Discovery Institute (Intelligent Design)
Intelligent Design think-tank (1990, Seattle). Center for Science and Culture is the primary ID-promoting unit. Distinguished from young-earth creationism.
CLCI radar
BITE breakdown
0 — intelligent design think-tank; mainstream low-control institutional organisation.
Profile facts
In context
Discovery Institute promotes Intelligent Design as scientific alternative to mainstream evolutionary biology. Subject of Kitzmiller v. Dover (2005) federal court ruling that ID is not science. Mainstream low-control think-tank.
Recovery resources
- ICSA (International Cultic Studies Association) — General referral and cult-aware therapist directory.
- INFORM (Information Network on Religious Movements) — LSE-founded UK research-based information service covering new religious movements.
- Reclamation Collective — Religious-trauma-aware therapist network; relevant for post-exit identity-rebuilding.
- Freedom of Mind Resource Center — Steven Hassan's organisation; BITE-model resources and family-side exit guidance.
See the full curated list at /resources.
Legal cases & controversies
- Kitzmiller v. Dover (2005)
Evidence by BITE axis
- Mainstream-science rejection (legal ruling)
- mainstream low-control institutional organisation
Timeline
- 1990Discovery Institute founded
- 2005Kitzmiller v. Dover ruling
Evidence matrix
Structured sources cross-linked to the claims they document. Tiered per the source hierarchy. For free-text citations see the Sources section below.
Sources
- Kitzmiller v. Dover (2005) search ↗
- The Fact of Evolution: Implications for Science Education — https://page-one.live.cf.public.springer.com/pdf/preview/10.1023/B:SCED.0000004556.80802.3a open ↗
- 2003Sc&Ed..12..729H — https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2003Sc&Ed..12..729H open ↗
- The Fact of Evolution: Implications for Science Education — Science & Education (2003) — https://doi.org/10.1023%2FB%3ASCED.0000004556.80802.3a open ↗
- New Mexico Doesn't Want Your Kids to Know How Old the Earth Is — https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/09/new-mexico-remove-climate-change-evolution-public-education/ open ↗
- The Wedge Document: A Design for Design — Creationism's Trojan Horse (2004) — https://doi.org/10.1093%2Facprof%3Aoso%2F9780195157420.003.0003 open ↗
- The evolution of creationism — http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/11/13/intelligent_design/ open ↗
- Intelligent design: Who has designs on your students' minds? — https://doi.org/10.1038%2F4341062a open ↗
- 2005Natur.434.1062B — https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2005Natur.434.1062B open ↗
- Bush Remarks On 'Intelligent Design' Theory Fuel Debate — https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/02/AR2005080201686.html open ↗
- Evolution's Critics Shift Tactics With Schools — https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB120967537476060561 open ↗
- From Darwin to Hitler: evolutionary ethics, eugenics, and racism in Germany — https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-1-137-10986-6 open ↗
- From Darwin to Hitler (2004) — https://doi.org/10.1007%2F978-1-137-10986-6 open ↗
- Intelligent Design Will Survive Kitzmiller v. Dover — http://www.umt.edu/mlr/Discovery%20Institute%20Article.pdf open ↗
- Disaster in Dover: The Trials (and Tribulations) of Intelligent Design — http://www.umt.edu/mlr/Irons%20Response.pdf open ↗
- Rebuttal to Irons — http://www.umt.edu/mlr/DI%20Rebuttal.pdf open ↗
- Science and Creationism: A View from the National Academy of Sciences, Second Edition — http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=6024&page=1 open ↗
- Leaders and Followers in the Intelligent Design Movement — http://www.math.jmu.edu/~rosenhjd/BioScience.pdf open ↗
- Politicized Scholars Put Evolution on the Defensive — https://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/21/national/21evolve.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5088&en=24bc7c9b16cac8a8&ex=1282276800&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss open ↗
We cite sources by name and outlet rather than fabricating links. Where a source includes its own URL, the open ↗ link opens it directly; otherwise search ↗ runs a Google Scholar query for the cited title — useful for verifying academic sources. For news outlets, search the outlet's own archive.
Change history
Substantive edits logged per the score-updates policy.
- 2026-05-29Phase 1 Batch J: per-group recovery resources applied via programmatic palette (closest-fit by category + subCategory + score). Palette: Political cadre.
- 2026-05-20Score band scheme migrated from 4 bands to 5 (Minimal 0–5 / Low 6–12 / Moderate 13–20 / High 21–30 / Extreme 31–40). No CLCI value changed; the new Minimal band was carved out of the bottom of the previous Low band.
Relevant hubs
Curated entry points on CLCI Hub for situations connected to this group.
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Frequently asked questions
Q.Is Discovery Institute a cult?
CLCI Hub deliberately avoids the binary label "cult." Instead it places groups on a transparent 0–40 spectrum of documented control using Steven Hassan's BITE model (Behaviour, Information, Thought, Emotional). Discovery Institute scores 13 out of 40 — "Moderate Control", at high confidence. The score describes documented control patterns, not a judgement of members' sincerity or beliefs; many members do not personally experience the patterns listed.
Q.What is Discovery Institute's CLCI score?
Discovery Institute scores 13 out of 40 on the Cult-Like Control Index, which falls in the "Moderate" band. That total is the sum of four BITE axes — Behaviour 2, Information 4, Thought 5, Emotional 2 — plus a signed modifier of +0 for aggravating or mitigating factors.
Q.Why does Discovery Institute score 13 on the CLCI?
The score reflects publicly documented patterns including: Mainstream-science rejection (legal ruling). These map onto the BITE axes of behaviour, information, thought, and emotional control, and a signed modifier of +0 is applied for factors such as financial demands, leadership accountability, and exit costs. Every claim is backed by the citations in the Sources section on this page.
Q.How reliable is the Discovery Institute rating?
This profile is rated High confidence. High confidence means the score is backed by court records, academic work, and/or sustained investigative journalism. CLCI scores are not fixed — they are revised whenever new public evidence appears, and groups that reform can score lower over time.
Q.Where can I get help regarding Discovery Institute?
If you or someone you care about is affected by Discovery Institute, start with the Recovery resources listed on this page. General cult-aware support is available from the International Cultic Studies Association (icsahome.com) and the Freedom of Mind Resource Center (freedomofmind.com). CLCI Hub is an educational resource, not a crisis service — if anyone is in immediate danger, contact local emergency services.
Found something wrong on this profile?
We accept correction requests from anyone — current and former members, researchers, journalists, family members, and the listed organisation. Submissions are reviewed by an editor; we do not auto-publish.