Outline/ Purpose/ Philosophy
The Keihanna Academy of Science and Culture (abbreviated as KASC) (*1) was established in 2001 in Kansai Science City (https://www.kri.or.jp/en/whats_keihanna/) of Kyoto Prefecture. Kansai Science City is one of the biggest “Science Park and Area of Innovation” in the world (*2), a polycentric area with a total area of 15,000 ha and 12 science districts which cover Kyoto, Nara and Osaka Prefectures in central Japan, where our academy KASC is located in its core facility called “Keihanna Interaction Plaza (*3). The members of the Academy consist of senior scientists and professionals who, by utilizing their knowledge and ability in their expertise, are determined to devote themselves to cultivating and promoting the science-based wisdom and culture to the public of all age, through various means of activities and communications. In 1999, the Budapest declaration declared, “21st century is the age of trans-science”, and KASP has been contributing to the local and world-wide communities through various activities since its establishment in 2001, but now we are ready to go further.
Today, we are apparently enjoying our life with full of technology, information, convenience on one hand, and yet facing with increasing complexity, unpredictability, uncertainty and instability in our inner life on the other hand, by the advanced science-based technologies themselves; for example, the world-wide threatening from covid-19 and the insecure sustainability of food, water and clean air, etc., all of which have grown rapidly over the last few decades. The humans must cope with the rapidly changing reality in our daily life and around the world due to the rapid scientific and technical development themselves.
On the other hand, science and the science-based technologies are making historical advancement over the period, covering the region of biology over the entire habitable region of earth (cf. The NSF-funded project; Research Coordination Network on Extreme Biophysics) and the search for the origin of life in our solar system (cf. The JAXA Hayabusa 2 project). These attempts will materialistically unify our human life with all lives on earth and with the universe itself, which would have a great impact not only on life science itself, but more deeply on our philosophy of life on earth and environment.
Accordingly, the planned activities of KASC will consist of the initiation of innovative scientific research projects and conferences among specialists in life science and related fields, the promotion of various science-oriented educational and cultural activities for children and the younger generation, and the preparation of opportunities for the general public to be in direct contact with leading scientists and professionals to discuss on scientific, technological, social and philosophical issues of interest, the details of which are shown below.
*1 Keihanna Academy of Science and Culture (KASC)