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| formation = {{start date and age|1987}} | | formation = {{start date and age|1987}} | ||
| founder = ] | | founder = ] | ||
| headquarters = ] |
| headquarters = ] | ||
| tax_id = | | tax_id = | ||
| registration_id = | | registration_id = | ||
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| products = | | products = | ||
| methods = | | methods = | ||
| fields = Scientific research |
| fields = {{hlist|Scientific research|Religious studies}} | ||
| language = English | | language = English | ||
| leader_title = President | | leader_title = President | ||
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| budget = | | budget = | ||
| budget_year = | | budget_year = | ||
| revenue = $30.2 million<ref name="Ratings">{{cite web | url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/irs-form-990/201733059349100703_public.xml?_ga=2.172144547.1277348753.1553048283-524418911.1552927313 | title=John Templeton Foundation | website=ProPublica | access-date=19 March 2018 }}</ref> | | revenue = $30.2 million<ref name="Ratings">{{cite web | url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/irs-form-990/201733059349100703_public.xml?_ga=2.172144547.1277348753.1553048283-524418911.1552927313 | title=John Templeton Foundation | website=ProPublica | access-date=19 March 2018 | archive-date=8 August 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200808233458/https://s3.amazonaws.com/irs-form-990/201733059349100703_public.xml?_ga=2.172144547.1277348753.1553048283-524418911.1552927313 | url-status=dead }}</ref> | ||
| revenue_year = 2016 | | revenue_year = 2016 | ||
| expenses = $182.2 million<ref name="Ratings" /> | | expenses = $182.2 million<ref name="Ratings" /> | ||
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}} | }} | ||
The '''John Templeton Foundation''' ('''Templeton Foundation''') is a ] organization |
The '''John Templeton Foundation''' ('''Templeton Foundation''') is a ] organization founded by ] in 1987. Templeton became wealthy as a ], and wanted to support progress in religious and spiritual knowledge, especially at the ].<ref name="Bailey">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/05/19/john-templeton-jr-president-of-foundation-invested-in-science-and-religion-has-died/ | title=John Templeton Jr., president of multi-billion dollar foundation invested in science and religion, has died | newspaper=]|first=Sarah Pulliam|last=Bailey|date=May 19, 2015}}</ref> He also sought to fund research on methods to promote and develop ], intelligence, and creativity in people, and to promote free markets.<ref name="Nature2011"/> In 2008, the foundation was awarded the ].<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.neh.gov/news/press-release/2008-11-17 |title=President Bush Awards 2008 National Humanities Medals | publisher = National Endowment for the Humanities |date= November 17, 2008}}</ref> In 2016, '']'' called it "the oddest—or most interesting—big foundation around."<ref name="Oddest">{{cite news |last1=Williams |first1=Tate |title=Templeton Remains the Oddest—or Most Interesting—Big Foundation Around |url=https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2016/4/5/templeton-remains-the-oddestor-most-interestingbig-foundatio.html |work=Inside Philanthropy |date=April 5, 2016}}</ref> | ||
Templeton |
Templeton was chairman until he died in 2008. Templeton's son, ], was its president from its founding until his death in 2015, at which point Templeton Jr.'s daughter, Heather Templeton Dill, became president. The foundation administers the annual ] for achievements in the field of spirituality, including those at the intersection of science and religion. It has an extensive grant-funding program (around $150 million per year as of 2016)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/621322826/201733059349100703/IRS990PF|title=John Templeton Foundation, Full text of "Form 990PF" for fiscal year ending Dec. 2016; Line 25|publisher=]|date=November 1, 2017}}</ref> aimed at supporting research in physics, biology, psychology, and the social sciences as well as philosophy and theology. It also supports programs related to genetics, "exceptional cognitive talent and genius" and "individual freedom and free markets".<ref name="Nature2011"/> The foundation receives both praise and criticism for its awards, regarding the breadth of its coverage, and ideological perspectives asserted to be associated with them.{{vague|date=December 2024|reason=The body of the article explains these criticisms in detail, so the lead should at least attempt to summarize them.}} | ||
==Leadership== | ==Leadership== | ||
] (29 November 1912 – 8 July 2008) was an American-born British ], banker, ], and philanthropist. In 1954, he entered the ] and created the ].<ref name=NYTobit>{{cite news|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/business/09templeton-cnd.html|title=Sir John M. Templeton, Philanthropist, Rockstar, Dies at 95|date=9 July 2000|first=Robert D.|last=McFadden}}</ref> |
] (29 November 1912 – 8 July 2008) was an American-born British ], banker, ], and philanthropist. In 1954, he entered the ] and created the ].<ref name=NYTobit>{{cite news|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/business/09templeton-cnd.html|title=Sir John M. Templeton, Philanthropist, Rockstar, Dies at 95|date=9 July 2000|first=Robert D.|last=McFadden}}</ref> | ||
⚫ | ] was president of the foundation from its inception in 1987 and worked as a pediatric surgeon; he was chief of pediatric surgery at ] in 1995, when he stopped practicing medicine to join the foundation.<ref name="Bailey"/> He took over as chairman when his father died. He was an ] and supported various ] causes.<ref name=NYT2015>{{cite news |title=John M. Templeton Jr., Who Led Foundation, Dies at 75 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/20/us/john-m-templeton-jr-who-led-foundation-dies-at-75.html |work=Associated Press via the New York Times |date=May 19, 2015 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="philly.com">{{cite web|url=http://articles.philly.com/2008-10-28/news/25263219_1_ban-gay-marriage-heterosexual-marriages-proposition|title=$1 million for their own two cents Bryn Mawr couple are largest individual donors in efforts to ban gay marriage in California.|work=Philadelphia Inquirer |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131216130758/http://articles.philly.com/2008-10-28/news/25263219_1_ban-gay-marriage-heterosexual-marriages-proposition|archive-date=December 16, 2013 |first=David |last=O'Reilly|date=October 28, 2008}}</ref> He always maintained that he tried to run the foundation according to his father's wishes instead of his own.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Olasky |first1=Marvin |title=Jack Templeton dies at age 75 |url=https://world.wng.org/2015/05/jack_templeton_dies_at_age_75? |work=World Magazine |date=19 May 2015 |language=en}}</ref> He died in 2015.<ref name=NYT2015/> | ||
<blockquote>Like many of his generation, Templeton was a great believer in progress, learning, initiative and the power of human imagination — not to mention the free-enterprise system that allowed him, a middle-class boy from Winchester, Tennessee, to earn billions of dollars on Wall Street. ... Unlike most of his peers, however, Templeton thought that the principles of progress should also apply to religion. He described himself as "an enthusiastic Christian" — but was also open to learning from Hinduism, Islam and other religious traditions. Why, he wondered, couldn't religious ideas be open to the type of constructive competition that had produced so many advances in science and the free market?<ref name="Nature2011">{{cite journal |last1=Waldrop |first1=M. Mitchell |title=Religion: Faith in science |journal=Nature |date=17 February 2011 |volume=470 |issue=7334 |pages=323–325 |doi=10.1038/470323a|pmid=21331019 |bibcode=2011Natur.470..323W |doi-access=free }} {{open access}}</ref></blockquote> | |||
These were the values he sought to promote first through the ] which he started in 1972 and then through the foundation, which he founded in 1987 and ran until his death in 2008.<ref name="Nature2011"/> | |||
⚫ | ] was president of the foundation from its inception in 1987 and worked as a pediatric surgeon; he was chief of pediatric surgery at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia in 1995, when he stopped practicing medicine to join the foundation.<ref name="Bailey"/> He took over as chairman when his father died. He was an ] and supported various ] causes.<ref name=NYT2015>{{cite news |title=John M. Templeton Jr., Who Led Foundation, Dies at 75 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/20/us/john-m-templeton-jr-who-led-foundation-dies-at-75.html |work=Associated Press via the New York Times |date=May 19, 2015 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="philly.com">{{cite web|url=http://articles.philly.com/2008-10-28/news/25263219_1_ban-gay-marriage-heterosexual-marriages-proposition|title=$1 million for their own two cents Bryn Mawr couple are largest individual donors in efforts to ban gay marriage in California.|work=Philadelphia Inquirer |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131216130758/http://articles.philly.com/2008-10-28/news/25263219_1_ban-gay-marriage-heterosexual-marriages-proposition|archive-date=December 16, 2013 |first=David |last=O'Reilly|date=October 28, 2008}}</ref> He always maintained that he tried to run the foundation according to his father's wishes instead of his own |
||
Heather Templeton Dill, the daughter of John Templeton Jr., became president in 2015.<ref>{{cite web|title=People in the News (8/02/15): Appointments and Promotions|url=http://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/people-in-the-news-8-02-15-appointments-and-promotions|newspaper=Philanthropy News Digest|date=2 August 2015}}</ref> | Heather Templeton Dill, the daughter of John Templeton Jr., became president in 2015.<ref>{{cite web|title=People in the News (8/02/15): Appointments and Promotions|url=http://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/people-in-the-news-8-02-15-appointments-and-promotions|newspaper=Philanthropy News Digest|date=2 August 2015}}</ref> | ||
==Endowment== | ==Endowment== | ||
Templeton bequeathed around $500 million to the foundation when he died in 2008.<ref name="Nature2011"/> {{As of|2015}} the foundation's total endowment had grown to $3.34 billion.<ref name="Bailey"/> The foundation reports that it has issued over 3,300 grants, with over 2,800 of those going to recipients in North America.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.templeton.org/about/vision-mission-impact|title=John Templeton Foundation: Our Impact|access-date=March 21, 2019}}</ref> In 2016, the foundation disbursed over $151,000,000 in grants.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/621322826/201733059349100703/IRS990PF|title=John Templeton Foundation: Full text of "Form 990PF" for fiscal year ending Dec. 2016|website=ProPublica.com|date=9 May 2013|access-date=March 21, 2019}}</ref> | Templeton bequeathed around $500 million to the foundation when he died in 2008.<ref name="Nature2011">{{cite journal |last1=Waldrop |first1=M. Mitchell |title=Religion: Faith in science |journal=Nature |date=17 February 2011 |volume=470 |issue=7334 |pages=323–325 |doi=10.1038/470323a|pmid=21331019 |bibcode=2011Natur.470..323W |doi-access=free }} {{open access}}</ref> {{As of|2015}} the foundation's total endowment had grown to $3.34 billion.<ref name="Bailey"/> The foundation reports that it has issued over 3,300 grants, with over 2,800 of those going to recipients in North America.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.templeton.org/about/vision-mission-impact|title=John Templeton Foundation: Our Impact|access-date=March 21, 2019}}</ref> In 2016, the foundation disbursed over $151,000,000 in grants.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/621322826/201733059349100703/IRS990PF|title=John Templeton Foundation: Full text of "Form 990PF" for fiscal year ending Dec. 2016|website=ProPublica.com|date=9 May 2013|access-date=March 21, 2019}}</ref> | ||
==Prizes== | ==Prizes== | ||
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The Templeton Prize was established by ] and he administered the prize until the foundation was established in 1987, which took it over.<ref name="Nature2011"/><ref name=economist>{{Cite news | url = http://www.economist.com/obituary/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11745591 |newspaper = The Economist| title= Obituary – John Templeton | access-date=July 2, 2009|date=July 17, 2008}}</ref> The prize has "a value of about $1.7 million, making it one of the world’s largest annual awards given to an individual".<ref name="Bailey"/> | The Templeton Prize was established by ] and he administered the prize until the foundation was established in 1987, which took it over.<ref name="Nature2011"/><ref name=economist>{{Cite news | url = http://www.economist.com/obituary/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11745591 |newspaper = The Economist| title= Obituary – John Templeton | access-date=July 2, 2009|date=July 17, 2008}}</ref> The prize has "a value of about $1.7 million, making it one of the world’s largest annual awards given to an individual".<ref name="Bailey"/> | ||
The early prizes were given solely to people who had made great achievements in the field of religion; ] received the inaugural award in 1973,<ref name="Nature2011"/> with other early winners including Sir ] (1975),<ref name=indy>{{Cite web | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/philosopher-wins-163800000-award-for-spiritual-focus-440262.html| work=The Independent|access-date=2 July 2009 | date= 15 March 2007|first=Arifa|last=Akbar|title=Philosopher wins £800,000 award for spiritual focus}}</ref> ] (1977),<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url = http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/350399/Chiara-Lubich|title = Lubich, Chiara – Italian Roman Catholic lay leader | access-date=2 July 2009|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica}}</ref> and ] (1979).<ref name=humble>{{Cite book | title = The Humble Approach: Scientists Discover God |first=John|last=Templeton|isbn=1-890151-17-3 |publisher=Templeton Foundation Press|pages=170–172|date=1998-05-10}}</ref> In the 1980s, John Templeton began considering the intersection of science and religion, and after he appointed two scientists to the judging panel, scientists who worked at the intersection began receiving it; ] was the first, in 1987.<ref name="Nature2011"/> More recent winners of the Templeton Prize have included the ] in 2012,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2012/0329/Dalai-Lama-wins-Templeton-Prize-as-more-than-simple-Buddhist-monk|title=Dalai Lama wins Templeton Prize as more than 'simple Buddhist monk'|newspaper=]|first=Ron|last=Scherer|date=March 29, 2012}}</ref> ] in 2018,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://religionnews.com/2018/06/27/templeton-prize/|title=King of Jordan wins Templeton Prize for fostering Muslim cooperation|publisher=Religion News Service|first=Chris|last=Herlinger|date=June 27, 2018}}</ref> Brazilian Jewish physicist and astronomer ] in 2019,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jta.org/quick-reads/jewish-physicist-becomes-first-latin-american-to-win-templeton-prize|title=Jewish physicist becomes first Latin American to win Templeton Prize|publisher=Jewish Telegraphic Agency|first=Marcus M.|last=Gilban|date=March 20, 2019}}</ref> and primatologist ] in 2021.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/may/20/naturalist-jane-goodall-wins-2021-templeton-prize-for-lifes-work |title=Naturalist Jane Goodall wins 2021 Templeton prize for life's work|first1=Harriet|last1=Sherwood|work=]|date=20 May 2021}}</ref> | The early prizes were given solely to people who had made great achievements in the field of religion; ] received the inaugural award in 1973,<ref name="Nature2011"/> with other early winners including Sir ] (1975),<ref name=indy>{{Cite web | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/philosopher-wins-163800000-award-for-spiritual-focus-440262.html| work=The Independent|access-date=2 July 2009 | date= 15 March 2007|first=Arifa|last=Akbar|title=Philosopher wins £800,000 award for spiritual focus}}</ref> ] (1977),<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url = http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/350399/Chiara-Lubich|title = Lubich, Chiara – Italian Roman Catholic lay leader | access-date=2 July 2009|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica}}</ref> and ] (1979).<ref name=humble>{{Cite book | title = The Humble Approach: Scientists Discover God |first=John|last=Templeton|isbn=1-890151-17-3 |publisher=Templeton Foundation Press|pages=170–172|date=1998-05-10}}</ref> In the 1980s, John Templeton began considering the intersection of science and religion, and after he appointed two scientists to the judging panel, scientists who worked at the intersection began receiving it; ] was the first, in 1987.<ref name="Nature2011"/> More recent winners of the Templeton Prize have included the ] in 2012,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2012/0329/Dalai-Lama-wins-Templeton-Prize-as-more-than-simple-Buddhist-monk|title=Dalai Lama wins Templeton Prize as more than 'simple Buddhist monk'|newspaper=]|first=Ron|last=Scherer|date=March 29, 2012}}</ref> ] in 2018,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://religionnews.com/2018/06/27/templeton-prize/|title=King of Jordan wins Templeton Prize for fostering Muslim cooperation|publisher=Religion News Service|first=Chris|last=Herlinger|date=June 27, 2018}}</ref> Brazilian Jewish physicist and astronomer ] in 2019,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jta.org/quick-reads/jewish-physicist-becomes-first-latin-american-to-win-templeton-prize|title=Jewish physicist becomes first Latin American to win Templeton Prize|publisher=Jewish Telegraphic Agency|first=Marcus M.|last=Gilban|date=March 20, 2019}}</ref> and ] ] in 2021.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/may/20/naturalist-jane-goodall-wins-2021-templeton-prize-for-lifes-work |title=Naturalist Jane Goodall wins 2021 Templeton prize for life's work|first1=Harriet|last1=Sherwood|work=]|date=20 May 2021}}</ref> | ||
==Grants== | ==Grants== | ||
Templeton "was a great believer in progress, learning, initiative and the power of human imagination—not to mention the free-enterprise system".<ref name="Nature2011"/> While most of its funding goes to topics in science, philosophy, and religion, around 40 percent of its annual grants go to character development, genius, freedom |
Templeton "was a great believer in progress, learning, initiative and the power of human imagination—not to mention the free-enterprise system".<ref name="Nature2011"/> While most of its funding goes to topics in science, philosophy, and religion, around 40 percent of its annual grants go to character development, genius, freedom, free enterprise, and fields associated with ]. Grants are given to people across all religions since Templeton believed progress in the field of spirituality could come from anywhere.<ref name="Nature2011"/> The field of grants was broadened in the 1980s to include scientific fields like neuroscience, psychology, and cosmology, seen as being aligned with the mission.<ref name="Nature2011"/> | ||
Some research programs supported by the foundation |
Some research programs supported by the foundation included the development of ] by ], ] and others;<ref name="UPenn">{{cite web|url=https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/penn-s-positive-psychology-center-awards-29-million-research-intersecting-neuroscience-and-posi|title=Penn's Positive Psychology Center Awards $2.9 Million for Research|publisher=University of Pennsylvania|date=August 4, 2010}}</ref> the ] at ];<ref>{{cite web|url=http://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/templeton-awards-7.2-million-for-black-hole-initiative|title=Templeton Awards $7.2 Million for Black Hole Initiative|first=Foundation|last=Center|website=Philanthropy News Digest (PND)}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2016/5/11/black-hole-initiative-receives-funding/|title=Black Hole Initiative Receives $7.2 Million in Funding - News - The Harvard Crimson|website=www.thecrimson.com}}</ref> the ]; the ];<ref name="WSF">{{Cite web|url=http://www.worldsciencefestival.com/sponsors/|title=Sponsors and Partners – World Science Festival – June 1–5, 2016 – New York City|website=World Science Festival – June 1–5, 2016 – New York City | access-date= June 20, 2016}}</ref> Pew religious demographics surveys;<ref name="Pew Forum">{{cite web|url=http://www.pewforum.org/2018/06/13/the-age-gap-in-religion-around-the-world/|title=The Age Gap in Religion Around the World - Pew Research Center|date=13 June 2018}}</ref> and programs that engage with Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant traditions, including support for dialogue with scientists in synagogues,<ref name="Rubin">{{cite web|url=https://forward.com/culture/369476/why-these-jewish-scientists-will-be-marching-on-saturday/|title=Why These Jewish Scientists Will Be Marching On Saturday|publisher=]|first=Bonnie|last=Rubin|date=April 19, 2017}}</ref> and a grant for advancing scientific literacy in ]s.<ref name="Fallon">{{cite web|url=https://news.nd.edu/news/professor-launches-project-to-advance-scientific-and-theological-literacy-among-madrasa-graduates-in-india/|title=Professor launches project to advance scientific and theological literacy among madrasa graduates in India|publisher=Notre Dame News|first=Joan|last=Fallon|date=April 25, 2016}}</ref><ref name="Khan">{{cite web|url=http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-society/imparting-basic-scientific-literacy-in-madrasas-is-critical/d/117082|title=Imparting Basic Scientific Literacy in Madrasas Is Critical, Islamic Society, Aysha Khan, New Age Islam|website=www.newageislam.com|first=Aysha|last=Khan|date=December 3, 2018}}</ref><ref name="Madrasa">{{cite web|url=https://www.templeton.org/grant/advancing-scientific-and-theological-literacy-in-madrasa-discourses-in-india|title=Advancing Scientific and Theological Literacy in Madrasa Discourses in India|website=John Templeton Foundation}}</ref> | ||
{{As of|2015}}, the foundation |
{{As of|2015}}, the foundation awarded nearly a billion dollars in grants and charitable contributions and was the 55th largest grantor among American foundations.<ref name="Bailey"/> | ||
The top ten largest grants of 2018 were:<ref name="Grants 2018">{{cite web|url=https://www.templeton.org/grants/grant-database|title=Grant Database|website=John Templeton Foundation}}</ref> | The top ten largest grants as of 2018 were:<ref name="Grants 2018">{{cite web|url=https://www.templeton.org/grants/grant-database|title=Grant Database|website=John Templeton Foundation |year=2018}}</ref> | ||
{| class="sortable wikitable" | {| class="sortable wikitable" | ||
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{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" | {| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" | ||
|+ class="nowrap" | |
|+ class="nowrap" | The ten largest grants from 2012 through 2017<ref name="Grants 2018"/> | ||
|- | |- | ||
! Project | ! Project | ||
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{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" | {| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" | ||
|+ class="nowrap" | |
|+ class="nowrap" | The ten largest grants up to 2011<ref name="Nature2011"/> | ||
|- | |- | ||
! Project | ! Project | ||
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===Physics=== | ===Physics=== | ||
] at ] received a Templeton Foundation grant of over seven million dollars in 2016.]] | ] at ] received a Templeton Foundation grant of over seven million dollars in 2016.]] | ||
====QISS (Quantum Information Structure of Spacetime)==== | |||
The John Templeton Foundation granted over two million dollars in 2019, and then 4.5 million dollars in 2022 to QISS.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Quantum Information Structure Of Spacetime (QISS), Phase 1 grant |url=https://www.templeton.org/grant/the-quantum-information-structure-of-spacetime-qiss|work=] |date=2019 |access-date=6 February 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Quantum Information Structure Of Spacetime (QISS), Phase 2 Grant |url=https://www.templeton.org/grant/the-quantum-information-structure-of-spacetime-qiss-second-phase|work=] |date=2022 |access-date=6 February 2023}}</ref> The QISS consortium brings together specialists from ], ], foundations of ], as well ] to the physics of quantum ] on an information theoretical basis, bring within reach empirical access to ] leveraging rapidly advancing quantum technologies, and promote interactions between physicists and philosophers. The broader goal of QISS is to establish a long-term research program that brings together represented communities. Marios Christodoulou and ] are the project leaders. | |||
====Black Hole Initiative==== | ====Black Hole Initiative==== | ||
In 2016, the foundation granted over seven million dollars to the ] (BHI), an interdisciplinary program at ] that includes the fields of ], ] and ], and is said to be the first center in the world to focus on the study of ].<ref name="BHI-2016">{{cite web |
In 2016, the foundation granted over seven million dollars to the ] (BHI), an interdisciplinary program at ] that includes the fields of ], ] and ], and is said to be the first center in the world to focus on the study of ].<ref name="BHI-2016">{{cite web |title=Black Hole Initiative – Harvard University |url=https://bhi.fas.harvard.edu/ |date=2017 |work=] |access-date=18 November 2017 }}</ref><ref name="THC-2016">{{cite web |last=Grigorian |first=Alec J. |title=Black Hole Initiative Receives $7.2 Million in Funding |url=http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2016/5/11/black-hole-initiative-receives-funding/ |date=11 May 2016 |work=] |access-date=18 November 2017 }}</ref><ref name="JTF-2016">{{cite web |title=The Black Hole Initiative: Towards A Center For Interdisciplinary Research |url=https://www.templeton.org/grant/the-black-hole-initiative-towards-a-center-for-interdisciplinary-research |date=2016 |work=John Templeton Foundation |access-date=18 November 2017 }}</ref> Notable principal participants include Sheperd Doeleman, ], ], ], ], and ].<ref name="BHI-2016" /> The BHI Inauguration was held on 18 April 2016 and was attended by ];<ref name="Hawking-2016">{{cite news |last=Reuell |first=Peter |title=Hawking at Harvard – At packed Sanders Theatre, theoretical physicist and cosmologist tackles the contradictory qualities of black holes |url=https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2016/04/hawking-at-harvard/ |date=18 April 2016 |work=] |access-date=18 November 2017 }}</ref> related workshop events were held on 19 April 2016.<ref name="BHI-2016" /> | ||
====Complexity at the Santa Fe Institute==== | ====Complexity at the Santa Fe Institute==== | ||
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] supports the study of what factors led human ancestors to things such as toolmaking.]] | ] supports the study of what factors led human ancestors to things such as toolmaking.]] | ||
].]] | ].]] | ||
In 2016, the foundation awarded $5.4 million to the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution (FfAME) |
In 2016, the foundation awarded $5.4 million to the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution (FfAME) to study the origin of life on Earth, particularly investigating questions of how early ] interacted with water, which is necessary for life but also degrades RNA, and how the introduction of energy to organic materials yielded life rather than turning it into tar.<ref name="Oddest"/> The project is headed by molecular biophysicist and chemist ].<ref name="Oddest"/> The foundation also awarded an $8 million grant to a program examining a theory in evolutionary biology called ].<ref name="Oddest"/> This project is headed by evolutionary biologist ].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.quantamagazine.org/scientists-seek-to-update-evolution-20161122/ |title=Scientists Seek to Update Evolution |last=Zimmer |first=Carl |date=2016-11-22 |website=Quanta Magazine |access-date=2018-10-10}}</ref> | ||
Several grants |
Several grants specifically supported inquiry into various aspects of human evolution. A 2014 grant of $4.9 million supports an effort at ] by ] ] to explore how we became human, and a $3.2 million grant to ] and the ] supports the study of "what factors led human ancestors to develop skills like making tools, developing language, and seeking out information".<ref name="Oddest"/> | ||
In March 2019, the foundation provided the bulk of a group of grants adding up to over $7 million to enable the Institute for Interdisciplinary Brain and Behavioral Science (The Brain Institute) at ] to examine "how the human brain enables conscious control of decisions and actions".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.chapman.edu/2019/03/05/brain-institute-receives-over-7-million-for-research-on-neurophilosophy-of-free-will/|title=Brain Institute Receives Over $7 Million for Research on Neurophilosophy of Free Will|publisher=Chapman University|first=Pamela|last=Ezell|date=March 5, 2019}}</ref> | In March 2019, the foundation provided the bulk of a group of grants adding up to over $7 million to enable the Institute for Interdisciplinary Brain and Behavioral Science (The Brain Institute) at ] to examine "how the human brain enables conscious control of decisions and actions".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.chapman.edu/2019/03/05/brain-institute-receives-over-7-million-for-research-on-neurophilosophy-of-free-will/|title=Brain Institute Receives Over $7 Million for Research on Neurophilosophy of Free Will|publisher=Chapman University|first=Pamela|last=Ezell|date=March 5, 2019}}</ref> | ||
A grant from the foundation supports a study of religion and health conducted by ] of ]. VanderWeele is the ] and ] Professor of ] in the Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the ], and co-director the University's Initiative on Health, Religion and Spirituality. His research has focused on the application of ] to epidemiology, as well as on the relationship between ].<ref name="VanderWeele">{{Cite web |url=https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/tyler-vanderweele/ |title=Tyler VanderWeele |website=] |language=en-us |access-date=2019-01-17}}</ref><ref name="Ducharme">{{Cite magazine |url= |
A grant from the foundation supports a study of religion and health conducted by ] of ]. VanderWeele is the ] and ] Professor of ] in the Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the ], and co-director the University's Initiative on Health, Religion and Spirituality. His research has focused on the application of ] to epidemiology, as well as on the relationship between ].<ref name="VanderWeele">{{Cite web |url=https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/tyler-vanderweele/ |title=Tyler VanderWeele |website=] |language=en-us |access-date=2019-01-17}}</ref><ref name="Ducharme">{{Cite magazine |url=https://time.com/5159848/do-religious-people-live-longer/ |title=You Asked: Do Religious People Live Longer? |last=Ducharme |first=Jamie |date=2018-02-15 |magazine=] |language=en |access-date=2019-01-17}}</ref><ref name="Storrs">{{Cite web |url=https://www.cnn.com/2016/05/16/health/religion-lifespan-health/index.html |title=Going to church could help you live longer |last=Storrs |first=Carina |date=2016-05-16 |website=] |access-date=2019-01-17}}</ref> | ||
In June 2019, the foundation awarded one of its largest grants to the Blavatnik Institute at ] for its ] Atlas project that seeks to sequence the DNA of ancient human remains |
In June 2019, the foundation awarded one of its largest grants to the Blavatnik Institute at ] for its ] Atlas project that seeks to sequence the DNA of ancient human remains to tell the story of human migration and development through the addition of DNA sequences of 10,000 individuals spanning 50,000 years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://hms.harvard.edu/news/looking-back-future|title=Looking Back to the Future {{!}} Harvard Medical School|website=hms.harvard.edu|date=26 June 2019 |access-date=2019-09-16}}</ref> The funding was used to solve a riddle that had puzzled historians, classicists, linguists, anthropologists and archaeologists for 200 years - whether the bulk of the ] had arrived from ] or the ] of ], and how ] languages ] over an enormous geographical area from ] to ], becoming the largest ] group today.<ref name="hms.harvard.edu">{{Cite web|url=https://hms.harvard.edu/news/treasure-trove|title=Treasure Trove {{!}} Harvard Medical School|website=hms.harvard.edu|date=5 September 2019 |access-date=2019-09-16}}</ref> | ||
The funding was used to embrace a multi-disciplinary approach and crowd- |
The funding was used to embrace a multi-disciplinary approach and crowd-sourced results before the final manuscripts were completed, receiving commentary and feedback from academics of various institutions on several continents, according to geneticist ],<ref name="hms.harvard.edu"/> lead researcher on the project. The study was also funded by the governments of the ], ], Germany (]), ] and ]. Results have been published in and . | ||
===Social sciences=== | ===Social sciences=== | ||
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====Center on Religion and Chinese Society==== | ====Center on Religion and Chinese Society==== | ||
The Center on Religion and Chinese Society of the ] in ] is funded by the foundation.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Purdue sociologist receives $3.5 million grant to study religion in China - Purdue University|url=https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2015/Q2/purdue-sociologist-receives-3.5-million-grant-to-study-religion-in-china.html|access-date=2021-01-21|website=www.purdue.edu}}</ref> The current director of the center, the ] Christian scholar ], has been granted more |
The Center on Religion and Chinese Society of the ] in ] is funded by the foundation.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Purdue sociologist receives $3.5 million grant to study religion in China - Purdue University|url=https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2015/Q2/purdue-sociologist-receives-3.5-million-grant-to-study-religion-in-china.html|access-date=2021-01-21|website=www.purdue.edu}}</ref> The current director of the center, the ] Christian scholar ], has been granted more than $9.5 million to support his projects,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/purduetoday/didyouknow/2015/Q4/did-you-know-center-on-religion-and-chinese-society.html|title=Did You Know: Center on Religion and Chinese Society|last=Patterson Neubert|first=Amy|date=10 December 2015|publisher=Purdue University}}</ref> The center has published research on ], especially based on Yang's own theory of the so-called "religious market", with speculations were based on a report of the Pew Research Center, another publication backed by the foundation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pewforum.org/2011/12/19/global-christianity-event-transcript/|title=Event Transcript: Global Christianity|last=Stern|first=Amy|publisher=Pew Research Center|date=19 December 2011}}</ref> Some scholars of Chinese religion have criticized Yang's sociological theories about religion in China,<ref name=Liang2016>{{cite journal|last=Liang|first=Yongjia|title=The Anthropological Study of Religion in China: Contexts, Collaborations, Debates and Trends|journal=Asia Research Institute Working Paper Series|issue=250|pages=14–15|date=2016|url=https://ari.nus.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/wps16_250.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Goossaert|first=Vincent|title=Fenggang Yang, Religion in China. Survival & Revival under Communist Rule" (review)|url=https://assr.revues.org/24770|journal=Bulletin Bibliographique, Archives de sciences sociales des religions|pages=304|number=160|date=October–December 2012|doi=10.4000/assr.24770|doi-access=free}}</ref> although the '']'' has referred to Yang as "a pioneer in the study of the sociology of religion in China",<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/18/q-a-yang-fenggang-on-the-oxford-consensus-and-public-trust-in-china/|title=Q. and A.: Yang Fenggang on the 'Oxford Consensus' and Public Trust in China|first=Ian|last=Johnson|date=18 October 2013}}</ref> and the '']'' has deemed him a "leading scholar on Chinese church-society relation".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304567604576451913744126214|title=China's Banned Churches Defy Regime|first=Brian|last=Spegele|newspaper=Wall Street Journal|date=28 July 2011|via=www.wsj.com}}</ref> | ||
===Psychology=== | ===Psychology=== | ||
====Positive psychology, religion and medicine==== | ====Positive psychology, religion and medicine==== | ||
], Dale Mathews, David Larson, Jeffrey Levin, ] and ] are scholars to whom the foundation has provided funds to "report the positive relations" between ].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/blindfaithunholy00sloa|title=Blind faith: the unholy alliance of religion and medicine|last=Sloan|first=Richard P.|date=2006|publisher=New York : St. Martin's Press|others=Internet Archive|pages=60–63|isbn=9780312348816}}</ref> One field in which the foundation has been particularly supportive is ], as developed by ], ] and others.<ref name="UPenn"/> Positive psychology is "the scientific study of what makes life most worth living",<ref name="Peterson2008">{{cite web |last=Peterson |first=Christopher |author-link=Christopher Peterson (psychologist) |date=16 May 2008 |title=What Is Positive Psychology, and What Is It Not? |url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-good-life/200805/what-is-positive-psychology-and-what-is-it-not |website=Psychology Today |access-date=11 July 2018}}</ref> or "the scientific study of positive human functioning and flourishing on multiple levels that include the biological, personal, relational, institutional, cultural, and global dimensions of life".{{ |
], Dale Mathews, David Larson, Jeffrey Levin, ] and ] are scholars to whom the foundation has provided funds to "report the positive relations" between ].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/blindfaithunholy00sloa|title=Blind faith: the unholy alliance of religion and medicine|last=Sloan|first=Richard P.|date=2006|publisher=New York : St. Martin's Press|others=Internet Archive|pages=60–63|isbn=9780312348816}}</ref> One field in which the foundation has been particularly supportive is ], as developed by ], ] and others.<ref name="UPenn"/> Positive psychology is "the scientific study of what makes life most worth living",<ref name="Peterson2008">{{cite web |last=Peterson |first=Christopher |author-link=Christopher Peterson (psychologist) |date=16 May 2008 |title=What Is Positive Psychology, and What Is It Not? |url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-good-life/200805/what-is-positive-psychology-and-what-is-it-not |website=Psychology Today |access-date=11 July 2018}}</ref> or "the scientific study of positive human functioning and flourishing on multiple levels that include the biological, personal, relational, institutional, cultural, and global dimensions of life".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Seligman |first1=Martin E. P. |author1-link=Martin Seligman |last2=Csikszentmihalyi |first2=Mihaly |author2-link=Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi |year=2000 |title=Positive Psychology: An Introduction |journal=American Psychologist |volume=55 |issue=1 |pages=5–14 |doi=10.1037/0003-066x.55.1.5 |pmid=11392865 |citeseerx=10.1.1.183.6660 |s2cid=14783574}} | ||
</ref> Positive psychology is concerned with ], "the good life", reflection about what holds the greatest value in life – the factors that contribute the most to a well-lived and fulfilling life. Positive psychology began as a new domain of psychology in 1998 when Seligman chose it as the theme for his term as president of the ].<ref name="Time">{{cite web |url=http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/images/TimeMagazine/Time-Happiness.pdf |title=Time Magazine's cover story in the special issue on "The Science of Happiness", 2005 |access-date=2011-02-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060711093607/http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/images/timemagazine/Time-Happiness.pdf |archive-date=2006-07-11 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Happier : learn the secrets to daily joy and lasting fulfillment|last=Tal.|first=Ben-Shahar|date=2007|publisher=McGraw-Hill|isbn=978-0071510967|location=New York|oclc=176182574}}</ref> | |||
====Scientific development of virtue interventions==== | ====Scientific development of virtue interventions==== | ||
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===Science education=== | ===Science education=== | ||
The foundation has provided grants in support of dialogue with scientists in synagogues,<ref name="Rubin"/> and a grant for advancing scientific literacy in ]s.<ref name="Fallon"/><ref name="Khan"/><ref name="Madrasa"/> | The foundation has provided grants in support of dialogue with scientists in synagogues,<ref name="Rubin"/> and a grant for advancing scientific literacy in ]s.<ref name="Fallon"/><ref name="Khan"/><ref name="Madrasa"/> It has also sponsored a major, multi-year, multi-million-dollar effort to integrate science education in North American seminaries, including Mainline Protestant, Evangelical Protestant, and Catholic and Orthodox institutions. | ||
===History=== | ===History=== | ||
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==Reception== | ==Reception== | ||
The foundation has received both praise and criticism for its awards. The ] (CNRS) has been critical of the foundation for funding "initiatives to bring science and religion closer together."<ref name=CNRS>{{cite web|title=La Fondation Templeton, les formes présentables du créationnisme philosophique : des initiatives "science et religions" pour dissoudre les limites entre le collectif et l'individuel, entre le public et le privé|url=http://www.cnrs.fr/cw/dossiers/dosevol/decouv/articles/chap1/lecointre5.html|author=Guillaume Lecointre|publisher=]}}</ref> Science journalist ], an atheist |
The foundation has received both praise and criticism for its awards. The ] (CNRS) has been critical of the foundation for funding "initiatives to bring science and religion closer together."<ref name=CNRS>{{cite web|title=La Fondation Templeton, les formes présentables du créationnisme philosophique : des initiatives "science et religions" pour dissoudre les limites entre le collectif et l'individuel, entre le public et le privé|url=http://www.cnrs.fr/cw/dossiers/dosevol/decouv/articles/chap1/lecointre5.html|author=Guillaume Lecointre|publisher=]}}</ref> Science journalist ], an atheist, received a 2010 Templeton-Cambridge Journalism Fellowship. In a 2010 article on his ''Discover'' magazine blog, Mooney wrote, "I can honestly say that I have found the lectures and presentations that we've heard here to be serious and stimulating. The same goes for the discussions that have followed them".<ref>{{cite web|last=Mooney|first=Chris|url=http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2010/06/07/science-and-religion-on-the-cam-part-i/#more-8792|title=Science and Religion on the Cam, Part I|website=Doscover|date=7 June 2010|access-date=3 March 2011|archive-date=10 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710134431/http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2010/06/07/science-and-religion-on-the-cam-part-i/#more-8792|url-status=dead}}</ref> | ||
Some scholars have expressed concerns about the nature of the awards, research projects, and publications backed by the foundation. These concerns include questioning its integrity, cronyism, and its Templeton Freedom Awards. Journalist Sunny Bains pointed out in 2011 that Templeton Freedom Awards are administered by the Atlas Economic Research Foundation, a group that opposes taking action on climate change and defends the tobacco industry, which also gives the foundation funding.<ref>Libby A. Nelson. . ''Inside Higher ED'': May 21, 2013</ref><ref>Josh Rosenau. . Science Blogs.</ref><ref>John Horgan. . Edge.org.</ref><ref>Sean Carroll. . Slate.com</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Bains|first=Sunny|date=2011|title=Questioning the Integrity of the John Templeton Foundation|journal=Evolutionary Psychology|volume=9|issue=1|pages=92–115|doi=10.1177/147470491100900111|pmid=22947958|doi-access=free|pmc=10480919}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2011/apr/06/prize-mug-martin-rees-templeton|title=Martin Rees and the Templeton travesty {{!}} Jerry Coyne|last=Coyne|first=Jerry|date=2011-04-06|newspaper=the Guardian|language=en|access-date=2018-04-08}}</ref> | |||
===Religious funding=== | ===Religious funding=== | ||
], physicist and 1995 Templeton Prize laureate, has defended the foundation's role in the scientific community.]] | ], physicist and 1995 Templeton Prize laureate, has defended the foundation's role in the scientific community.]] | ||
Critics have asserted that the foundation has supported Christian-oriented research in the field of the scientific ] |
Critics have asserted that the foundation has supported Christian-oriented research in the field of the scientific ].<ref name=Wiebe>{{cite journal|last=Wiebe|first=Donald|title=Religious Biases in Funding Religious Studies Research?|url=https://digilib.phil.muni.cz/bitstream/handle/11222.digilib/125290/2_Religio_17-2009-2_6.pdf|journal=Religio: Revue Pro Religionistiku|volume=XVII|number=2|year=2009|pages=125–140|issn=1210-3640}} p. 126.</ref> ''Wired'' magazine noted in 1999 that "the scientific-review and grant-award process at the Templeton Foundation is run by Charles Harper, an Oxford-trained planetary scientist specializing in star and planet formation who has a degree in theology. Harper himself is an Evangelical Christian; the scientists who apply to the foundation for support, though, are not required to state their religious beliefs, or to have any."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/1999/06/sir-john/|title=Sir John's Divine Gamble|magazine=]|first=Gary|last=Wolf|date=June 1, 1999}}</ref> In 2006, ], a 2005 Templeton-Cambridge fellow then working as a freelance science journalist, wrote in '']'' that he had enjoyed his fellowship, but felt guilty that by taking money from the foundation, he had contributed to the mingling of science with religion.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.johnhorgan.org/the_templeton_foundation__a_skeptic_s_take_52371.htm|title=The Templeton Foundation: A Skeptic's Take|publisher=John Horgan|date=7 April 2006|access-date=3 March 2011|archive-date=11 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110311223407/http://johnhorgan.org/the_templeton_foundation__a_skeptic_s_take_52371.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> Horgan stated "misgivings about the foundation's agenda of reconciling religion and science". He said that a conference he attended favored scientists who "offered a perspective clearly skewed in favor of religion and Christianity."<ref name="Edge Horgan">{{cite web|url=http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/horgan06/horgan06_index.html|title=The Templeton Foundation: A Skeptic's Take|last=Horgan|first=John|date=4 May 2006|website=Edge}}</ref> Horgan fears recipients of large grants from the foundation sometimes write what the foundation wants rather than what they believe.<ref name="Edge Horgan"/> ], in his 2006 book '']'', interprets Horgan as saying that "Templeton's money corrupts science", and characterizes the prize as going "usually to a scientist who is prepared to say something nice about religion".<ref name='GodDelusion'>{{cite book|last=Dawkins|first=Richard|title=The God Delusion|publisher=Black Swan|year=2006|location=UK|isbn=9780552773317|page=183}}</ref> Donald Wiebe, a scholar of ] at the ], similarly criticized the foundation in a 2009 article entitled ''Religious Biases in Funding Religious Studies Research?''. According to him, the foundation supports Christian bias in the field of religious studies, by deliberately imposing constraints to steer the results of the research.<ref name=Wiebe/> | ||
], physicist and 1995 Templeton Prize laureate, gave a defense of the foundation's role in the scientific community in the ''Times Higher Education Supplement'' in March 2005.<ref>{{cite web|title=Seeking inspiration in science|url=http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/seeking-inspiration-in-science/194642.article|date=11 March 2005|website=Times Higher Education}}</ref> In 2010, journalist ] |
], physicist and 1995 Templeton Prize laureate, gave a defense of the foundation's role in the scientific community in the ''Times Higher Education Supplement'' in March 2005.<ref>{{cite web|title=Seeking inspiration in science|url=http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/seeking-inspiration-in-science/194642.article|date=11 March 2005|website=Times Higher Education}}</ref> In 2010, journalist ] opined that "at worst, Templeton could be called heterodox and naïve".<ref name=schneider>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.thenation.com/article/god-science-and-philanthropy?page=full|title=God, Science and Philanthropy|newspaper=The Nation|date=3 June 2010|last1=Schneider|first1=Nathan|access-date=3 March 2011|archive-date=11 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190211190640/http://www.thenation.com/article/god-science-and-philanthropy?page=full|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2011, the science journal ''Nature'' took note of the ongoing controversy among scientists over working with Templeton.<ref name="Nature2011"/> ], ] evolutionary biologist, told ''Nature'' writer Mitchell Waldrop that the foundation's purpose is to eliminate the wall between religion and science, and to use science's prestige to validate religion. Other scientists, including Foundation grantees like University of Chicago psychologist John Cacioppo and Anthony Aguirre, a University of California—Santa Cruz astrophysicist, told ''Nature'' that they have never felt pressured by Templeton to spin their research toward religion-friendly conclusions.<ref name="Nature2011"/> | ||
Sunny Bains of ] Faculty of Engineering Science claimed that there is "evidence of cronyism (especially in the awarding in those million-dollar-plus Templeton prizes), a misleading attempt to move away from using religious language (without changing the religious agenda), the funding of right-wing anti-science groups".<ref>{{cite web|last=Bains|first=Sunny|title=Keeping an eye on the John Templeton Foundation|date=6 April 2011|url=https://www.absw.org.uk/news-and-events/news/keeping-an-eye-on-the-john-templeton-foundation}}</ref> Bains feels that grants from the foundation "blur the line between science and religion". Bains' claims have been disputed by Josh Rosenau of the ], who wrote that "the story wrote is not convincing", stating that "ey assertions are couched in equivocal language that relies on her judgment or her assumptions, not on any evidence offered to the reader", and that "bvious opportunities for detailed investigation – financial records, grantmaking decisions, interviews with Templeton staff, interviews with grantees, examination of correspondence between grantees and Templeton – are entirely absent".<ref>{{cite web|last=Rosenau|first=Josh|url=http://scienceblogs.com/tfk/2011/03/how_bad_is_the_templeton_found.php|title=How bad is the Templeton Foundation? – Thoughts from Kansas|publisher=Scienceblogs.com|date=5 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120502174515/http://scienceblogs.com/tfk/2011/03/how_bad_is_the_templeton_found.php|archive-date=2 May 2012}}</ref> | |||
===Intelligent design=== | ===Intelligent design=== | ||
A 2007 article in the '']'' described the foundation as having "drawn criticism for its early support of intelligent design" |
A 2007 article in the '']'' described the foundation as having "drawn criticism for its early support of intelligent design".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Iritani |first1=Evelyn |title=Testing the role of trust and values in financial decisions |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-jan-21-fi-values21-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |date=21 January 2007}}</ref> Charles L. Harper Jr., a former senior vice president of the foundation, told '']'' in 2005 that the foundation had become one of the "principal critics" of the intelligent design movement and funded projects that challenged that movement.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_48/b3961617.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051125080842/http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_48/b3961617.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 25, 2005 |title=Bloomberg Business |magazine=Businessweek.com |access-date=2015-03-08}}</ref> Harper Jr. told ''The New York Times'' the same year: "From the point of view of rigor and intellectual seriousness, the intelligent design people don't come out very well in our world of scientific review".<ref name=NYT2005/> | ||
Some organizations funded by the foundation in the 1990s gave book-writing grants to ] and to ], proponents of ] who later joined the ].<ref name="Nature2011"/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Dembski |first1=William A. |title=Being as Communion: A Metaphysics of Information |date=2016 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781317175445 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8wYHDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT18 |language=en}}</ref> The foundation also gave money directly to the Discovery Institute which in turn passed it through to Baylor University, which used the funds to support Dembski's salary at its short-lived ].<ref name=Trojan>{{cite book |last1=Forrest |first1=Barbara |last2=Gross |first2=Paul R. |title=Creationism's Trojan Horse: The Wedge of Intelligent Design |date=2007 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780195319736 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7mMSDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA306 |language=en}}</ref>{{rp|306}}<ref name=wedgeatwork>{{cite news |last1=Gross |first1=Barbara |title=The Wedge at Work |url=https://ncse.com/creationism/analysis/wedge-at-work |work=NCSE |date=3 December 2008 |language=en}}</ref> The foundation funded projects by ], associate director of the center, after the center was dissolved.<ref>{{cite news |title=Final In Series Of Science And Faith Lectures To Be Held April 22–23 |url=https://www.baylor.edu/mediacommunications/news.php?action=story&story=7161 |work=Media Communications {{!}} Baylor University |date=19 April 2004}}</ref> Some media outlets described the foundation as a supporter of intelligent design during the '']'' litigation in the mid-2000s, a charge which the foundation denied.<ref name="Nature2011"/> The foundation "explicitly warns intelligent-design researchers not to bother submitting proposals: they will not be considered."<ref name="Nature2011"/><ref name=NYT2005>{{cite news |last1=Goodstein |first1=Laurie |title=Intelligent Design Might Be Meeting Its Maker |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/04/weekinreview/intelligent-design-might-be-meeting-its-maker.html |work=New York Times |date=December 4, 2005 |language=en}}</ref> | Some organizations funded by the foundation in the 1990s gave book-writing grants to ] and to ], proponents of ] who later joined the ].<ref name="Nature2011"/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Dembski |first1=William A. |title=Being as Communion: A Metaphysics of Information |date=2016 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781317175445 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8wYHDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT18 |language=en}}</ref> The foundation also gave money directly to the Discovery Institute which in turn passed it through to Baylor University, which used the funds to support Dembski's salary at its short-lived ].<ref name=Trojan>{{cite book |last1=Forrest |first1=Barbara |last2=Gross |first2=Paul R. |title=Creationism's Trojan Horse: The Wedge of Intelligent Design |date=2007 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780195319736 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7mMSDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA306 |language=en}}</ref>{{rp|306}}<ref name=wedgeatwork>{{cite news |last1=Gross |first1=Barbara |title=The Wedge at Work |url=https://ncse.com/creationism/analysis/wedge-at-work |work=NCSE |date=3 December 2008 |language=en}}</ref> The foundation funded projects by ], associate director of the center, after the center was dissolved.<ref>{{cite news |title=Final In Series Of Science And Faith Lectures To Be Held April 22–23 |url=https://www.baylor.edu/mediacommunications/news.php?action=story&story=7161 |work=Media Communications {{!}} Baylor University |date=19 April 2004}}</ref> Some media outlets described the foundation as a supporter of intelligent design during the '']'' litigation in the mid-2000s, a charge which the foundation denied.<ref name="Nature2011"/> The foundation "explicitly warns intelligent-design researchers not to bother submitting proposals: they will not be considered."<ref name="Nature2011"/><ref name=NYT2005>{{cite news |last1=Goodstein |first1=Laurie |title=Intelligent Design Might Be Meeting Its Maker |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/04/weekinreview/intelligent-design-might-be-meeting-its-maker.html |work=New York Times |date=December 4, 2005 |language=en}}</ref> | ||
Line 247: | Line 247: | ||
===Conservatism=== | ===Conservatism=== | ||
A number of journalists have highlighted connections with conservative causes. A 1997 article in '']'' said the foundation had given a significant amount of financial support to groups, causes and individuals considered ], including gifts to ], ], ], ] and ], and called John Templeton Jr. a "sugar daddy" for such thinkers.<ref>{{cite web|last=Plotz |first=David |url=http://www.slate.com/id/1822/ |title=God's Venture Capitalist |publisher=Slate.com |date=1997-06-08 |access-date=2015-03-08}}</ref> The foundation also has a history of supporting the ], a ] think-tank, as well as projects at major research centers and universities such as ]'s ] and the ], which is described as "a nonprofit organization that designs and manages ]s intended to encourage technological development that could benefit humanity". | A number of journalists have highlighted connections with conservative causes. A 1997 article in '']'' written by ] said the foundation had given a significant amount of financial support to groups, causes and individuals considered ], including gifts to ], ], ], ] and ], and called John Templeton Jr. a "sugar daddy" for such thinkers.<ref>{{cite web|last=Plotz |first=David |url=http://www.slate.com/id/1822/ |title=God's Venture Capitalist |publisher=Slate.com |date=1997-06-08 |access-date=2015-03-08}}</ref> The foundation also has a history of supporting the ], a ] think-tank and ] ] think-tank,<ref name="Dembicki">{{cite news |last1=Dembicki |first1=Jeff |title=How a conservative US network undermined Indigenous energy rights in Canada |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jul/18/conservative-us-network-undermined-indigenous-energy-rights-in-canada |access-date=25 July 2022 |work=the Guardian |date=18 July 2022 |language=en}}</ref> as well as projects at major research centers and universities such as ]'s ] and the ], which is described as "a nonprofit organization that designs and manages ]s intended to encourage technological development that could benefit humanity". | ||
In a 2007 article in '']'' ] drew attention to the foundation's former president John M. Templeton Jr. funding of the conservative group ], and referred to the foundation as a "right-wing venture".<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/john-templetons-universe|title=John Templeton's Universe |journal=The Nation |date=2007-10-10 |access-date=2022-09-29|last1=Ehrenreich |first1=Barbara }}</ref> Pamela Thompson, former Vice President of Communications of the foundation, replied that "the Foundation is, and always has been, run in accordance with the wishes of Sir John Templeton Sr, who laid very strict criteria for its mission and approach", that it is "a non-political entity with no religious bias" and it "is totally independent of any other organisation and therefore neither endorses, nor contributes to political candidates, campaigns, or movements of any kind".<ref>{{cite web|title=The Right's Academic Universe|url=http://ehrenreich.blogs.com/barbaras_blog/2007/10/the-rights-acad.html|access-date=1 October 2015}}</ref> | |||
== Climate change denial == | |||
] sociologist ] listed the foundation as among the largest financial contributors to the ] movement between 2003 and 2010.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/meet-the-money-behind-the-climate-denial-movement-180948204/|title=Meet the Money Behind the Climate Denial Movement|first=Colin|last=Schultz|date=December 23, 2013|magazine=Smithsonian|access-date=June 10, 2019}}</ref> | |||
==Templeton Press== | ==Templeton Press== | ||
The foundation also funds an affiliated ], Templeton Press,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.templetonpress.org|title=Going beyond books to explore our place in the universe|publisher=Templeton Press}}</ref> which from 2004 to 2010 published the periodical ''In Character: A Journal of Everyday Virtues''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://incharacter.org|title=In Character, A Journal of Everyday Virtues by the John Templeton Foundation|publisher=Incharacter.org}}</ref> From 2000 to 2003 it published ''Research news & opportunities in science and theology'',<ref>{{cite book |title=Research news & opportunities in science and theology. |publisher=WorldCat |language=en |date=2000|oclc=44423629 }}</ref> in which ] published a piece on the state of "design theory" in the aftermath of the ] affair.<ref name=Trojan/>{{rp|378}}<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gordon |first1=Bruce |title=Intelligent Design Movement Struggles with Identity Crisis |journal=Research News & Opportunities in Science and Theology |date=January 2001 |page=9 |url=https://www.asa3.org/ASA/topics/Apologetics/ResearchNews1-01Gordon.html }}</ref> Templeton Press has a partnership with the ], producing books on character and |
The foundation also funds an affiliated ], Templeton Press,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.templetonpress.org|title=Going beyond books to explore our place in the universe|publisher=Templeton Press}}</ref> which from 2004 to 2010 published the periodical ''In Character: A Journal of Everyday Virtues''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://incharacter.org|title=In Character, A Journal of Everyday Virtues by the John Templeton Foundation|publisher=Incharacter.org}}</ref> From 2000 to 2003 it published ''Research news & opportunities in science and theology'',<ref>{{cite book |title=Research news & opportunities in science and theology. |publisher=WorldCat |language=en |date=2000|oclc=44423629 }}</ref> in which ] published a piece on the state of "design theory" in the aftermath of the ] affair.<ref name=Trojan/>{{rp|378}}<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gordon |first1=Bruce |title=Intelligent Design Movement Struggles with Identity Crisis |journal=Research News & Opportunities in Science and Theology |date=January 2001 |page=9 |url=https://www.asa3.org/ASA/topics/Apologetics/ResearchNews1-01Gordon.html }}</ref> Templeton Press has a partnership with the ], producing books on character and Foundational Questions in Science.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.templetonpress.org/blog/yale-university-press-and-templeton-press-present-new-series-foundational-questions-science|title=Yale University Press and Templeton Press Present A New Series: Foundational Questions in Science|date=January 27, 2015}}</ref> | ||
==References== | ==References== |
Latest revision as of 22:38, 23 December 2024
American philanthropic organizationFormation | 1987; 38 years ago (1987) |
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Founder | John Templeton |
Headquarters | West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania |
Fields |
|
Official language | English |
President | Heather Templeton Dill |
Revenue | $30.2 million (2016) |
Expenses | $182.2 million (2016) |
Endowment | $3.9 billion |
Website | templeton |
The John Templeton Foundation (Templeton Foundation) is a philanthropic organization founded by John Templeton in 1987. Templeton became wealthy as a contrarian investor, and wanted to support progress in religious and spiritual knowledge, especially at the intersection of religion and science. He also sought to fund research on methods to promote and develop moral character, intelligence, and creativity in people, and to promote free markets. In 2008, the foundation was awarded the National Humanities Medal. In 2016, Inside Philanthropy called it "the oddest—or most interesting—big foundation around."
Templeton was chairman until he died in 2008. Templeton's son, John Templeton Jr., was its president from its founding until his death in 2015, at which point Templeton Jr.'s daughter, Heather Templeton Dill, became president. The foundation administers the annual Templeton Prize for achievements in the field of spirituality, including those at the intersection of science and religion. It has an extensive grant-funding program (around $150 million per year as of 2016) aimed at supporting research in physics, biology, psychology, and the social sciences as well as philosophy and theology. It also supports programs related to genetics, "exceptional cognitive talent and genius" and "individual freedom and free markets". The foundation receives both praise and criticism for its awards, regarding the breadth of its coverage, and ideological perspectives asserted to be associated with them.
Leadership
John Templeton (29 November 1912 – 8 July 2008) was an American-born British investor, banker, fund manager, and philanthropist. In 1954, he entered the mutual fund market and created the Templeton Growth Fund.
John Templeton Jr. was president of the foundation from its inception in 1987 and worked as a pediatric surgeon; he was chief of pediatric surgery at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia in 1995, when he stopped practicing medicine to join the foundation. He took over as chairman when his father died. He was an evangelical Christian and supported various American conservative causes. He always maintained that he tried to run the foundation according to his father's wishes instead of his own. He died in 2015.
Heather Templeton Dill, the daughter of John Templeton Jr., became president in 2015.
Endowment
Templeton bequeathed around $500 million to the foundation when he died in 2008. As of 2015 the foundation's total endowment had grown to $3.34 billion. The foundation reports that it has issued over 3,300 grants, with over 2,800 of those going to recipients in North America. In 2016, the foundation disbursed over $151,000,000 in grants.
Prizes
Main article: Templeton PrizeThe Templeton Prize was established by John Templeton and he administered the prize until the foundation was established in 1987, which took it over. The prize has "a value of about $1.7 million, making it one of the world’s largest annual awards given to an individual".
The early prizes were given solely to people who had made great achievements in the field of religion; Mother Teresa received the inaugural award in 1973, with other early winners including Sir Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1975), Chiara Lubich (1977), and Nikkyō Niwano (1979). In the 1980s, John Templeton began considering the intersection of science and religion, and after he appointed two scientists to the judging panel, scientists who worked at the intersection began receiving it; Alister Hardy was the first, in 1987. More recent winners of the Templeton Prize have included the Dalai Lama in 2012, King Abdullah II of Jordan in 2018, Brazilian Jewish physicist and astronomer Marcelo Gleiser in 2019, and primatologist Jane Goodall in 2021.
Grants
Templeton "was a great believer in progress, learning, initiative and the power of human imagination—not to mention the free-enterprise system". While most of its funding goes to topics in science, philosophy, and religion, around 40 percent of its annual grants go to character development, genius, freedom, free enterprise, and fields associated with classical liberalism. Grants are given to people across all religions since Templeton believed progress in the field of spirituality could come from anywhere. The field of grants was broadened in the 1980s to include scientific fields like neuroscience, psychology, and cosmology, seen as being aligned with the mission.
Some research programs supported by the foundation included the development of positive psychology by Martin Seligman, Angela Duckworth and others; the Black Hole Initiative at Harvard University; the Gen2Gen Encore Prize; the World Science Festival; Pew religious demographics surveys; and programs that engage with Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant traditions, including support for dialogue with scientists in synagogues, and a grant for advancing scientific literacy in madrasas.
As of 2015, the foundation awarded nearly a billion dollars in grants and charitable contributions and was the 55th largest grantor among American foundations.
The top ten largest grants as of 2018 were:
Project | Applicants | Institution | Amount |
---|---|---|---|
Science for Seminaries: Phase II | Jennifer Wiseman, Se Kim | American Association for the Advancement of Science | $6,182,109 |
Character Lab Research Network: Revolutionizing Research on Character Development | Angela Duckworth, Sean Talamas | The Character Lab | $3,717,258 |
Doing Development Differently | Matt Warner, Brad Lips | Atlas Economic Research Foundation | $3,095,213 |
Freedom Forum Global Expansion | Thor Halvorssen, Alex Gladstein | Human Rights Foundation | $3,074,788 |
Small-Scale Fundamental Physics Block Grant | Gerald Gabrielse | Northwestern University | $3,000,000 |
Epigenetic Diagnostics for Preventative Medicine | Michael Skinner | Washington State University | $2,936,242 |
Exploring the Informational Transitions Bridging Simple Chemistry and Minimal Life | Sarah Walker, Paul Davies | Arizona State University Foundation for a New American University | $2,904,374 |
Spiritual Exemplars: A Global Project on Engaged Spirituality | Donald Miller, Megan Sweas | University of Southern California | $2,783,594 |
Reasoning in moral thought and action | Liane Young, Fiery Cushman | Boston College Trustees | $2,743,961 |
Character Strength Interventions in Adolescents: Engaging Scholars and Practitioners to Promote Virtue Development | Sarah Schnitker, Benjamin Houltberg | Fuller Theological Seminary | $2,616,085 |
Project | Applicants | Institution | Year | Amount |
---|---|---|---|---|
Putting the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis to the Test | Kevin Laland, Tobias Uller | University of St Andrews | 2016 | $7,480,634 |
Gratitude Britain | James Arthur | University of Birmingham | 2012 | $8,514,979 |
Landmark Spirituality and Health Survey | Neal Krause | University of Michigan | 2013 | $8,028,154 |
Service Britain | James Arthur | University of Birmingham | 2015 | $7,940,543 |
The Black Hole Initiative: Towards a Center for Interdisciplinary Research | Sheperd Doeleman, Abraham Loeb | Harvard University | 2016 | $7,204,252 |
Nautilus Media | John Steele | Nautilus Ventures, LLC | 2012 | $7,127,212 |
Intellectual Humility in Public Discourse | Michael Lynch, Brendan Kane | University of Connecticut | 2016 | $6,054,682 |
Transformative Britain | James Arthur | University of Birmingham | 2017 | $5,747,960 |
Advancing the Science of Imagination: Toward an "Imagination Quotient" | Martin Seligman, Scott Barry Kaufman | Imagination Institute | 2014 | $5,647,094 |
New Frontiers in Astronomy and Cosmology | Don York | The University of Chicago | 2012 | $5,559,107 |
Project | Amount |
---|---|
Foundational Questions in Evolutionary Biology | $10,500,000 |
Foundational Questions in Physics and Cosmology | $8,812,078 |
The SEVEN Fund: Enterprise Based Solutions to Poverty | $8,742,911 |
Establishing an Institute for Research on Unlimited Love | $8,210,000 |
The Purpose Prize for Social Innovators Over the Age of 60 | $8,148,322 |
Templeton–Cambridge Journalism Fellowships and Seminars in Science and Religion | $6,187,971 |
Accelerating Progress at the Interface of Positive Psychology and Neuroscience | $5,816,793 |
AAAS Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion | $5,351,707 |
Promoting a Culture of Generosity, Part I: Feature Film | $5,000,000 |
Promoting a Culture of Generosity, Part II: The Philanthropy Channel | $5,000,000 |
Physics
QISS (Quantum Information Structure of Spacetime)
The John Templeton Foundation granted over two million dollars in 2019, and then 4.5 million dollars in 2022 to QISS. The QISS consortium brings together specialists from quantum gravity, quantum information, foundations of quantum mechanics, as well Philosophy of Science to the physics of quantum spacetime on an information theoretical basis, bring within reach empirical access to quantum gravity phenomenology leveraging rapidly advancing quantum technologies, and promote interactions between physicists and philosophers. The broader goal of QISS is to establish a long-term research program that brings together represented communities. Marios Christodoulou and Carlo Rovelli are the project leaders.
Black Hole Initiative
In 2016, the foundation granted over seven million dollars to the Black Hole Initiative (BHI), an interdisciplinary program at Harvard University that includes the fields of Astronomy, Physics and Philosophy, and is said to be the first center in the world to focus on the study of black holes. Notable principal participants include Sheperd Doeleman, Peter Galison, Avi Loeb, Ramesh Narayan, Andrew Strominger, and Shing-Tung Yau. The BHI Inauguration was held on 18 April 2016 and was attended by Stephen Hawking; related workshop events were held on 19 April 2016.
Complexity at the Santa Fe Institute
In 2015, the Santa Fe Institute was awarded a three-year, $2.5 million grant to support the development of a general theory of complexity, constituting "a concise, parsimonious, and potentially mathematizable framework for understanding complex adaptive systems".
Biology and human development
In 2016, the foundation awarded $5.4 million to the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution (FfAME) to study the origin of life on Earth, particularly investigating questions of how early RNA interacted with water, which is necessary for life but also degrades RNA, and how the introduction of energy to organic materials yielded life rather than turning it into tar. The project is headed by molecular biophysicist and chemist Steven A. Benner. The foundation also awarded an $8 million grant to a program examining a theory in evolutionary biology called extended evolutionary synthesis. This project is headed by evolutionary biologist Kevin Laland.
Several grants specifically supported inquiry into various aspects of human evolution. A 2014 grant of $4.9 million supports an effort at Arizona State University by paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson to explore how we became human, and a $3.2 million grant to Indiana University and the Stone Age Institute supports the study of "what factors led human ancestors to develop skills like making tools, developing language, and seeking out information".
In March 2019, the foundation provided the bulk of a group of grants adding up to over $7 million to enable the Institute for Interdisciplinary Brain and Behavioral Science (The Brain Institute) at Chapman University to examine "how the human brain enables conscious control of decisions and actions".
A grant from the foundation supports a study of religion and health conducted by Tyler VanderWeele of Harvard University. VanderWeele is the John L. Loeb and Frances Lehman Loeb Professor of Epidemiology in the Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and co-director the University's Initiative on Health, Religion and Spirituality. His research has focused on the application of causal inference to epidemiology, as well as on the relationship between religion and health.
In June 2019, the foundation awarded one of its largest grants to the Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School for its Ancient DNA Atlas project that seeks to sequence the DNA of ancient human remains to tell the story of human migration and development through the addition of DNA sequences of 10,000 individuals spanning 50,000 years. The funding was used to solve a riddle that had puzzled historians, classicists, linguists, anthropologists and archaeologists for 200 years - whether the bulk of the European civilization had arrived from Anatolia or the Pontic Steppes of Central Asia, and how Indo-European languages spread over an enormous geographical area from Britain to India, becoming the largest linguistic group today.
The funding was used to embrace a multi-disciplinary approach and crowd-sourced results before the final manuscripts were completed, receiving commentary and feedback from academics of various institutions on several continents, according to geneticist David Reich, lead researcher on the project. The study was also funded by the governments of the US, Russia, Germany (Max Planck Institute), European Union and India. Results have been published in Science and Cell.
Social sciences
Pew Research Center
Main article: Pew Research CenterThe Pew Research Center, an American fact tank or research organization, has been "jointly and generously funded" by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the foundation for its studies focusing on demographics of religions in the world, part of the series entitled Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures.
Center on Religion and Chinese Society
The Center on Religion and Chinese Society of the Purdue University in Indiana is funded by the foundation. The current director of the center, the Chinese American Christian scholar Fenggang Yang, has been granted more than $9.5 million to support his projects, The center has published research on religion in China, especially based on Yang's own theory of the so-called "religious market", with speculations were based on a report of the Pew Research Center, another publication backed by the foundation. Some scholars of Chinese religion have criticized Yang's sociological theories about religion in China, although the New York Times has referred to Yang as "a pioneer in the study of the sociology of religion in China", and the Wall Street Journal has deemed him a "leading scholar on Chinese church-society relation".
Psychology
Positive psychology, religion and medicine
Harold G. Koenig, Dale Mathews, David Larson, Jeffrey Levin, Herbert Benson and Michael McCullough are scholars to whom the foundation has provided funds to "report the positive relations" between religion and medicine. One field in which the foundation has been particularly supportive is positive psychology, as developed by Martin Seligman, Angela Duckworth and others. Positive psychology is "the scientific study of what makes life most worth living", or "the scientific study of positive human functioning and flourishing on multiple levels that include the biological, personal, relational, institutional, cultural, and global dimensions of life". Positive psychology is concerned with eudaimonia, "the good life", reflection about what holds the greatest value in life – the factors that contribute the most to a well-lived and fulfilling life. Positive psychology began as a new domain of psychology in 1998 when Seligman chose it as the theme for his term as president of the American Psychological Association.
Scientific development of virtue interventions
In 2019, the foundation awarded $2.6 million grant to Sarah Schnitker of Baylor University and Benjamin Houltberg of the University of Southern California to "galvanize widespread scientific development of virtue interventions for adolescents across a diversity of contexts".
A grant from the foundation supports a study of religion and health conducted by Tyler VanderWeele of Harvard University. VanderWeele is the John L. Loeb and Frances Lehman Loeb Professor of Epidemiology in the Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and co-director the University's Initiative on Health, Religion and Spirituality. His research has focused on the application of causal inference to epidemiology, as well as on the relationship between religion and health.
Science education
The foundation has provided grants in support of dialogue with scientists in synagogues, and a grant for advancing scientific literacy in madrasas. It has also sponsored a major, multi-year, multi-million-dollar effort to integrate science education in North American seminaries, including Mainline Protestant, Evangelical Protestant, and Catholic and Orthodox institutions.
History
The foundation provided funding for the book Galileo Goes to Jail and Other Myths about Science and Religion, which was edited by historian of science Ronald Numbers.
Reception
The foundation has received both praise and criticism for its awards. The French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) has been critical of the foundation for funding "initiatives to bring science and religion closer together." Science journalist Chris Mooney, an atheist, received a 2010 Templeton-Cambridge Journalism Fellowship. In a 2010 article on his Discover magazine blog, Mooney wrote, "I can honestly say that I have found the lectures and presentations that we've heard here to be serious and stimulating. The same goes for the discussions that have followed them".
Some scholars have expressed concerns about the nature of the awards, research projects, and publications backed by the foundation. These concerns include questioning its integrity, cronyism, and its Templeton Freedom Awards. Journalist Sunny Bains pointed out in 2011 that Templeton Freedom Awards are administered by the Atlas Economic Research Foundation, a group that opposes taking action on climate change and defends the tobacco industry, which also gives the foundation funding.
Religious funding
Critics have asserted that the foundation has supported Christian-oriented research in the field of the scientific study of religions. Wired magazine noted in 1999 that "the scientific-review and grant-award process at the Templeton Foundation is run by Charles Harper, an Oxford-trained planetary scientist specializing in star and planet formation who has a degree in theology. Harper himself is an Evangelical Christian; the scientists who apply to the foundation for support, though, are not required to state their religious beliefs, or to have any." In 2006, John Horgan, a 2005 Templeton-Cambridge fellow then working as a freelance science journalist, wrote in The Chronicle of Higher Education that he had enjoyed his fellowship, but felt guilty that by taking money from the foundation, he had contributed to the mingling of science with religion. Horgan stated "misgivings about the foundation's agenda of reconciling religion and science". He said that a conference he attended favored scientists who "offered a perspective clearly skewed in favor of religion and Christianity." Horgan fears recipients of large grants from the foundation sometimes write what the foundation wants rather than what they believe. Richard Dawkins, in his 2006 book The God Delusion, interprets Horgan as saying that "Templeton's money corrupts science", and characterizes the prize as going "usually to a scientist who is prepared to say something nice about religion". Donald Wiebe, a scholar of religious studies at the University of Toronto, similarly criticized the foundation in a 2009 article entitled Religious Biases in Funding Religious Studies Research?. According to him, the foundation supports Christian bias in the field of religious studies, by deliberately imposing constraints to steer the results of the research.
Paul Davies, physicist and 1995 Templeton Prize laureate, gave a defense of the foundation's role in the scientific community in the Times Higher Education Supplement in March 2005. In 2010, journalist Nathan Schneider opined that "at worst, Templeton could be called heterodox and naïve". In 2011, the science journal Nature took note of the ongoing controversy among scientists over working with Templeton. Jerry Coyne, University of Chicago evolutionary biologist, told Nature writer Mitchell Waldrop that the foundation's purpose is to eliminate the wall between religion and science, and to use science's prestige to validate religion. Other scientists, including Foundation grantees like University of Chicago psychologist John Cacioppo and Anthony Aguirre, a University of California—Santa Cruz astrophysicist, told Nature that they have never felt pressured by Templeton to spin their research toward religion-friendly conclusions.
Intelligent design
A 2007 article in the Los Angeles Times described the foundation as having "drawn criticism for its early support of intelligent design". Charles L. Harper Jr., a former senior vice president of the foundation, told BusinessWeek in 2005 that the foundation had become one of the "principal critics" of the intelligent design movement and funded projects that challenged that movement. Harper Jr. told The New York Times the same year: "From the point of view of rigor and intellectual seriousness, the intelligent design people don't come out very well in our world of scientific review".
Some organizations funded by the foundation in the 1990s gave book-writing grants to Guillermo Gonzalez and to William Dembski, proponents of intelligent design who later joined the Discovery Institute. The foundation also gave money directly to the Discovery Institute which in turn passed it through to Baylor University, which used the funds to support Dembski's salary at its short-lived Michael Polanyi Center. The foundation funded projects by Bruce L. Gordon, associate director of the center, after the center was dissolved. Some media outlets described the foundation as a supporter of intelligent design during the Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District litigation in the mid-2000s, a charge which the foundation denied. The foundation "explicitly warns intelligent-design researchers not to bother submitting proposals: they will not be considered."
In March 2009, the Discovery Institute accused the foundation of blocking its involvement in Biological Evolution: Facts and Theories, a Vatican-backed, Templeton-funded conference in Rome. On the lack of involvement of any speakers supporting intelligent design, the conference director Rev. Marc Leclerc said, "We think that it's not a scientific perspective, nor a theological or philosophical one ... This makes a dialogue difficult, maybe impossible". In 2011, The Times stated that the Templeton Prize is "explicitly critical of such pseudoscientific gibberish as intelligent design".
Conservatism
A number of journalists have highlighted connections with conservative causes. A 1997 article in Slate written by David Plotz said the foundation had given a significant amount of financial support to groups, causes and individuals considered conservative, including gifts to Gertrude Himmelfarb, Milton Friedman, Walter E. Williams, Julian Lincoln Simon and Mary Lefkowitz, and called John Templeton Jr. a "sugar daddy" for such thinkers. The foundation also has a history of supporting the Cato Institute, a libertarian think-tank and The Heritage Foundation conservative think-tank, as well as projects at major research centers and universities such as Hernando de Soto's Instituto Libertad Y Democracia and the X Prize Foundation, which is described as "a nonprofit organization that designs and manages public competitions intended to encourage technological development that could benefit humanity".
In a 2007 article in The Nation Barbara Ehrenreich drew attention to the foundation's former president John M. Templeton Jr. funding of the conservative group Freedom's Watch, and referred to the foundation as a "right-wing venture". Pamela Thompson, former Vice President of Communications of the foundation, replied that "the Foundation is, and always has been, run in accordance with the wishes of Sir John Templeton Sr, who laid very strict criteria for its mission and approach", that it is "a non-political entity with no religious bias" and it "is totally independent of any other organisation and therefore neither endorses, nor contributes to political candidates, campaigns, or movements of any kind".
Climate change denial
Drexel University sociologist Robert Brulle listed the foundation as among the largest financial contributors to the climate change denial movement between 2003 and 2010.
Templeton Press
The foundation also funds an affiliated publisher, Templeton Press, which from 2004 to 2010 published the periodical In Character: A Journal of Everyday Virtues. From 2000 to 2003 it published Research news & opportunities in science and theology, in which Bruce L. Gordon published a piece on the state of "design theory" in the aftermath of the Michael Polanyi Center affair. Templeton Press has a partnership with the Yale University Press, producing books on character and Foundational Questions in Science.
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