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Witherspoon Institute

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Francis1953 (talk | contribs) at 16:18, 27 September 2012 (Added references. Updated internal/external audits' results: allegations officially dismissed (see references). Rm "criticized by major scientific institutions" (unsubstantiated by references).). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Logo of the Witherspoon Institute

The Witherspoon Institute is a conservative think tank in Princeton, New Jersey.[1][2][3]

Overview

Founded in 2003 by Robert P. George and others,[3][4][2] the institute is named after John Witherspoon.[1] It shares many scholars with the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions.[2] Fellows include Jean Bethke Elshtain, Harold James, John Joseph Haldane, W. Bradford Wilcox, and James R. Stoner, Jr.[5]

The Witherspoon Institute opposes same-sex marriage[6] and deals with stem cell research, constitutional law, and globalization.[2] In 2003, it organized a conference on religion in modern societies.[7] In 2006, Republican Senator Sam Brownback cited a Witherspoon document called Marriage and the Public Good: Ten Principles in a debate over a constitutional amendment against same-sex marriage.[2] It held a conference about pornography at Princeton University in December 2008.[citation needed] In 2012, the Witherspoon Institute drew public attention for having funded a controversial study concerning LGBT parenting, conducted by Mark Regnerus, Professor of Sociology at the University of Texas at Austin.[8] The study, first published in the peer-reviewed academic journal Social Science Research,[9] was criticized by some journalists and scholars;[10][11] though it was defended by other journalists and scholars.[12][13][14] Some requested that investigations be made. The University of Texas at Austin examined the concerns brought to them and concluded that they were unwarranted.[15] Social Science Research did a formal internal investigation and found no evidence of misconduct or error in the process of publication.[16][17][18] The institute publishes an online journal called Public Discourse: Ethics, Law, and the Common Good.[19]

Financially independent from Princeton University, its donors have included the Bradley Foundation, the John M. Olin Foundation, the John Templeton Foundation, and the Lee and Ramona Bass Foundation.[2]

Publications

  • Marriage and the Public Good: Ten Principles (2004)
  • The social costs of pornography: a statement of findings and recommendations (2010)

References

  1. ^ a b Official website: Mission
  2. ^ a b c d e f Deborah Yaffe, 'A conservative think tank with many Princeton ties', in Princeton Alumni Weekly, July 16, 2008
  3. ^ a b David D. Kirkpatrick, The Conservative-Christian Big Thinker, The New York Times, December 16, 2009
  4. ^ Robert P. George & Jean Bethke Elshtain, The Meaning of Marriage, Scepter Publishers, p. vii
  5. ^ Official website: Fellows
  6. ^ http://winst.org/family_marriage_and_democracy/WI_Marriage.pdf
  7. ^ Roger Scruton, A political philosophy, Continuum International Publishing Group, 2006, p. 210
  8. ^ The University of Texas at Austin Population Research Center, The New Family Structures Study
  9. ^ Website of Social Science Research. Published by Elsevier.
  10. ^ Various Authors, "200 Researchers Respond to Regnerus Paper" Family Inequality, Philip N. Cohen, 29 June 2012.
  11. ^ Steve Kolowich, "Is the Research All Right?" Inside Higher Ed, 13 July 2012.
  12. ^ Various Authors, "A Social Scientific Response to the Regnerus Controvery" Baylor University Institute for the Studies of Religion News, 20 June 2012.
  13. ^ Christian Smith, "An Academic Auto-da-Fe" The Chronicle of Higher Education, 23 July 2012.
  14. ^ Will Saletan, "A Liberal War on Science?" Slate,, 14 June 2012.
  15. ^ The University of Texas at Austin, "University of Texas at Austin Completes Inquiry into Allegations of Scientific Misconduct," Press Release, 29 August 2012.
  16. ^ James Wright, "Introduction," Social Science Research, 20 August 2012.
  17. ^ Darren E. Sherkat, "The editorial process and politicized scholarship: Monday morning editorial quarterbacking and a call for scientific vigilance," Social Science Research, 20 August 2012.
  18. ^ Don Barrett, "Presentation, politics, and editing: The Marks/Regnerus articles," Social Science Research, 20 August 2012.
  19. ^ Public Discourse website


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