Human Exceptionalism | Discovery Institute

Center on Human Exceptionalism

The mission of Discovery Institute’s Center on Human Exceptionalism is to affirm and uphold the intrinsic nature of human dignity, liberty, and equality. In resistance to a growing movement against unique human personhood, we aim to revitalize a commitment to the traditional Western view of human rights and human responsibilities — summed up by the term “human exceptionalism.” Read more

Humanize

Jack Phillips Wins the “Cake-Baking” Case . . . But Not on the Merits

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October 9, 2024
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Jack Phillips owns Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood, Colo. Phillips sells generic cakes, but he also customizes them. When he was asked to design a cake to celebrate a same-sex wedding, Phillips refused because he believed that doing so would violate his Christian faith.

Bioethicists Push Psychedelics to Make Life “Interesting”: Wesley J. Smith; September 30, 2024; 4

Death by Nitrogen: Cruel or Death with Dignity?: Wesley J. Smith; September 30, 2024; 1

Richard Weikart on Medicine’s Descent from Healing to Killing: Richard Weikart; September 30, 2024; 2

Medical Journal Pushes Conjoining Euthanasia and Organ Harvesting: Wesley J. Smith; September 27, 2024; 2

The “Suicide Capsule” Claims Its First Victim: Wesley J. Smith; September 26, 2024; 3

More posts ….

Podcast

Richard Weikart on Medicine’s Descent from Healing to Killing

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Richard Weikart
September 30, 2024}

Whether to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia is one of the most culturally contentious — and important — public policy debates of our time. Supporters of legalization call it a compassionate “last resort” means of preventing unnecessary suffering and promoting autonomy. Opponents see the intentional ending of the lives of the ill as a profound abandonment and a path to eventually allowing death on demand. How did the so-called right to die become such a visible issue? Wesley’s colleague at Discovery Institute, Dr. Richard Weikart, has the answers. Weikart is emeritus professor of history at California State University, Stanislaus, and a Senior Fellow at Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture. He has published eight books, including, …

Sam Brownback on the Connection Between Religious Freedom and Human Rights

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Sam Brownback
September 16, 2024}

In the modern era, religious freedom — the ability to live and act according to one's faith — has been seen as a profoundly important human right. To a disturbing degree, that is no longer true. No one has put more thought into this urgent matter of human freedom than my guest today, Sam Brownback.

Steven J. Buri on the Pro-Human Mission of Discovery Institute

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Steven J. Buri
June 17, 2024}

For the last Humanize episode of the season, I thought it would be edifying to explore how Discovery Institute's institutional programs dovetail with the work of the Center on Human Exceptionalism. Who better to ask than our intrepid president, Steven J. Buri?