Premise: The Intelligent Design 'wedge strategy' and pseudoscientific Evolution "Debate" obscure the escalating biological effects of
pollution and industrial contamination on the biosphere and life on this planet - and were designed purposefully to do so.
Topic: This thread is devoted to identifying corporations who finance campaigns promoting Intelligent Design and the pseudoscientific Evolution
"Debate." If you wish to discuss scientific theories and hypotheses or pseudoscience, numerous
other ATS threads exist where you may do so.
Please refrain from posting such discussion here. Thank you.
Background:
Intelligent Design is the brainchild of the Center for Science and Culture, a relatively recent progeny in a long line of corporate-funded
think tanks established to
preserve and protect the rights and freedoms of international
corporations to profit without constraint, regulation or oversight.
1. In 1946, the United States Army Air Forces and the Douglas Aircraft Company begat the RAND Corporation;
2. In 1961, Herman Kahn and the RAND Corporation begat the Hudson Institute;
3. In 1990, Bruce Chapman and the Hudson Institute begat the Discovery Institute;
4. In 1996, Michael Denton and the Discovery Institute begat the Center for Science and Culture; and
5. In 1998, the Center for Science and Culture begat the
Intelligent Design Wedge Strategy.
"This is not the brainchild of homegrown, Texas religious-right activists," said Samantha Smoot, executive director of the Texas Freedom
Network, which opposes allowing creationist theories in science textbooks. "It's part of a national agenda. But what has changed is the religious
right has changed its tactics. They no longer come in under the banner of promoting creationism.
These are think tanks with pseudo-scientific information that destroys real science."
The "Intelligent Design" strategy was designed as a "wedge" to go where creationism and anti-evolution campaigns could not go.
...a Discovery Institute strategic memo that made its way onto the Web in 1999: the
so-called Wedge Document. This seven-page paper represents the antievolutionist equivalent of the tobacco industry documents revealed as a
result of litigation, or the American Petroleum Institute’s internal memo laying out a strategy to undermine mainstream climate science.
...the document states that intelligent design "promises to reverse the stifling dominance of the materialist worldview, and to replace it with a
science consonant with Christian and theistic convictions." In order to achieve this objective, the ID movement will "function as a 'wedge'"
that will "split the trunk [of scientific materialism] . . . at its weakest points." Much like the strategy implicit in the American Petroleum
Institute memo, part of the Wedge strategy involves currying influence with "individuals in print and broadcast media." The document actually
expends far more energy outlining media strategies and achievements than in describing a program of scientific research.
The Wedge Document puts ID proponents in an uncomfortable position. ...Discovery’s ultimate agenda—the Wedge—clearly has far more to do with
the renewal of religiously based culture by the overthrow of key tenets of modern science than with the disinterested pursuit of knowledge.
Also see: Intelligent Design: The Wedge Strategy
The
Intelligent Design wedge strategy reformulates creationism, redirects the "evolution 'debate'" and fulfills several strategic
functions, including:
1. Neutralizing legitimate Christian scientists who argue that believing in God does NOT preclude accepting science or evolution, a position that
threatened the corporations' larger goals and strategies;
2. Maintaining and solidifying support from the religious right as a primary constituency, and refocusing the right's financial contributions and
public efforts;
3. Creating and nurturing a secondary constituency of supporters by accommodating the idea of 'aliens' as the Intelligent Designer;
4. Creating the illusion of a scientific foundation for the strategy, in order to bypass tax laws that prohibit using public monies to finance
religious activities, and laws prohibiting the coupling of church and state;
5.
Confusing the public about the underlying science and the effects of industrial activity on the planet's life and
biosphere; and
6.
Distracting public attention from the escalating biological crises created by industrial activity;
Thereby
7. Generating vocal public support for government policies that preserve and protect the rights and freedoms of international corporations to profit
without constraint, regulation or oversight - despite the escalating destruction of the biosphere, impacts on human health, and rising rates of animal
extinctions related to unconstrained corporate-industrial activity.
Where does the campaign money come from?
It's a family affair. The corporations support the "parent" think tanks, the parents support their progeny, and they all support each others'
campaigns.
Financing for the Discovery Institute's "Center for Science and Culture" - and Intelligent Design campaigns - comes through the Hudson Institute
from a variety of biotechnology, genetic engineering, agricultural, pharmaceutical and other corporations, including:
* Monsanto
* DuPont
* Dow-Elanco
* Sandoz
* Ciba-Geigy
* ConAgra
* Cargill, and
* Procter & Gamble
HUDSON INSTITUTE
Based in Indianapolis, IN, the "institute’s corporate funding ... includes Monsanto, DuPont, Dow-Elanco, Sandoz, Ciba-Geigy, ConAgra, Cargill, and
Procter & Gamble."
***
The Hudson Institute is supported by donations from companies and individuals. Corporate
contributors include Monsanto, DuPont, Dow-Elanco, Sandoz, Ciba-Geigy, ConAgra, Cargill, and Procter & Gamble.
Where does the money go?
The
US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is charged with protecting Americans health, and ensuring the safety of a
broad range of products including food, dietary supplements, drugs, medical devices, biologics like vaccines and blood products, animal feed and
drugs, cosmetics, radiation-emitting products like cell phones and microwaves, and combination products.
So neutralizing the FDA is one of the corporate-financed think tanks' highest priorities.
A report by Public Citizen illuminated the industry money behind the major think tanks campaigning to
strip regulatory authority from the Food and Drug Administration: "Seven think tanks - the American Enterprise Institute, the Cato Institute,
the Competitive Enterprise Institute, the Heritage Foundation, the Hudson Institute, the Progress and Freedom Foundation and the Washington
Legal Foundation - received at least $3.5 million between 1992 and 1995 from drug, medical device, biotechnology and tobacco manufacturers and
their corporate foundations."
Think Tank Genealogy: Intelligent Design's Family Tree
RAND Corporation
Hudson Institute
Discovery Institute
Center for Science and Culture
Intelligent Design: The Wedge Strategy
Additional Resources:
Right Web: Exposing the Architecture of Power That's Changing Our World
Politicized Scholars
Put Evolution on the Defensive
www.exxonsecrets.org...
Reminder: This thread is devoted to identifying corporations who finance campaigns promoting Intelligent Design and the pseudoscientific
Evolution "Debate." If you wish to discuss scientific theories and hypotheses or pseudoscience, numerous
other ATS threads exist where you
may do so. Please refrain from posting such discussion here. Thank you.
If you have information identifying corporations who finance these campaigns, then please, post it.
Thanks, sofi
anywhoo.) IOW this is nothing new, even the scientific arguments have been around for almost two
centuries. Certainly since Darwin, without question. I know you don't want this type of a debate but I think you're perhaps a little biased wrt ID
(hence the liberal use of the word psuedosciene) and you haven't truely thought this through. 
