Thursday, July 27, 2006
Rethinking Think Tanks
A think tank has announced a new office that may serve as a balance to the Nondiscovey Institute. The Center for Inquiry / Transnational, the mission statement of which is to promote reason and science in all areas of human interest, said its new Office of Public Policy is a response to a "cultural war on scientific naturalism and enlightenment in general." The new organization's first white paper was issued this week attacking the veto of federal funding for embryonic stem cell research by President Bush.
But if it is going to match the Boyz from Seattle, where is the budget for dissembling?We intend to develop relationships with sympathetic legislators in D.C. and will provide experts to testify in legislative hearings," said Paul Kurtz, founder and chief executive of the center.
Other goals include submitting amicus briefs in U.S. Supreme Court cases and holding nationally televised press conferences on breaking issues. ...
The center said the stem cell debate is one of several public-policy controversies that have illustrated the need for its scientific expertise. It also cited the teaching of "intelligent design" and the controversy earlier this year over a NASA employee's reported attempts to have "theory" attached to references to the Big Bang.
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