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Charles Thaxton

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Charles B. Thaxton
Born1939 (age 84–85)
United States
EducationIowa State University
OccupationAuthor
TitleCo-founder of KONOS Connection
SpouseCarole Thaxton (married in 1971)
Websitehttp://www.konos.org

Charles B. Thaxton (born 1939) is a proponent of special creation who went on to become one of the first intelligent design authors.

He was a Fellow of the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture,[1] and is currently a Fellow of the Discovery Institute.[2]

Biography

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Thaxton earned a doctorate in physical chemistry from Iowa State University. He went on to complete post-doctorate programs in the history of science at Harvard University and the molecular biology laboratories of Brandeis University.[1]

Thaxton has co-authored several books, including The Mystery of Life's Origin and The Soul of Science.[3] In The Mystery of Life's Origin, Thaxton argues for "Special Creation by a creator beyond the cosmos", and asserts that Special Creation holds "that the source that produced life was intelligent".[4]

He was the editor of the first edition of the intelligent design textbook, Of Pandas and People.[3] The book was featured prominently in Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District and the sequence of drafts that show the transition between the terms "creation" and "creator" to "design", "designer", and "intelligent design", proved important in the judge's decision.[5]

Thaxton stated that he preferred intelligent design to creationism because he "wasn’t comfortable with the typical vocabulary that for the most part creationists were using because it didn’t express what I was trying to do. They were wanting to bring God into the discussion, and I was wanting to stay within the empirical domain and do what you can do legitimately there".[6]

Thaxton and his wife, Carole Thaxton, founded the "KONOS Academy," which is a private Christian school in Tyrone, Georgia, United States.[7] Konos celebrated its 20-year anniversary in December 2021. He also teaches at Charles University in Prague.[7]

Bibliography

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  • Charles B. Thaxton, Walter L. Bradley, and Roger L. Olsen. The Mystery of Life's Origin: Reassessing Current Theories. (Philosophical Library, January 19, 1984) ISBN 0-8022-2447-4 (Foreword by Dean H. Kenyon)
  • Charles Thaxton and Nancy Pearcey. The Soul of Science: Christian Faith and Natural Philosophy. (Crossway Books, Wheaton, Illinois 1994)
  • Charles Thaxton, Percival Davis, and Dean H. Kenyon. Of Pandas and People: The Central Question of Biological Origins (Foundation for Thought & Ethics, 1989, 1993)

References

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  1. ^ a b Charles Thaxton Biography Archived 2009-04-14 at the Wayback Machine, Discovery Institute
  2. ^ "Charles Thaxton". Discovery Institute. 14 February 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  3. ^ a b Nick Matzke (2006-10-25). "9.0. Matzke (2006): The Story of the Pandas Drafts". National Center for Science Education. Archived from the original on 2007-10-13. Retrieved 2007-11-15.
  4. ^ Barbara Forrest (April 1, 2007). "Expert Witness Report" (PDF). United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 28, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-19.
  5. ^ Humes, Edward (2007). Monkey girl: evolution, education, religion, and the battle for America's soul. New York, N.Y: ECCO. p. 380. ISBN 978-0-06-088548-9.; see judge's decision, pp 331-332
  6. ^ Thaxton, C. "Deposition of Dr. Charles Thaxton, 53:5–11" (Kitzmiller v. Dover Area Sch. Dist, 400 F. Supp. 2d 707, M.D. Pa., July 19, 2005).
  7. ^ a b "What is KONOS?". KONOS Connection. 2009-04-25.
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