The Bonchek Institute

The Bonchek Institute for Reason and Science in a Liberal Democracy seeks to foster an appreciation of the importance of reason, skepticism, and the scientific method in maintaining a liberal democracy - which means, briefly, one in which the individual’s liberties are protected from a tyranny of the majority.

The Institute was founded in 2000 by College Trustee Lawrence Bonchek, M.D., P'91, and his wife Rita Bonchek, Ph.D., P '91, because of their concern that a lack of public understanding of the scientific method poses a specific threat to the continuation of America’s success as a liberal democracy.

The Institute supports student and faculty research, and sponsors public programs and lectures that introduce students and the broader community to the role of rational thought and the scientific method in the study and discussion of major social, economic, and political questions.