Project Reason, UW-Madison is a Registered Student Organization devoted to spreading scientific knowledge and secular values in society. Drawing on the talents and creativity of students and community members, Project Reason seeks to encourage critical thinking and wise public policy through a variety of interrelated projects. We will convene meetings, sponsor fundraisers, engage in community volunteer work, and provide support to religious dissidents and public intellectuals — all with the purpose of eroding the influence of dogmatism, superstition, and bigotry in our world.

While Project Reason is devoted to fostering critical thinking generally, we believe that religious ideas require a special focus. Both science and the arts are built upon cultures of vigorous self-criticism; religious discourse is not. As a result, religious dogmatism still reigns unchallenged in almost every society on earth—dividing humanity from itself, inflaming conflict, preventing wise public policy, and diverting scarce resources. One of the primary goals of Project Reason is to change this increasingly unhealthy status quo.