The Discovery Institute and Intelligent Design Creationism

Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen

Publication (Outlet/Website): Vocal.Media

Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2025/09

“To defeat scientific materialism and its destructive moral, cultural and political legacies… To replace materialistic explanations with the theistic understanding that nature and human beings are created by God… To see intelligent design theory as the dominant perspective in science… Discovery Institute’s Center for the Renewal of Science and Culture seeks nothing less than the overthrow of materialism and its cultural legacies.”

“The Wedge Document,” CSC “Wedge” Strategy (1998)

(Documented by National Center for Science Education)

“The mission… is to advance the understanding that human beings and nature are the result of intelligent design… We seek long-term scientific and cultural change through cutting-edge scientific research and scholarship…”

Center for Science & Culture

“The mission of Discovery Institute is to advance a culture of purpose, creativity, and innovation… Mind, not matter, is the source and crown of creation, the wellspring of human achievement.”

Discovery Institute

This isn’t really, and never has been, a debate about science. It’s about religion and philosophy.

Philip E. Johnson

“The CSRC expressly announces, in the Wedge Document, a program of Christian apologetics to promote ID.”

Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School Dist., 400 F. Supp. 2d 707 (M.D. Pa. 2005)

The Discovery Institute (DI) is a policy think-tank based in Seattle, Washington (Discovery Institute, 2025a). DI was founded in 1991 by Bruce Chapman and George Gilder and presented as a “non-profit, non-partisan” organization to bring together a “global network of scholars, scientists, and policy experts” in the advancement of Intelligent Design (ID) Creationism in various ways (Discovery Institute, 2025b).

In reality, it is a series of ‘programs of Christian apologetics to promote ID Creationism’ through various “cultural and religious goals” to “change the ground rules of science to make room for religion, specifically, beliefs consonant with a particular version of Christianity” (Justia U.S. Law, 2005).

Their stated philosophy is “Mind… is the source and crown of creation, the wellspring of human achievement” as conceived “by the ancient Hebrews, Greeks and Christians, and elaborated in the American Founding Western culture” in contrast to “contemporary materialistic worldview [that] denies the intrinsic dignity and freedom of human beings and enfeebles scientific creativity and technological innovation…[a] vision [of] limited horizons… [and] deadening ideologies of scarcity, conflict, mutual suspicion and despair” (Discovery Institute, 2025c).

DI is the primary driver of ID Creationism to ‘teach the controversy’ (Discovery Institute, 2005). DI has programs in science and culture, wealth and poverty, technology, artificial intelligence, citizen leadership, transforming education, human exceptionalism, and the Cascadia Center (Ibid.).

Its Board of Directors is a respectable size featuring prominent public and political figures, business leaders and innovators, and philanthropic community members (Discovery Institute, 2025d). Its current Chair of the Board is Bruce Chapman, while the former Chair of the Board–and current member of the Board–is Byron Nutley (Ibid.)

Prominent public and political figures are Edmund C. Moy, Howard F. Ahmanson Jr., and Mariana Parks (Ibid.). Business leaders and innovator members are Bryan Mistele, Charles Lundberg, Cole Smead, Dave Barber, Eric Garcia, James Spady, Mike Dunn, Richard Greiling, Skip Gilliland, and Walter Myers III (Ibid.).

Philanthropic community board members are Annmarie Kelly and Kathy Connors (Ibid.). This remains a significant number of prominent people in support of a Christian apologetic missional work under presentation as a policy think-tank.

Its active Senior Fellows are Andrew McDiarmid, Bill Walton, David Klinghoffer, Donald P. Nielsen, Frank Gregorsky, Gale Pooley, George Gilder, Jay W. Richards, John G. West, John Wohlstetter, Jonathan Choe, Jonathan Lesser, Keri D. Ingraham, Marvin Olasky, Michael Medved, Robert Marbut, Scott S. Powell, Stephen C. Meyer, Walter Myers III, and Wesley J. Smith (Discovery Institute, 2025e).

Its Fellows are Arina Grossu Agnew, Bruce Agnew, Edwin Meese III, Jerry Bowyer, Nathan Lewis, Paul Guppy, Ray B. Chambers, Robert J. Koch, Scott O. Kuznicki, Tim Scala, and Tom Shakely (Ibid.). DI Staff are varied in task and role [1]

They list events of various types including book events (e.g., book launch, author Q&A), conferences (e.g., COSM Technology Summit, Dallas Conference on Science & Faith), education days (e.g., Intelligent Design Education Day), film screenings (e.g., The American Miracle, Fentanyl Death Incorporated), lectures/talks (e.g., Socrates in the City, Bible & the Rise of Science), luncheons (e.g., lunch discussion on Presidential Succession), special experiences (e.g., 2024 total eclipse viewing), and webinars (e.g., The Privileged Planet 20th Anniversary webinar) (Discovery Institute, 2025g).

They distribute materials and generate wealth in alternative ways too (Discovery Institute, 2025h). DI sells books (e.g., Discovery Institute Press titles), curricula and educational materials (e.g., textbooks, workbooks, discussion guides), documentary DVDs and videos (e.g., The Privileged Planet, Metamorphosis, The Intelligent Design Collection), merchandise (e.g., mugs, posters, calendars, clothing), and online courses (e.g., DiscoveryU) (Ibid.).

So, a large board and staff, diverse events, and a clear Christian apologetic hermeneutic as a culture war organization presenting itself as a policy think-tank, as well as events and merchandise. Who finances the operation? It is a reasonable question.

One answer is donation (Discovery Institute, 2025i). DI offers general or program-specific giving, tiered memberships (e.g., Contributor, Discovery Society, Director’s Circle, President’s Circle), or planned giving, stock gifts, IRA distributions, and bequests (Ibid.).

Major documented funders include DonorsTrust ($9,352,000), National Christian Charitable Foundation ($7,376,750), Walton Family Foundation($400,000), Schwab Charitable Fund ($286,550), The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation ($260,000), The Seattle Foundation ($81,000), Searle Freedom Trust ($80,000), John Templeton Foundation ($78,750), Barney Family Foundation ($50,000), William H. Donner Foundation ($50,000), The Carthage Foundation ($40,000), Castle Rock Foundation ($25,000), Deramus Foundation ($15,000), Whatley Foundation ($11,000), Peterson Family Foundation ($3,670), Richard Seth Staley Educational Foundation ($3,000), Aequus Institute ($2,000), and Gilder Foundation ($1,000) (DeSmog, 2025).

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation provided approximately $1,000,000 per year for 10 years, totalling ~9.35 million dollars, with the stipulation that the funds be restricted to DI’s Cascadia transportation/urban policy work (Ibid.).

They created several centers and a project: American Center for Transforming Education, Cascadia Center for Regional Development, Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence, Center for Science and Culture, Center on Human Exceptionalism, Center on Wealth and Poverty, Chapman Center for Citizen Leadership, and Technology and Democracy Project.

American Center for Transforming Education is about K–12 policy advocacy (e.g., parental choice, innovation, “empower parents” framing) to transform” public education (2025). The Cascadia Center for Regional Development (2025) is a Pacific Northwest transportation and regional development policy. It backed Seattle’s SR-99 deep-bore tunnel replacement for the Alaskan Way Viaduct (Ibid.).

The Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence (Walter Bradley Center) looks at the AI’s benefits/limits through a lens of human exceptionalism (echoed later) while contrasting human vs. machine intelligence (2025). The Center for Science and Culture is a central flagship for Intelligent Design advocacy, whether “academic freedom” campaigns for ID, education programs, or research (2025).

The Center on Human Exceptionalism has a bioethics focus with the explicit intent to defend human dignity as defined intrinsically, with a focus on assisted-suicide and euthanasia debates, and medical ethics (2025). While the Center on Wealth and Poverty emphasizes free-market economics messaging, they have a focus on homelessness, poverty, and work on critiques of progressive policy, previously led by Christopher Rufo (2025).

The Chapman Center for Citizen Leadership offers fellowships and hosts seminars to mentor young professionals, with a focus on civic leadership and public life (2025). Lastly, the Technology and Democracy Project focuses on tech/telecom policy from a market perspective, frequently opposing FCC-style net-neutrality philosophy (2025).

With these centers, projects, programs, events, donations, and funding, it represents a reasonably well-funded, long-term, and large-scale project devoted to pseudoscience as a ‘policy think-tank,’ but, rather, is a representative of a decades-long record of failures to advance ID Creationism.

These have continued since the mid-1990s. Unequivocally, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2002), Kitzmiller v. Dover (2005) decision, the National Academy of Sciences (1999), and the National Science Teachers Association, and numerous others, have declared ID Creationism not science.

Indeed, the Wedge Document further illuminates DI’s as a religious–cultural strategy rather than a scientific program. (National Center for Science Education, 2008). That’s the Discovery Institute. 

There’s more, though, to be covered in the upcoming articles.

References

American Association for the Advancement of Science. (2002, November 6). AAAS urges opposition to ‘intelligent design theory’ within U.S. science classes. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/623273.

American Center for Transforming Education. (2025). About. https://www.discovery.org/education/about/

Cascadia Center. (2025). About. https://cascadia.center/about/.

Center for Human Exceptionalism. (2025). About: Our Mission. https://humanexceptionalism.center/about/.

Center for Science & Culture. (2025). About: Our Mission. https://www.discovery.org/id/about/.

Center on Wealth & Poverty. (2025). About: Our Mission. https://wealthandpoverty.center/about/.

Chapman Center for Citizen Leadership. (2025). Programs. https://chapman.center/programs.

DeSmog. (2025). Discovery Institute (D.I.). https://www.desmog.com/discovery-institute/.

Discovery Institute. (2005, December 7). Academic Persecution of Scientists and Scholars Researching Intelligent Design is a Dangerous and Growing Trend. https://www.discovery.org/a/3077/.

Discovery Institute. (2025d). Board of Directors. https://www.discovery.org/about/board-of-directors/.

Discovery Institute. (2025a). Discovery Institute. https://www.discovery.org.

Discovery Institute. (2025h). Discovery Institute Store. https://www.discovery.org/store/.

Discovery Institute. (2025g). Events. https://www.discovery.org/c/discovery-institute/?post_type=e.

Discovery Institute. (2025e). Fellows: Discovery Institute Senior Fellows. https://www.discovery.org/about/fellows/.

Discovery Institute. (2025c). Mission. https://www.discovery.org/about/mission/.

Discovery Institute. (2025f). Staff Directory. https://www.discovery.org/about/directory/.

Discovery Institute. (2025b). What We Do. https://www.discovery.org/about/.

Justia U.S. Law. (2005, December 20). Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School Dist., 400 F. Supp. 2d 707 (M.D. Pa. 2005). https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp2/400/707/2414073/.

National Center for Science Education. (2008, October 14). The Wedge Document. https://ncse.ngo/wedge-document.

Technology & Democracy Project. (2025). About. https://www.discovery.org/tech/about/.

The Walter Bradley Center for Natural & Artificial Intelligence. (2025). Mission. https://bradley.center/about/mission/.

Footnotes

[1] Serianna Anderson — Event and Donor Care Coordinator, Discovery Institute; Pam Bailey — Dallas Operations Manager, Discovery Institute Dallas; Steven J. Buri — President; Bruce Chapman — Chairman of the Board; Jonathan Choe — Journalist and Senior Fellow; Caitlin Cory — Communications Coordinator, Discovery Institute; Robert L. Crowther, II– Director of Communications, Center for Science & Culture; Steve Dilley — Academic Mentoring Centers Coordinator; Tova Forman — Development Specialist, Center for Science & Culture; Bruce Gordon — Associate Research Director, Center for Science & Culture; Keri D. Ingraham — Director, American Center for Transforming Education; Nathan Jacobson — Director of Media and Branding; Kate Kavanaugh — Education & Outreach Assistant, Center for Science & Culture; David Klinghoffer — Senior Fellow and Editor, Evolution News & Science Today, Center for Science & Culture; Casey Luskin — Associate Director, Center for Science & Culture; Andrew McDiarmid — Director of Podcasting, Senior Fellow; Jonathan McLatchie — Resident Biologist & Fellow; Elaine Meyer — Cambridge Project; Stephen C. Meyer — Director, Center for Science & Culture; Marsha Michaelis — Project Coordinator and Research Fellow, Fix Homelessness Initiative of Discovery Institute’s Center on Wealth & Poverty; Brian Miller — Research Coordinator, Center for Science & Culture; Dan Nutley — Director, IT; Erik L. Nutley — Program Director; Daniel Reeves — Director, Education & Outreach; Emily Sandico — Special Projects Coordinator, Center for Science & Culture; Eric Schneider — Stewardship Officer, Major Gifts, Center for Science & Culture; Steve Schwarz — Director of Finance & Operations; Elliot Stephens– Development Assistant, Center for Science & Culture; Leslie Thompson — Finance Assistant; Kelley J. Unger — Director, Discovery Society, Center for Science & Culture; Andrea Waggoner — Donor Care Coordinator, Center for Science & Culture; John G. West — Vice President, Discovery Institute, and Managing Director, Center for Science & Culture; Katherine West — Web Developer and Data Administrator; Brian Westad — Business Manager and Executive Assistant to the Managing Director, Center for Science & Culture; Thomas Winkler — Regional Ambassador, Center for Science and Culture; Jonathan Witt — Executive Editor, Discovery Institute Press; Senior Fellow and Senior Project Manager, Center for Science & Culture; Penny Yeh — Web and Content Production Assistant.

See Discovery Institute (2025f).

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