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Founded in 2003 by [[Robert P. George]] and others,<ref name="nytimes"/><ref name="">Robert P. George & Jean Bethke Elshtain, [http://books.google.com/books?id=W9wJnfw5h4cC&pg=PR7&dq=%22Witherspoon+Institute%22&hl=en&ei=Li8YTv8czLPQAc7K3ZYF&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=%22Witherspoon%20Institute%22&f=false ''The Meaning of Marriage''], Scepter Publishers, p. vii </ref><ref name="alumni"/> the institute is named after [[John Witherspoon]].<ref name="mission"/> It shares many scholars with the [[James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions]].<ref name="alumni"/> Fellows include [[Jean Bethke Elshtain]], [[Harold James (historian)|Harold James]], [[John Joseph Haldane]], [[W. Bradford Wilcox]], and [[James R. Stoner, Jr.]]<ref>[http://www.winst.org/people/fellows.php Official website: Fellows]</ref>
Founded in 2003 by [[Robert P. George]] and others,<ref name="nytimes"/><ref name="">Robert P. George & Jean Bethke Elshtain, [http://books.google.com/books?id=W9wJnfw5h4cC&pg=PR7&dq=%22Witherspoon+Institute%22&hl=en&ei=Li8YTv8czLPQAc7K3ZYF&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=%22Witherspoon%20Institute%22&f=false ''The Meaning of Marriage''], Scepter Publishers, p. vii </ref><ref name="alumni"/> the institute is named after [[John Witherspoon]].<ref name="mission"/> It shares many scholars with the [[James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions]].<ref name="alumni"/> Fellows include [[Jean Bethke Elshtain]], [[Harold James (historian)|Harold James]], [[John Joseph Haldane]], [[W. Bradford Wilcox]], and [[James R. Stoner, Jr.]]<ref>[http://www.winst.org/people/fellows.php Official website: Fellows]</ref>


The Witherspoon Institute opposes [[same-sex marriage]]<ref>http://winst.org/family_marriage_and_democracy/WI_Marriage.pdf</ref> and deals with [[stem cell research]], [[constitutional law]], and [[globalization]].<ref name="alumni"/> In 2003, it organized a conference on [[religion]] in modern societies.<ref name="scruton">Roger Scruton, [http://books.google.com/books?id=JTK_iPOozq0C&pg=PA210&dq=%22Witherspoon+Institute%22&hl=en&ei=7DUYTp-yDcHIgQer9rUb&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAzh4#v=onepage&q=%22Witherspoon%20Institute%22&f=false ''A political philosophy''], Continuum International Publishing Group, 2006, p. 210 </ref> In 2006, [[Republican Party (United States)|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]].<ref name="alumni"/> It held a [[Academic conference|conference]] about [[pornography]] at [[Princeton University]] in December 2008.{{Citation needed|date=July 2011}} 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]] - which failed both an internal and external audit, and was criticized by major scientific institutions.<ref name="Kolowich">Steve Kolowich, [http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/07/13/ut-austin-scrutinizes-ethics-controversial-same-sex-parenting-study Is the Research All Right?], ''[[Inside Higher Ed]]'', July 13, 2012</ref><ref name="flawed">[http://chronicle.com/blogs/percolator/controversial-gay-parenting-study-is-severely-flawed-journals-audit-finds/30255 Controversial Gay-Parenting Study Is Severely Flawed, Journal’s Audit Finds]</ref> Documents from the Univerisity of Texas at Austin show that Mark Regnerus requested payment authorizations, for assistance in data analysis, to William Bradford Wilcox, associate professor of sociology at the University of Virginia, a member of the James Madison Society at Princeton University, the director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia, and fellow (at that time) of the Witherspoon Institute.<ref name="NFSS FIOA Amato Wilcox">NFSS FIOA Amato Wilcox, [http://www.scribd.com/doc/104355459/NFSS-FIOA-Amato-Wilcox]</ref> William Bradford Wilcox no longer appears on the official website for the Witherspoon Institute. Although the Witherspoon funding was part of the controversy, these documents show direct involvement in the study by the Witherspoon Institute. The methodology of the study has received criticism<ref name="Kolowich"/><ref name="flawed" /> and defense.<ref>[http://www.baylorisr.org/2012/06/a-social-scientific-response-to-the-regnerus-controversy/ A Social Scientific Response to the Regnerus Controvery]</ref><ref>[http://chronicle.com/article/An-Academic-Auto-da-F-/133107/ An Academic Auto-da-Fe]</ref> The institute publishes an online [[journal]] called ''Public Discourse: Ethics, Law, and the Common Good''.<ref>[http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/ Public Discourse website]</ref>
The Witherspoon Institute opposes [[same-sex marriage]]<ref>http://winst.org/family_marriage_and_democracy/WI_Marriage.pdf</ref> and deals with [[stem cell research]], [[constitutional law]], and [[globalization]].<ref name="alumni"/> In 2003, it organized a conference on [[religion]] in modern societies.<ref name="scruton">Roger Scruton, [http://books.google.com/books?id=JTK_iPOozq0C&pg=PA210&dq=%22Witherspoon+Institute%22&hl=en&ei=7DUYTp-yDcHIgQer9rUb&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAzh4#v=onepage&q=%22Witherspoon%20Institute%22&f=false ''A political philosophy''], Continuum International Publishing Group, 2006, p. 210 </ref> In 2006, [[Republican Party (United States)|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]].<ref name="alumni"/> It held a [[Academic conference|conference]] about [[pornography]] at [[Princeton University]] in December 2008.{{Citation needed|date=July 2011}} 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]]. An audit of the publication process by Darren Sherkat, a member of the editorial board of the journal that published the article, found problems in the reviewing process. However, Sherkat was an outspoken critic of the article on political as well as methodological grounds before conducting the audit and this may have predetermined his findings. <ref name="Kolowich">Steve Kolowich, [http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/07/13/ut-austin-scrutinizes-ethics-controversial-same-sex-parenting-study Is the Research All Right?], ''[[Inside Higher Ed]]'', July 13, 2012</ref><ref name="flawed">[http://chronicle.com/blogs/percolator/controversial-gay-parenting-study-is-severely-flawed-journals-audit-finds/30255 Controversial Gay-Parenting Study Is Severely Flawed, Journal’s Audit Finds]</ref> The University of Texas conducted a detailed and thorough inquiry into allegations by an activist against the Regnerus study and found no evidence at all of any misconduct or ethical violations on the part of Regnerus. <ref name="Completed Inquiry">The University of Texas at Austin, [http://www.utexas.edu/news/2012/08/29/regnerus_scientific_misconduct_inquiry_completed University of Texas at Austin Completes Inquiry into Allegations of Scientific Misconduct]</ref> Despite the results of this official inquiry, some critics of the Regnerus study continued to allege wrongdoing, shifting their attention to possible conflicts of interest on the part of individuals connected to the study and to the Witherspoon Institute. These critics concentrated on documents from the Univerisity of Texas at Austin showing that Mark Regnerus requested payment authorizations, for assistance in data analysis, to William Bradford Wilcox, associate professor of sociology at the University of Virginia, a member of the James Madison Society at Princeton University, the director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia, and fellow (at that time) of the Witherspoon Institute.<ref name="NFSS FIOA Amato Wilcox">NFSS FIOA Amato Wilcox, [http://www.scribd.com/doc/104355459/NFSS-FIOA-Amato-Wilcox]</ref> William Bradford Wilcox no longer appears on the official website for the Witherspoon Institute. Critics of the study contended that although the Witherspoon funding was part of the controversy, these documents showed direct involvement in the study by the Witherspoon Institute, through Wilcox, although it is unclear exactly how the Wilcox connection to Witherspoon could in itself affect the validity of the study. The University of Texas inquiry had access to all details, including the involvement of Wilcox, and clearly did not find this involvement a cause for an ethics complaint. The methodology of the study has received both criticism<ref name="Kolowich"/><ref name="flawed" /> and defense.<ref>[http://www.baylorisr.org/2012/06/a-social-scientific-response-to-the-regnerus-controversy/ A Social Scientific Response to the Regnerus Controvery]</ref><ref>[http://chronicle.com/article/An-Academic-Auto-da-F-/133107/ An Academic Auto-da-Fe]</ref> Controversy regarding Witherspoon support for the Regnerus study appears to be part of the wider controversy over the issue of same-sex marriage, and is therefore not likely to be resolved.


The institute publishes an online [[journal]] called ''Public Discourse: Ethics, Law, and the Common Good''.<ref>[http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/ Public Discourse website]</ref>
Financially independent from Princeton University, its donors have included the [[Bradley Foundation]], the [[John M. Olin Foundation]], the [[John Templeton Foundation]], and the [[Lee Bass|Lee and Ramona Bass Foundation]].<ref name="alumni"/>
Financially independent from Princeton University, its donors have included the [[Bradley Foundation]], the [[John M. Olin Foundation]], the [[John Templeton Foundation]], and the [[Lee Bass|Lee and Ramona Bass Foundation]].<ref name="alumni"/>


Revision as of 00:30, 29 October 2012

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. An audit of the publication process by Darren Sherkat, a member of the editorial board of the journal that published the article, found problems in the reviewing process. However, Sherkat was an outspoken critic of the article on political as well as methodological grounds before conducting the audit and this may have predetermined his findings. [8][9] The University of Texas conducted a detailed and thorough inquiry into allegations by an activist against the Regnerus study and found no evidence at all of any misconduct or ethical violations on the part of Regnerus. [10] Despite the results of this official inquiry, some critics of the Regnerus study continued to allege wrongdoing, shifting their attention to possible conflicts of interest on the part of individuals connected to the study and to the Witherspoon Institute. These critics concentrated on documents from the Univerisity of Texas at Austin showing that Mark Regnerus requested payment authorizations, for assistance in data analysis, to William Bradford Wilcox, associate professor of sociology at the University of Virginia, a member of the James Madison Society at Princeton University, the director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia, and fellow (at that time) of the Witherspoon Institute.[11] William Bradford Wilcox no longer appears on the official website for the Witherspoon Institute. Critics of the study contended that although the Witherspoon funding was part of the controversy, these documents showed direct involvement in the study by the Witherspoon Institute, through Wilcox, although it is unclear exactly how the Wilcox connection to Witherspoon could in itself affect the validity of the study. The University of Texas inquiry had access to all details, including the involvement of Wilcox, and clearly did not find this involvement a cause for an ethics complaint. The methodology of the study has received both criticism[8][9] and defense.[12][13] Controversy regarding Witherspoon support for the Regnerus study appears to be part of the wider controversy over the issue of same-sex marriage, and is therefore not likely to be resolved.

The institute publishes an online journal called Public Discourse: Ethics, Law, and the Common Good.[14] 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. ^ a b Steve Kolowich, Is the Research All Right?, Inside Higher Ed, July 13, 2012
  9. ^ a b Controversial Gay-Parenting Study Is Severely Flawed, Journal’s Audit Finds
  10. ^ The University of Texas at Austin, University of Texas at Austin Completes Inquiry into Allegations of Scientific Misconduct
  11. ^ NFSS FIOA Amato Wilcox, [1]
  12. ^ A Social Scientific Response to the Regnerus Controvery
  13. ^ An Academic Auto-da-Fe
  14. ^ Public Discourse website


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