CENTRE FOR STUDIES IN CIVILIZATIONS

Introduction

CENTRE FOR STUDIES IN CIVILIZATIONS(CSC), which administers PHISPC, is an NGO registered on October 12, 1995 under the Societies Registration Act (XXI) of 1860. One of its main aims is to initiate and enact platforms to engage dialogues relating to civilization and related issues. The Centre further aims at conducting, promoting and facilitating studies and research in the broad areas of history, philosophy, culture, science and technology. It also undertakes and promotes research in relation to the past, the present and the future courses, contents, and trends of civilizations in general, and Indian civilization in particular.

Aims and Objectives

The aims and objects for which the society in established are as under:

1. To establish the Centre for studies in civilizations and to carry on its administration and management for the furtherance of its aims and objects;
2. To conduct, promote and facilitate studies and research in the board areas of history, philosophy, culture, science and technology in India;
3. To undertake and promote studies and research in relation to the past, the present and the future courses, contents, and trends of civilization in the general and the Indian civilization in particular;
4. To explore values and issues which affect the human condition, violence, and non-violence, gender, structure of hegemony, environment-nature and culture, wealth generation and its distribution, scientific and technological, religious and secular, economic and social in the context of food, famine, health, draught, good life and the attributes of a good society, taking into account freedom, legality and the threats posed thereto;
5. To publish materials in the form of papers, monographs, books, anthologies, journals and serial volumes incorporating the results of various researches consistent with the objectives of the Centre.
6. To institute and award fellowships, scholarships, prizes and medals;
7. To present the study of Indian themes in the context of universal perspectives;
8. To organise group discussions,  seminars, workshops, conferences etc, which promote the aims and objects of the society;
9. To undertake and develop promoting programmes of scholars for availability of competent researchers;
10. To collaborate with other institutions and educational bodies for purpose of promoting studies in civilizations;
11. To disseminate information on the studies in civilizations and related areas by undertaking the publication of journals, reports, pamphlets and other literature and extending support for the same in furtherance of the aims and objects of the society;
12. To establish develop and maintain the state-of-art libraries, documentation centres and data banks and other information services;
13. To establish , develop and maintain study and research centres to promote the aims and objects of the society;
14. To confer honorary awards;
15. To develop and maintain working relationship , academic or otherwise, with other institutions having kindred objectives, either wholly or partially, by way of payment or receipt of subscriptions, enrolment as a member thereof, fiscal or other sorts of mutual assistance, amalgamation, merger, collaboration, co-operation and in any other way as the society may deem fit and proper;
16. To establish, develop, maintain and manage halls and hostels and suitable accommodations for researchers, trainees, guests etc;
17. To establish and maintain funds with contribution from any officials or non-officials institutions and agencies and with all moneys acquired by them from any legal sources whatsoever;
18. To accept donations , gifts ,financial assistance in any form or mode etc, to achieve the aims and objects of the society;
19. To utilise funds towards meeting capital, recurring and non-recurring expenses of the society, to make appropriate investments or to deal with the funds in any other way the society may deem fit and proper , for attaining the aims and objects of the society;
20. To acquire by way of purchase or gifts or to take on lease or hire or otherwise any movable or immovable properties, for the benefit of the society;
21. To sell, assign, mortgage, lease, exchange, transfer or otherwise deal with all or any property of the society, both movable and immovable, in any way it may deem fit and proper, to achieve the aims and objects of the society;
22. To construct renovate develop or alter and maintain any immovable properties in the possession of the society in the way it may deem fit and proper, for the functioning of the society;
23. To borrow, raise or secure the payment of monies by issue of bonds, securities or in such a manner as the society may deem fit and proper, to achieve the aims and objects of the society;
24. To draw , accept, make , endorse, discount, execute, sign , issue or otherwise deal with cheques, hundies, drafts, certificates, receipts, government securities, promissory notes, bills of exchange or any other instruments and securities whether negotiable, or non-negotiable transferable or non-transferable, pertaining to / on behalf of the society;
25. To create academic, administrative, technical, ministerial and other posts under the society and to make appointments thereof;
26. To establish and maintain provident and other beneficiary funds for the employees of the society;
27. To make rules and Bye-laws for the conduct of the affairs of the society and to add, to amend, to vary or to rescind them from time to time as and when considered fit and proper;
28. To constitute such committees as the society may deem fit and proper for the disposal of any of its business or for advice on any matter;
29. To do all lawful things as the society may deem fit and proper for the attainment of all or any of its aims and objects.
    

All the income earnings, movable , immovable properties of the society shall be solely utilised and applied towards the promotion of its aims and objects only as set forth in the memorandum of association and no profit thereof shall be paid or transferred directly or indirectly by way of dividends, bonus, profits or in any manner whatsoever to the present ort past members of the society or to any person claiming through any one or more any past or present members. No member of the society can have personal claim on any movable or immovable properties of the society or make any profit whatsoever by virtue of his membership. It is further certified that the society is formed with no profit motive and no commercial activity is involved in its working.

Administration

Centre for Studies in Civilizations is administered by a group of members called Governing Body. During the time of its inception, there were 10 founder members viz. Professor D.P. Chattopadhyaya, Professor Yash Pal, Professor Daya Krishna, Shri Krishan Kant, Professor (Dr.) P.N. Chhuttani, Professor Arjun Sengupta, Professor G.C. Pande, Professor Ravinder Kumar, Professor V.R. Mehta and Professor Bhuvan Chandel. 

The following are the present members of the Governing Body of the Centre  :

Projects and Activities

The major activities of the Centre are as following:

• To supervise and administer the Project of History of Indian Science, Philosophy and Culture (PHISPC), which is fully funded by the Ministry of Human Resources Development.

• To plan and conduct the new sub-project called Consciousness, Science, Society and Value (CONSSAV), which has recently been approved by the Department of Education, Ministry of Human Resources Development. 

• It is going to launch an interdisciplinary journal entitled Sandhan to be brought biannually.

• To jointly publish with Penguin India, A Dictionary of Indian Philosophy

• To organise monthly academic programmes in the forms of either symposia or talks by eminent scholars, spokesperson, bureaucrats, politicians, littérateurs, etc.

PROJECT OF HISTORY OF INDIAN SCIENCE,  PHILOSOPHY, AND CULTURE (PHISPC)

There is a total plan of publishing 50 (fifty) volumes of books/anthologies. Out of these, 30 (thirty) will be major volumes (in parts) and 20 (twenty) will be smaller books called 'Monographs'. So far 7 (seven) major volumes and 11 (eleven) monographs have been brought out. In the financial year 2001-02, seven/eight major volumes and one monograph will be brought out.

CONSCIOUSNESS, SCIENCE, SOCIETY AND VALUE (CONSSAV)

Another project of the CSC is the project of Consciousness, Science, Society and Value (CONSSAV). This has been considered as a sub project of the on going project of PHISPC. In this project attempts will be made to explore the role of consciousness in its various levels of awareness, in understanding and expounding the development of science, society and values. Consciousness as has been conceived and theorized in different traditions, or rather civilizations, will be studied and explored in detail.

There are four volumes consisting of six sub-volumes/parts.

VOLUME ONE

LEVELS OF REALITY

Part I Elements in Indian Systems of Thought

Part II Modern Atomism in Europe

Part III Materialism and Immaterialism

Part IV Life and Vitalism

Part V Man and Mind

Part VI Consciousness and Value

VOLUME TWO

THEORIES OF NATURAL AND LIFE SCIENCES

Part I Physics

Part II From Physiology to Biochemistry

Part III Psychology and Psychoanalysis

Part IV Cognitive Sciences: Brain, Psychology and Computer

Part V On the Alleged Foundations of Sciences

Part VI History of Science and Philosophy of Science

VOLUME THREE

NATURAL AND CULTURAL SCIENCES

Part I Relation between Nature and Culture

Part II Types of Natural Sciences

Part III Types of Social Sciences

Part IV Law, Ethics and Economics

Part V Different Types of History

Part VI Forms of Philosophy: Classical and Modern

VOLUME FOUR

SOCIETY, SCIENCE AND VALUES  

Part I Indian Philosophy and the History of Science

Part II Science, Technology, Imperialism and War

Part III Science and the Public

Part IV Science, Literature and Aesthetics

Part V Science and Self

Part VI Society, Self-consciousness and Value

SANDHAN : THE BIANNUAL JOURNAL 

DICTIONARY OF PHILOSOPHY  

MONTHLY ACADEMIC PROGRAMME

Following are the symposia/lecture organized by CSC till date: