

George Gilder: Trump Can Succeed On Trade By Ending Global Currency Manipulation

Discovery Institute co-founder and Senior Fellow George Gilder writes at The Federalist: World trade in goods and services has morphed into a gigantic manipulative carnival of currency trading. This needs to change.

Folks, we have a consensus here. Formidable thinkers such as Paul Krugman, Larry Summers, and David Stockman, some 370 economists including 19 Nobel Laureates, and editors at the Economist, Fortune, and Barron’s all believe that Donald Trump as president is a menace to world trade and prosperity. Read More ›