"Testing the role of trust and values in financial decisions" (Jan. 21) incorrectly describes the John Templeton Foundation as having been an early supporter of the political movement known as "intelligent design."
We do not believe that the science underpinning the intelligent-design movement is sound, we do not support research or programs that deny large areas of well-documented scientific knowledge, and the foundation is a nonpolitical entity and does not engage in or support political movements.
The foundation has provided tens of millions of dollars in support of research academics who are critical of the anti-evolution intelligent-design position.
For almost a decade, the foundation has been a major supporter of a substantial program of the American Assn. for the Advancement of Science. One of the program's chief activities has been to inform the public of the weakness of the intelligent-design position on modern evolutionary biology.
In the past we have given grants to scientists who have gone on to identify themselves as members of the intelligent-design community. We understand that this could be misconstrued by some to suggest that we implicitly support the movement, but this was not our intention at the time, nor is it today.
Pamela Thompson
Vice president, communications
John Templeton Foundation
West Conshohocken, Pa.
This is a serious (and well deserved) slap in the face of the ID political movement. It can properly be viewed as the Templeton foundation saying: we wuz duped, but no more—you promised us science and you gave us nothing but a bunch of crap—just politics.
In the long run, this is good for ID in its proper role as an apologetic argument. Another nail in the coffin of ID the pseudo-science—a movement that employs non-biblical "ends-justify-the-means" deception—is good for Christianity. For those of us who are scientists and Christians, the Templeton Foundation has just helped us with our stain removal problem.
No comments:
Post a Comment