X-No-Archive: yes

This is an odd organisation...
Hunting around it seems particularly above board and have a wide, scientific 
based membership.
Then, I discover, they become reticent about religion and it's members when 
asked, saying they don't check who are atheists and who are believers 
(..suspicious in itself but mindful that they promote essays on questioning 
evolution, must be aware that accusations could/would be made that the 
writer was religious minded )
Joining and becoming a member seems little more than filling in a form and 
handing over credit card details [$50 - $1000  pa membership]
Then  [this takes a bit of digging around to get here - it's not easily seen 
from their home page(s)]  I see that this is linked to the 'Discovery 
Society' that ..."come together to support the work of the Discovery 
Institute - and disseminate the  message...."

Here's their brief......

"As a Discovery Society member you will be supporting cutting-edge research 
that challenges Darwinian evolution and validates the intelligent design of 
life and the universe. Your membership will also help us promote a more 
balanced science education policy and powerful new videos and curricular 
materials."
"The Society will provide you with resources and learning opportunities that 
will equip you to spread the word."


That couldn't be clearer at all.
This organisations 'raison d'etre'  is to challenge and obfuscate 
'traditional' evolution theory under the guise of science....


Then I discover this piece about their "functions", as they describe it...

How Discovery Institute Functions

"Discovery Institute fellows submit their analyses and proposals for 
dialogue through seminars, conferences, and debates; they produce reports, 
articles, books, Congressional testimony, films and an interactive Internet 
website that helps spread the knowledge of the Institute's ideas. They also 
consult with elected and appointed officials, business people, academics, 
media and the general public to show how 21st century humanity can benefit 
from the principles, policies, and practices advocated by the Institute.

The point of view Discovery brings to its work includes a belief in 
God-given reason and the permanency of human nature; the principles of 
representative democracy and public service expounded by the American 
Founders; free market economics domestically and internationally; the social 
requirement to balance personal liberty with responsibility; the spirit of 
voluntarism crucial to civil society; the continuing validity of American 
international leadership; and the potential of science and technology to 
promote an improved future for individuals, families and communities."

Aha........  there's the clue, tucked away, dozens of pages deep in the site 
heirarchy....

"The point of view Discovery brings to its work includes a belief in 
God-given reason"

So, at last, there we have it.  I'd call it covert disingenuity.
They are an organisation that is psuedo scientific in the sense that it has 
a religious underlying agenda rather than no agenda other than scientific 
discovery.  Very big difference.
I note that dilv posts this site and its membership as some kind of 
confirmation of scientific query over evolution when it is thunderously 
clear any free thinking scientist would not touch membership of this 
organisation with a barge pole.
I suggest that any/all research submitted to this organisation will have 
been excluded or sanitised prioir to publication if it did not meet the 
criteria of the  religious bias.
Another dilv 'faux pas'  then.......



Mark

On May 18, 6:11 am, "mark"  wrote:

> I note that dilv posts this site and its membership as some kind of
> confirmation of scientific query over evolution when it is thunderously
> clear any free thinking scientist would not touch membership of this
> organisation with a barge pole.
> I suggest that any/all research submitted to this organisation will have
> been excluded or sanitised prioir to publication if it did not meet the
> criteria of the  religious bias.
> Another dilv 'faux pas'  then.......
>
> Mark

The Discovery Institute, ..where lying religious liars go for their
latest fix
What else would one expect from DILV?

See further the 'Wedge Strategy' of said Institute:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedge_strategy>

In article ,
 "mark"  wrote:

> X-No-Archive: yes
> 
> This is an odd organisation...
> Hunting around it seems particularly above board and have a wide, scientific 
> based membership.
> Then, I discover, they become reticent about religion and it's members when 
> asked, saying they don't check who are atheists and who are believers 
> (..suspicious in itself but mindful that they promote essays on questioning 
> evolution, must be aware that accusations could/would be made that the 
> writer was religious minded )
> Joining and becoming a member seems little more than filling in a form and 
> handing over credit card details [$50 - $1000  pa membership]
> Then  [this takes a bit of digging around to get here - it's not easily seen 
> from their home page(s)]  I see that this is linked to the 'Discovery 
> Society' that ..."come together to support the work of the Discovery 
> Institute - and disseminate the  message...."
> 
> Here's their brief......
> 
> "As a Discovery Society member you will be supporting cutting-edge research 
> that challenges Darwinian evolution and validates the intelligent design of 
> life and the universe. Your membership will also help us promote a more 
> balanced science education policy and powerful new videos and curricular 
> materials."
> "The Society will provide you with resources and learning opportunities that 
> will equip you to spread the word."
> 
> 
> That couldn't be clearer at all.
> This organisations 'raison d'etre'  is to challenge and obfuscate 
> 'traditional' evolution theory under the guise of science....
> 
> 
> Then I discover this piece about their "functions", as they describe it...
> 
> How Discovery Institute Functions
> 
> "Discovery Institute fellows submit their analyses and proposals for 
> dialogue through seminars, conferences, and debates; they produce reports, 
> articles, books, Congressional testimony, films and an interactive Internet 
> website that helps spread the knowledge of the Institute's ideas. They also 
> consult with elected and appointed officials, business people, academics, 
> media and the general public to show how 21st century humanity can benefit 
> from the principles, policies, and practices advocated by the Institute.
> 
> The point of view Discovery brings to its work includes a belief in 
> God-given reason and the permanency of human nature; the principles of 
> representative democracy and public service expounded by the American 
> Founders; free market economics domestically and internationally; the social 
> requirement to balance personal liberty with responsibility; the spirit of 
> voluntarism crucial to civil society; the continuing validity of American 
> international leadership; and the potential of science and technology to 
> promote an improved future for individuals, families and communities."
> 
> Aha........  there's the clue, tucked away, dozens of pages deep in the site 
> heirarchy....
> 
> "The point of view Discovery brings to its work includes a belief in 
> God-given reason"
> 
> So, at last, there we have it.  I'd call it covert disingenuity.
> They are an organisation that is psuedo scientific in the sense that it has 
> a religious underlying agenda rather than no agenda other than scientific 
> discovery.  Very big difference.
> I note that dilv posts this site and its membership as some kind of 
> confirmation of scientific query over evolution when it is thunderously 
> clear any free thinking scientist would not touch membership of this 
> organisation with a barge pole.
> I suggest that any/all research submitted to this organisation will have 
> been excluded or sanitised prioir to publication if it did not meet the 
> criteria of the  religious bias.
> Another dilv 'faux pas'  then.......
> 
> 
> 
> Mark

X-No-Archive: yes

"Alwyn"  wrote in message 
news:alwyn-2572CD.17183018052008@news.virginmedia.com...

> See further the 'Wedge Strategy' of said Institute:
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedge_strategy>

Ah......... ok.
Thanks for that.
That about covers it comprehensively doesn't it?

Amazing,  more so then, that dilv posts this up as credible information when 
it is no more than an ID organisation, sanitising it's outward appearance to 
guard against compromising US Amendment laws  (...amongst other things...).
Encouraging to read however that some members feel the 'wedge strategy' has 
now outlived its purpose, especially since the 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitzmiller_v._Dover_Area_School_District  ID 
court case.
A thoroughly discredited organisation that dilv should have distanced 
himself from, rather than promoted and should have understood they were not 
(unbiased) scientists at all.....  merely ID christians with an enormous 
agenda....
Disgraceful


Mark

mark wrote:
> 
> Amazing,  more so then, that dilv posts this up as credible information when 
> it is no more than an ID organisation, sanitising it's outward appearance to 
> guard against compromising US Amendment laws  (...amongst other things...).
> Encouraging to read however that some members feel the 'wedge strategy' has 
> now outlived its purpose, especially since the 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitzmiller_v._Dover_Area_School_District  ID 
> court case.
> A thoroughly discredited organisation that dilv should have distanced 

This is how ID works. Go through your creationist material and cross 
out all references to god or creator and insert 'designer' instead - 
and there you have it, science!

The history is that the evangelicals have fought for years to get 
god/prayers/creation into state schools, but religion in a state 
school is prohibited by the constitution.

Thus Creationism became Creation Science, until the US courts 
declared it to be religion under a different name.

So, Creation Science became Intelligent Design, until Kitzmiller v 
Dover found ID to be religion under a different name. In this court 
case the judge caught the proponents of ID lying about their motives 
and in the evidence of Michael Behe (the 'microbiologist' darling of 
the ID movement) he was forced to admit that the science of ID was 
no better than astrology (i.e. not science at all). In fact, 
researchers had uncovered an original draft of the ID textbook for 
schools "Of Pandas and People" in which the word 'designer' was 
still shown as god and creator. As the case developed, the Discovery 
Institute tried to distance itself from the case as it could see 
that ID was being exposed for what it is.

ID's public credibility (it never had any scientific credibility) 
was blown out of the water there and then. Interestingly, Judge 
Jones was a Bush right-wing christian appointee.

regards, Ian

"mark"  wrote:

>Here's their brief......
>
>"As a Discovery Society member you will be supporting cutting-edge research 
>that challenges Darwinian evolution and validates the intelligent design of 
>life and the universe. Your membership will also help us promote a more 
>balanced science education policy and powerful new videos and curricular 
>materials."
>"The Society will provide you with resources and learning opportunities that 
>will equip you to spread the word."
>
>That couldn't be clearer at all.
>This organisations 'raison d'etre'  is to challenge and obfuscate 
>'traditional' evolution theory under the guise of science....
>
Ahhhh - you were so close! (Imo)

"promote (...) new videos and curricular materials."

That's what I think ID is about - market share. Creationist authors
writing Creationist books, printed by Creationist publishers, sold
to Creationist schools, to make a new generation of Creationist
authors and publishers, selling Creationist shite to the world.

They're spending plenty of money on this, so it's a fair bet that
they plan to make a lot of money from it.


-- 
Sleepalot   aa #1385

On May 19, 2:51 pm, Sleepalot  wrote:
> "mark"  wrote:
> >Here's their brief......
>
> >"As a Discovery Society member you will be supporting cutting-edge research
> >that challenges Darwinian evolution and validates the intelligent design of
> >life and the universe. Your membership will also help us promote a more
> >balanced science education policy and powerful new videos and curricular
> >materials."
> >"The Society will provide you with resources and learning opportunities that
> >will equip you to spread the word."
>
> >That couldn't be clearer at all.
> >This organisations 'raison d'etre'  is to challenge and obfuscate
> >'traditional' evolution theory under the guise of science....
>
> Ahhhh - you were so close! (Imo)
>
> "promote (...) new videos and curricular materials."
>
> That's what I think ID is about - market share. Creationist authors
> writing Creationist books, printed by Creationist publishers, sold
> to Creationist schools, to make a new generation of Creationist
> authors and publishers, selling Creationist shite to the world.
>
> They're spending plenty of money on this, so it's a fair bet that
> they plan to make a lot of money from it.
>
> --
> Sleepalot   aa #1385

Which just goes to show that there sure are a LOT of dumb asses on
this planet