Intellectual Takeout

terrible!!! This is a one sided organization that has a hidden agenda.

It is hard to capture my enthusiasm for ITO in a few lines. It is working in a vital area, and doing it with creativity and vigor. The staff is simply superb. Dwight and his team are the best educational non-profit people I have ever worked with, and are doing an incredibly good job. These folks are really the best. I am on 6 other boards. None has the talent, organization and leadership of Intellectual Takeout.

Marschall Smith
Retired SVP, 3M Company and Archer Daniels Midland Co,

For several decades now, students in most liberal arts programs, even at the best colleges, have been receiving an incomplete education. Incomplete because of an academic orthodoxy that eschews knowledge for “critical thinking” and skips most of the intellectual tradition of Western civilization in order to focus on topical studies from a fairly slanted social and political viewpoint. Intellectual Takeout is one of the very few places where a student can go for big gulps of the great ideas, presented direct from primary sources and with thoughtful analysis and application to current issues. Those of us no longer in college and less worried about the next term paper or final exam may benefit even more from ITO. At our leisure, we can read background on subjects we want to know more about, contrast opposing and alternative viewpoints, and compare notes with other interested ITO users on social media. As a director, I know that ITO has a huge following on Facebook and continues to reach more and more users. But I have been most impressed with the examples of individuals who write to confess that ITO has opened their minds to contrary arguments – and maybe even changed their thinking in certain ways. That is no small accomplishment.

Intellectual Take-Out fills an important niche in the ecology of American higher education. Increasingly college and university courses tell only one side of stories that have many sides. Or, if they tell more than one side, they treat the other sides as foils for presenting the preferred view. ITO offers an antidote: a rounded collection of views on the sorts of topics that students encounter in today's college curricula.

Students who turn to ITO are often surprised by the degree of disinterestedness shown by the editors. ITO doesn't engage in activist advocacy. Instead it presents the full spectrum of scholarship and public information on the topics it addresses. ITO doesn't attempt to cover every topic. Rather it has built its website a topic at a time, preferring depth and quality over mere range. But gradually it has built up a very substantial collection of topics.

My organization, the National Association of Scholars, has worked with ITO via its "Ask a Scholar" feature, and I've had many occasions to use the site myself. It is far more reliable than, say, Wikipedia, in its treatment of controversial topics. You don't get the censorship of views that transgress political correctness at ITO. One result is that you see students who clearly disagree with some of the positions posted on ITO who become enthusiastic supporters of it.

Our universities today tend to be more partisan than ever before, and partisan on one side of the political spectrum. ITO isn't a cure for that partisanship but it is a corrective for some of its worst excesses.

ITO was the brain child of a 20 something year old over a decade ago. Simply said, he wanted to understand all sides of topics of interest of the day. The question was posed, "How can you make an intelligent decision about anything if you don't understand all sides of the issues"? That simple, basic question, was the beginning of the trail to the IntellectualTakeout.org that we know today.

Intellectual Takeout is an incredible tool for anyone that has even the slightest appetite for knowledge about issues that effect the world everyday. From "Global Warming" to the IRS targeting specific groups that perhaps do not see eye to eye with the current administration (regardless of the party affiliation).

With the advent of Google, Wikipedia and other online information sources, the ability to be "informed" is easier than ever, but it's Intellectual Takeout which separates the "wheat from the chaff" on the information super-highway. Whether you have 5 min or 5 hours, Intellectual Takeout can give you a snapshot or an in-depth analysis of the most relevant topics of the day. I find myself often running to Intellectualtakeout.org to make sure I fully understand an issue that may be dominating the airwaves. It is the most useful site on the internet today to remain informed in this ever changing world.

What makes ITO a stand-out is its belief in, and understanding of, the strong connection between culture and politics. It's recognition that there are many top-notch organizations tackling politics and policy issues but few engaging the public in meaningful dialogue around the cultural, historical and moral issues impacting politics and policy is unique. By presenting its ideas in a respectful, well-reasoned manner and encouraging participants to engage one another, ITO is able to build an understanding of, and a respect for, the principles necessary for free individuals and civil society to thrive. ITO's innovative use of social media and marketing analytics to advance its message are what first attracted me to this small, highly effective organization.

Intellectual Takeout (ITO) fills a much-needed space in today’s debate on the great issues facing us as a nation. Unfortunately, many organizations and commentators substitute volume and vitriol for reason. Not so Intellectual Takeout. ITO challenges assumptions and invites reflection and critical thinking and analysis. The sound bite may be the preferred tool of the talking head but almost every issue is far more complicated than appears on the surface. Intellectual Takeout is a great resource for those who truly want to understand the issues of the day and be informed participants in the debate.

I firmly believe that education is the critical ingredient for a free and prosperous society and have dedicated my resources to institutions that support that notion without a political or financial bias. In today's America (and world), we see polarization along political, economic, racial, religious, and ideal boundaries, yet few people would argue that what we aspire to is a system that provides the greatest prosperity for the masses. I joined ITO as a board member in 2011 because it provides an unbiased forum to advance the debate of current events and their causes, effects, and implications. People of all ages, economic classes, and backgrounds can participate in productive discussions and advance their understanding of the issues without the interference of political gamesmanship. What a great organization built on educational integrity!

Intellectual takeout offers sound information from good people. In an intellectual culture that has been weakened by abbreviated attention spans and a general preference for tabloids and vitriol, ITO enables my generation to engage in the civil political discourse that can strengthen our society. I am grateful for ITO.

Intellectual Takeout is the BEST vehicle on the internet for the exchange of ideas about important public policy issues. ITO brings a balanced perspective that helps thoughtful people on both sides of the aisle apply timeless principles to new problems. Readers and discussion participants can reach their own conclusions about which proposed solutions to these problems best serve society and promote human happiness.