Encyclopedia > Center for the Renewal of Science and Culture
The Center for Science and Culture (CSC), formerly known as the Center for Renewal of Science and Culture (CRSC) is an American organisation that espouses intelligent design (ID). It is part of the conservativeChristianthinktank, the Discovery Institute. The CSC argues that there is evidence that life has been designed, and tries to present this as science. It is opposed to Darwinian explanations of thee origins of life. The scientific community however is critical of ID, labelling it creationism and pseudoscience.
The Center for the Renewal of Science and Culture was founded in 1996. The "renewal" in its name is believed to refer to the "science" of the Rennaissance Era. Science as it is know today started during that time as protoscience and was conducted with the aim of studying God's Universe. Critics have pointed out that this does not fit in with established scientific philosophy and thus label it pseudoscience. The CSC wants a redefinition of science, and the philosophy on which it is based, particularly the exclusion of what it calls the "unscientific principle of materialism", and in particular the acceptance of what it calls "the scientific theory of intelligent design". Critics argue that the principle of naturalism (i.e. materialism) allows falsifiability and that supernaturalism is unfalsifiable.
The Wedge
In 1999 an internal report from 1998 was leaked. It presented a five_year plan of how they would get accepted as science. The document defined the following key aims of the movement:
To see design theory permeate our religious, cultural, moral and political life.
The Discovery Institute would later issue a statement denying that it wanted to establish a theocracy.
Fellows
The CSC has a number of fellows. The program director is Stephen C Meyer, Associated Director is John G West. The father of the movement however and perhaps the most important is Phillip E. Johnson. Most of these fellows are theists, and Christians of various denominations.
Evolving Banners at the Discovery Institute (http://www.ncseweb.org/resources/articles/4116_evolving_banners_at_the_discov_8_29_2002.asp) - the NCSE shows the changing banners on the CRSC/CSC's website.
The CSC lobbies for wider acceptance of intelligent design (ID) as an explanation for the origins of life and the universe, and is opposed to the theory of evolution.
Originally founded as the Center for the Renewal of Science and Culture, the CSC was founded in 1996.
The evolution of the center's name reflects the evolution of the center's attempt to present itself as less religiously motivated in the publics eye.
The Center for Science and Culture (CSC), formerly known as the Center for Renewal of Science and Culture (CRSC), is a division of the Discovery Institute.
As of 2005, none of the center’s fellows has produced the scientific research which the Wedge Document says is to form the foundation of the Wedge strategy.
It was adopted in part for Ohio science teachers in October 2002, though the Board advised that the science standards do "not mandate the teaching or testing of intelligent design" [12].
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