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

Fighting for the Rights of . . . Antarctica?

Environmentalism is growing increasingly irrational. Advocates are now pushing to give rights to a continent. From the Inside Climate News story: Antarctic Rights’ proposal is part of the growing rights of nature movement, which has cemented various rights of ecosystems and individual species, like sea turtles, into legislation and court rulings in more than a dozen countries. The worsening climate and biodiversity crises have helped the movement gain momentum. In Ecuador, frogs have taken mining companies to court and won. In Colombia, courts have appointed human-guardians to oversee the rights of the Atrato River. There’s even precedent for giving nature a seat in the boardrooms of companies. But never has an idea been set forth to put a natural entity on par with

Podcast

Dr. Keri D. Ingraham on the Most Important Issues in American K-12 Education

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Dr. Keri Ingraham
October 28, 2024
It’s no secret that American education is experiencing a profound crisis. Many of our children can’t read, do mathematics, or learn basic life skills. At the same time, many accuse the education establishment of imposing radical ideological views on children such as gender ideology and anti-Americanism. The good news is that concerted efforts are underway to reform education to better equip children for adulthood and to be productive members of society. My colleague at Discovery Institute — Dr. Keri D. Ingraham, Director of the American Center for Transforming Education — has followed these developments closely and has learned opinions about what has gone wrong in education, what is working, and what should be done to improve the system. So, I asked her back to

Timothy S. Goeglein on the Dangers of Utopianism

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Tim Goeglein
October 14, 2024
American institutions are less trusted than ever before, our society is deeply divided, and much of the world is in turmoil. The problem isn’t religion, atheism, or ideology, per se. Rather, the real culprit — and one that receives far too little attention in public discourse — is the widespread embrace by social activists of utopianism, a zealous belief in the perfectibility of society which leads to acceptance of the dangerous notion that the ends are so important they justify virtually any means. How did we get to such a sorry state? My guest has some answers. Timothy S. Goeglein — making his second appearance on Humanize — has written a timely and important new book entitled Stumbling Toward Utopia: How the 1960s Turned Into a National Nightmare and How We Can Revive

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,

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