It might be the 24-7 news cycle that’s the problem, but after a constant bombardment of news of wars, epidemics, deficits, trade wars, possible economic downturns, and naturally climate change I awoke one morning recently and asked myself, “How can we be having all these problems when we have ‘think tanks’ thinking about these and other issues?”

Now, I know think tanks are not intellectual monasteries with scholars sitting in rooms thinking great thoughts and to tell the truth I have never given them much consideration until now. So, I did a little research.

I found that “think tank” is a phrase used to describe organizations that do policy research and analysis. While the term “think tank” is a modern one, historians tell us that their origins can be traced to the humanist academies and scholarly networks of the 16th and 17th centuries. They were informal groups of scholars who played a crucial role in shaping our intellectual and cultural worlds. These networks helped to bring about a revival of classical learning and contributed to the development of new fields like science.

There is also evidence that, in Europe, the origins of think tanks go back to the ninth century when emperors and kings began arguing with the Catholic Church about taxes. This led to the hiring of teams of legal experts to advise monarchs about their financial and political prerogatives against the church and whether they had the right to appoint bishops and receive a cut of their income. It is interesting to note that finding ways to beat the tax collector predates our modern adversarial relationship with the Internal Revenue Service.

With the end of World War II in 1945, the number of policy institutes increased, with many small new ones forming to study and publish reports on a variety of issues and policy agendas. During the 1960s, the phrase “think tank” was attached to meetings of experts, and independent military planning organizations. The most prominent example of this was the RAND Corp., which was founded in 1946 as an offshoot of Douglas Aircraft becoming an independent corporation in 1948. During the 1980s and 1990s, the phrase continued to evolve, gaining its current meaning of an independent public policy research institute.

For most of the 20th century, such institutes were found primarily in the United States, along with much smaller numbers in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Western Europe.

As of 2025 there are 1,777 think tanks in the United States of which 408 are located in Washington, D.C., reassuring us that at least someone in the nation’s capital is thinking. Among the states California leads the parade with 172, and New York is second with 150. Considering the financial, economic, and social problems both states face I hope some of those think tanks have been enlisted to think of ways both states can dig themselves out of the myriad of fiscal holes both have dug for themselves.

I do wonder if perhaps at least one California think tank is thinking of ways that California’s unfinished high speed rail link between Los Angeles and San Francisco, that probably will never be built, can be repurposed.

All the states have think tanks situated in them with Delaware having three and Alaska having two bringing up the rear. I am a little surprised that Delaware has 3 because based on the individuals it has sent to Congress over the years I was not aware that anyone ever thought great thoughts there.

It is obvious that the think tank business is a growth industry because of those 1,777 think tanks in existence today 58% were founded in the last 25 years. That again begs the question that in light of all the thinking going on why we aren’t coming up with more ways to solve the world’s and our nation’s problems.

According to those in the know, probably thinkers at a think tank, the most prestigious think tanks in the United States are the Brookings Institute, The Council on Foreign Relations, and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. An interesting note about the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1910 at a time when the great powers had been generally at peace for 100 years is that four years later World War One broke out. Probably no connection but you have to wonder

Some see think tanks as a mixed blessing, often doing more to muddy the waters surrounding certain issues rather than bringing clarity. Some are seen as overly partisan and others seen as exerting undue influence on policy debates with the potential of shaping policy to match their own agendas. The independence of some think tanks are questioned because they often rely on private donors, whose identities are not always disclosed, leaving them open to possible donor pressure.

So now you and I know something about think tanks. In preparing these columns I’ve read material from the Brookings Institute, The Cato Institute, the Heritage Foundation, and several defense related institutions. They provide useful information but often have agendas that color their viewpoint producing writing that sometimes convey the idea of “my way or the highway” so I’ve learned to be wary of their articles.

Thomas Kirkpatrick Sr. is a Silver Creek resident. Send comments to editorial@observertoday.com.