Education
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Education
CFI takes seriously the ancient maxim: "The unexamined life is not worth living." Through its educational programs, it actively seeks to encourage critical thought and reflection as the most productive and characteristic of human activities. In league with the ancient philosophers, as well, the Center sees the use of reason as a moral imperative and something integral to the function of democratic societies. Accordingly, its courses, seminars, and programs present challenging alternatives to the curricula normally encountered in colleges and universities in North America.
CFI's academic and educational interests extend from the critical and scientific exploration of religion and religious truth claims to questions of public policy, social and biological ethics, the construction of human values, the promotion of "good science" in schools and colleges, and the making of moral worlds and visions without the intrusion of theology and religion. Perhaps nowhere in the world are the questions being asked as exciting, relevant, and provocative as here at CFI.
The educational and academic programs of CFI are clustered in the CFI Institute, founded in 1987. The Institute is the oldest continuously operating academic program of its kind in North America, the only one supported by a research organization or "think tank," and the only program staffed with resident fellows (faculty) and a significant number of distinguished visiting fellows who have achieved recognition in their fields of study. The focus of the Institute, and of CFI's educational programs, in general, is on the study of humanist thought and practice, with special reference to secular humanism and models and methods of scientific inquiry. A special attraction of the Institute, from the student's point of view, is the chance to study with some of the leading lights in the field of humanism and secularism. For faculty information, see page 8 of the Institute Catalogue.
The Institute offers a certificate of proficiency in humanist studies (CPHS) and a certificate of advanced studies (CAS) in Secularism, Science, and Human Values, with concentrations in secular humanism and scientific inquiry. It cooperates with the Graduate School of Education at the State University of New York at Buffalo in offering courses for the accredited Ed.M. program in Science and the Public, and is now pursuing accreditation plans under the auspices of the New England Association of Colleges and Schools and the Regents of the State University of New York. In addition, plans are developing for the creation of a major teaching and research center in Florida in partnership with the University of Miami and the Louis Appignani Foundation.
The formal work of the Institute is supported by a range of subordinate educational activities, including a distinguished annual lecture series, workshops, conferences large and small, a prolific research agenda, and publications such as the CSER Review and Philo. The Institute assumes general responsibility for the Secular Sunday Platform Addresses and a soon-to-be-implemented program of moral education for children ages 6 to 14.
Links to related programs can be found in the right-hand column of this Web page.
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