Divis!on of Foresight, Philosophy and Human Sciences Published by the Philosophy and Human Sciences Section

Under the supervision of Jér6me Bindé, Deputv Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences and Director

of the Division of Foresight, Philosophy and Human Sciences; Motifida Coucha, Chief of the Section of Philosophy and Human Sciences;

Mika Shino, Programme Specialist; and with the assistance of

Ferie1 Ait-ouyahis. Krr sti na Balalovs ka and Arnaud Drouet

7’h~ choice ofthe material corituined in this booklet and the opinions expressed /herein do not necessarily represent the views of UNESCO and do not commit the Orgonization.

The deignations employed und the presentation of material throughout thP bociklct du not imply the expression of any op;niori whatsoever on the purt of UNESCO concerning

the legal status cfuny country, territory, city or area, or ofits authorities. or mncernin~ the deliniitution offfront-iers or boundaries.

ontents

Foreword

Introduction

Lectures Thematic Round Tables

Additional Events

Activities in the Field Programme

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oreword

W h y hold a Philosophy Day at UNESCO? W h y devote time and space to philosophy? Because first and foremost philosophy is a process of thinking, it is freedom of thought and the exercise of an open mind. Philosophy is the driving force at the centre of all other disciplines. It is essential as critique and as opposing power of thought against the simple will for power. Philosophy always remains in control and thus retains the ability to denounce any kind of unconsidered support or blind assent to whatever authority, whether nature, propriety, ethics, ability or even discourse.

Opening philosophical thinking to a wide public, turning it from the object of a sceptical curiosity, into an object of desire was our main goal in organizing the first Philosophy Day at UNESCO on 21 November 2002 And could there have been a better place than UNESCO for neophytes and academics, "professro nals" and students to meet, all united in the same love for knowledge?

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This document outlines the various activities or this Day which, I hope, will be celebrated each year with as much success as the first time Turning UNESCO into a philosophical forum, a place of free speech, is the goal for the Sector of Social and Human Sciences

Pierre Sané

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A day to share in debates, in which each individual feels free to take part in accordance with his convictions A day to listen to arguments and counter-arguments A day to reaffirm the true value of philosophy, that is, to establish a dialogue which must never cease on the essential. for the process of thinking renders human dignity, whatever our condition may be

Moufida Coucha

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ntroduction

The very existence of UNESCO, its founding mission, its ideals of culture and peace are inseparable from the philosophical quest for the universal

At this time of revival of Philosophy, the presence of this major event can be felt everywhere within the philosophy programme

It is therefore essential that the celebration of Philosophy Day at UNESCO which takes place every third Thursday in November, be animated by the idea of universalism

The first edition of this Philosophy Day caused great enthusiasm at UNESCO Headquarters as well as in the Member States Indeed, fifty countries celebrated this festival of wisdom and thinking, gathering toge- ther the young and the not-so-young in the name of philosophy this great school for freedom

More than sixty prominent philosophers from various backgrounds, languages and cultures were invited to UNESCO Headquarters, to exchange ideas and to engage in inteLIectual debates

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Several issues of the contemporary world were on the agenda of the round tables organized on topics such as Philosophy and Media, Philosophy and Culture, Poverty, Justice and World Peace, Philosophy and Cultural Diversity, etc

Many philosophical institutions supported this new initiative, namely the International Federation of Philosophical Societies (FISP), the “Collège international de philosophie”, the International Council for Philosophy and Humanistic Studies (ICPHS), the International Institute of Philosophy (IIP), the “Institut de la pensée contemporaine”, as well as various UNESCO Chairs of Philosophy throughout the world.

The aim of this document is to illustrate as well as possible the multiple activities of the first edition of the Philosophy Day at UNESCO, celebrated on 21 November 2002.

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1 ectures Two lectures concluded the Philosophy Day, 21 November 2002

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“The Struggle for Recognition and the Economy of the Gift” Professor Paul Ricœur, Honorary President of the “Institut international de philosophie”

H o w is one to take the concept of recognition, a concept which in itself is conflictual (it is necessary to fight and face death to be recognized) out of its traditional philosophical context, in order to emphasize a form of non-violent recognition in a horizon of ceremonial exchange? It is a question of correcting the violent idea of fight by the non-violent idea of gift In the wake of Axel Honneth, who rebuilds and reinterprets the Hegelian analysis of negativity and of the master-slave dialectic, by showing that this phenomenology based on the idea of ignorance reaches its limit, Paul Ricœur puts forth a positive form of recognition which is in the order of social esteem As Marcel Henaff: who in ‘The Price of Truth’ reinterprets the archaic exchange-gift dialectic which obeys rules of commercial economy, Paul Ricœur reinterprets the contemporary and daily forms of the ceremonial exchange of gifts by detecting there a model of symbolic and festive recognition The gratitude of the ceremonial exchange offers us a rare experiment that prevents the fight for recognition from regressing sinking in the violence of a relationship between men governed by fear such as Hobbes described

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“Epistemology without Knowledge or Belief’ Professor Jaakko Hintikka, Honorary President of the “Institut international de philosophie”

Two different research strategies are examined in a context of interrogative investigation. H o w is one to show that neither knowledge nor belief have their place within a general epistemology and that, on the other hand, if they have a role to play in applied epistemology, it is because they are both connected to action and decision-making? But, whereas the criteria of knowledge are impersonal, those of belief depend more on the subject. If I claim to know, I take a commitment to others. O n the contrary, when I adopt a belief: I a m gene- rally responsible only to myself The difference between belief and knowledge (as between information and knowledge) has less to do with the degree of justification than with the kind of evaluation concerned From this analysis of the strategies of acquisition of knowledge one can conclude that it is necessary to rethink the whole research process in epistemology. Considering that knowledge is the end product of inves- tigation, he comes to reject the traditional approach, inaugurated by Plato, whereby any search for know- ledge should be guided by an adequate definition of what knowledge is. It now remains to widen the frame- work of the investigation, because an exclusive preference for the question of knowledge prevented until now taking into account other spaces of demonstration.

thematic Hound tables Ten thematic round tables were organized simultaneously on 21 November 2002

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Organized with the 'Commissariat à l'énergie atomique", the "Institut d'astrophysique de Paris" and the "Centre de recherches en épistémologie appliquée" Participants Guy Samama (France), Michel Bitbol (France), Michel Cassé (France), Etienne Klein (France), Patrizia d'Alessi0 (Italy), Claire Solomon-Bayet (France)

In Western culture, the idea of creation seems self-evident. But this self-evidence rests on a foreknowledge that precedes presupposition which is not questioned The main concern is with theories whose aim is to account for the nature of the universe. The more one seeks to approach the question of origins, the more one goes towards a conceptual and linguistic catas- trophe. It is also a question of mythology or theology, implicit in science As if what could not be said, had to be told. Wittgenstein in reverse- that about which one cannot speak, has to be stated Or even Plato. if nothingness is not, one can say nothing For biologists, on the other hand, the question of creation concerns self-organization and combinatory dege- neration that allow the cell to "create" adaptive solutions in order to meet environmental constraints.

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Other questions that need to be explored are the following. - Origin or creation? Origin or origins? - Is there an origin of time? Or is time derived from causality? - Emergence or creation? Origin with foundation should be distinguished from origin without foundation, which could be thought of as a kind of emergence of relations and not as deriving from a substance - Possibility-materialization. Where it is believed that there is nothing, there are, at least, relations Vacuum is not nothingness, it is full. For quantum physics, it is full with all the virtual particles which glue the real particles together As an alternative to this idea of creation, three tracks, at least, would deserve to be explored. emergence, metamorphosis (the bodies change form every moment, and form is but a snapshot of a transition), and self- organization This confrontation between researchers of different disciplines invites us to probe, from a scientific as well as philosophical point of view, the idea of origin and creation

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Organized with the 'Agence intergouvernementale de la francophonie" and the UNESCO Chair in Philosophy (Social and Human Sciences Faculty, University of Tunis I, Tunisia) Participants. Stéphane Douailler (France), Fulvia Carnevale (Italy), Sven Eric Liedmann (Sweden), Fathi Triki (Tunisia), Jorge Davila (Venezuela)

There is one simple way in which philosophy relates to the media. For a very long time philosophers have been going into public places to speak and to be seen. They also write for a more or less considerable rea- dership. With these activities, they engage in a process of publicizing thought and philosophical discourse. In certain ways, they seem to feel compelled to make themselves visible in this publicizing process, while at the same time retaining control over the forms and effects of their appearances In this respect, philosophers and companies concerned with their image do not differ: their problem is to reach the public in a way that suits their aims They resort to the media in the hope of making themselves known, while trying to avoid the pit- falls of an inadequate or even counter-productive celebrity. They worry about the place given to philosophy in the media, the global quality of intellectual life, the state of criticism, the diffusion of works, and the poli- cies of the libraries. They are alarmed at the negative effects of becoming stars, the demagogic simplifica- tions, at futile glories in a show society. However, philosophy relates in a philosophically deeper way to the

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media. It can be felt, for example, in Plato's complex attitude towards writing It can also be felt in the inter- est philosophy always had in all forms of thought, be it in the arts, science or politics. In these instances, phi- losophy reaches out into the public sphere to make an alliance with another discipline according to the moda- lities of a given media context. The round table had the participation of Professors Fathi Triki and Zouaoui Beghoura, who analysed the very claim of philosophy to public existence, Professor Mauricio Langon, in connection with the round table by videoconference from Montevideo, recalled the situation of philosophy and its teaching in the light of the crises which frequently threaten social states. Finally, two experiences illus- trating the current situation of philosophers throughout the world were evoked. The first was by Professor Jorge Davila on the basis of the Venezuelan context, currently dominated by a political and demagogic out- burst of the media forces, and the second by the researcher Fulvia Carnevale who closely examined the ques- tion of cultural and intellectual projects and networks which appropriate and dominate them in Europe.

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Organized with the "Collège international de philosophie" Participants Jean-Godefroy Bidima (Cameroon), Stanislas Adotevi (Burkina Faso), Alain David (France), Marc Ballamphat (France), lsiaka Prosper Laleye (Senegal), Christian Trottman (France)

The aim of this round table was to explore the relationship between philosophy and cultural diversity. The question could be formulated as follows: how does the universality of reason agree with the plurality of its expressions? How, and in the name of what, should philosophy guarantee the rights inherent in each cul- ture? In other words, how does the philosophical discourse welcome, direct, ignore or exclude what occurs inside cultures? H o w can we speak about other discourses when our own discourses bear the mark of their origin? Finally, how are w e to break ethnocentrism and find a concept of universality respectful of the unique character of each culture?

Organized with the International Federation of Philosophical Societies Participants loanna Kuçuradi (Turkey), Jean Ferrari (France), Gilbert Hottois (Belgium), Peter Kemp (Denmark), William McBride (United States of America). Evandro Agazzi (Italy)

"Economically, politically and technologically, the world has never seemed more free - or more unjust". This is a striking truth we read in the H u m a n Development Report 2002. It points to the core of the situation, or of the world problems, that w e face at the beginning of the 21st century. Most of the papers presented in this round table, organized with the aim of showing what philosophy can contribute to the efforts to tackle world problems, focus on poverty as a main cause of violation of human rights; on poverty not only as "indigence", i.e as lack of resources securing the possibility to meet the mini- mal human needs, but also as a situation ofmaterial penury incompatible with human dignity; on poverty and injustice as sources of terrorism, which lead desperate people to seek refuge in violence, killing others and sometimes themselves as well; and on the threats of inequalities to world peace and the conditions of a "just peace"

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Problems of macrobioethics, such as delocalization of research, human experimentation, biopiracy bioeco- nomrcs, bioindustry, are dealt with as typical examples of the complexity and interdependence in our world, and the millennial tension between the conciliatory and consolatory aspects of philosophy is presented in the context of works such as Boethius' Consolatio fhilosophiae, Hegel's Preface to his fhiiosophy ofXight, some aspects of Rousseau, and Saint Augustine's treatment of peace ~ all of which in certain ways evince an acceptance of the world as it is, including its poverty, injustice, and warfare and emphasize the impetus given by philosophy in changing the world, promoting justice and peace, and abolishing poverty.

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Organized with the UNESCO Chair of Philosophy and Human Rights (Hacettepe University, Turkey) Participants loanna Kuçuradi (Turkey), Edgar Morin (France), Hans-Heinrich Wrede (Germany), Otfried Hoffe (Germany) Jérôme Bindé (UNESCO)

This round table focused on human rights as universal ethical principles, from an anthropological perspective. Human rights are put forward as norms of a planetary ethics, i.e. on the one hand as a special kind of ethi- cal norms expected to determine the way individuals -who belong to the human species and are not only autonomous but also biologically, socially and culturally dependent, complex beings - should be treated, as well as treating other individuals, so that they can actualize their human potentialities; and on the other hand as basic universal norms for legislation, i e as norms expected to determine the establishment and adminis- tration of social, economic and political relations, for the permanent creation of conditions affording indivi- duals the possibility of actualizing their human potentialities. It is claimed that, due to their epistemological specificities which distinguish them from cultural norms, clearly conceived human rights must constitute the basic premises for the deduction of positive law at all levels Certain implications of this anthropological approach to human rights are also discussed in the papers.

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Organized with the "Maison des sciences de Y homme" and the International Council for Philosophy and Humanistic Studies Participants Luca Scarantino (Italy), Jean-Pierre Dupuy (France), Sergio Paulo Rouanet (Brazil), Paulin Hountondji (Benin), Maurice Aymard (France)

The debate of this round table took the form of a discussion on the issues (benefits or even dangers) of scientific advances and the transformations they bring about, relating in particular to advanced technologies (at a recent debate in a seminar organized with the CREA by Jean Petitot, w e discussed the problems linked with the dissemination of nanotechnologies and their repercussions in terms of technological and military predominance). However, the speakers remained quite free in their choice of subject, our idea being to put at their disposal a space favourable to a discussion in front of a not necessarily specialized public. Epistemologists and specialists in scientific questions took part in the meeting, but there were also intellec- tuals from countries outside the most technologically advanced regions. In the same spirit, a section of the round table was devoted to the relations between contemporary forms of development of sciences and tech- nologies and the traditional cultural practices that sometimes inspire them

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Organized with the "Institut de la pensée contemporaine" and the University of Paris VI1 Participants François Jullien (France), Ngoc Nguyen (Vret Nam), Shin Nagai (Japan), Kieong Heo (Republic of Korea)

It may be that, fundamentally, philosophy is a Greek affair and, as such, is historically European But even if this assumption were retained, it would not imply that the other manifestations of thought, all over the world, should be considered as pre-philosophies, i.e. as still being in philosophy's infancy. If especially in the Far East, ways of thinking evolved without the convenience of concept or without bor- rowing from formal logic, it is because they did not trust the omnipotence of the Logos to achieve imma- nence. If they did not put everything into the search for Truth (unlike European philosophy, more and more driven to it by its quest for knowledge), it is because they refused to separate the activity of thought from a necessary "transformation of the self'. Today, it is therefore urgent to open philosophy beyond its Western borders to prevent these other expe- riences of the mind from being buried under the uniformity of allegedly global concepts and logics. It IS also

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as urgent to lead wisdom out of the inconsistency in which philosophy traditionally left it, lest, In return, w e see it fail Indeed, through interculturality, philosophy could at last have access to the ifra-philosophical, thus joining in a common experience of thought preceding theory But if it fails to do so, the risk is then, that by giving up the rationalism which formed it, philosophy might sink into a weak sub-philosophy

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Organized with the UNESCO Chair in Philosophy (University of Paris VIII) Participants Jacques Poulain (France), Christophe Wulf (Germany), Reyes Mate (Spain), Heinz Wismann (France), Garbis Kortian (Austria), Konstantin Dolgov (Russian Federation), Richard Rorty (United States of America)

Economic globalization seems to be exclusively carried by the dynamics of supply and demand of the world market and by the financial speculation which takes advantage of it. Globalization appears to its detractors to make a clean sweep of all notion of culture Does it not thus subject social life and cultural life to a blind experimentation of man's desires, to an experimentation whose sole goal is to maximize all possible benefits and to make a maximum profit? For others, this economic globalization is accompanied by an unprecedented communication between cul- tures. They are forced to face their rationality, legitimacy and motivation crises and witness their incapacity to judge the value of the new forms of life which are invented through this experimentation. A unilateral condemnation of globalization would fail to take into account the positive processes which accompany this economic globalization: the globalization of the legal, moral and political values which accompanies this human experimentation forces the various cultures to a radical criticism of the ill-considered prejudices which

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these cultures called upon to arbitrarily set themselves up as guardians of a would-be universal wisdom. The world market allowing companies to escape State intervention in their development, an intercultural dialogue is then forced within cultures and between them which would free these cultures from the prejudices they had inherited first from the ancient religions and then from their secularisation in the legal, moral and politi- cal systems in modern times. Much more than this, it would establish a new mode of cultural education for individuals as well as for groups. The Renaissance based the development of European cultures on the scholarly appropriation of Greek and Latin Antiquity. As for contemporary globalization, it would reveal the possibility of building a cul- ture adapted to man’s communicative nature by opening to him a society of knowledge, free from the outset of all its official, national, linguistic or religious limitations and respectful of ethical and political solidarity promoted by the sharing of knowledge and the invention of new forms of life. By confronting its crises of rationality, legitimacy and motivation, humanity would thus, in the process of globalization, be offered the opportunity to invent social and cultural worlds unimaginable in the philosophical culture inherited from Plato. This culture wanted to establish the control of the human mind on body and desires by denying them the possibility to express themselves. While cultural globalization, made possible by economic globalization, would empower the individuals enabling them to create their lives in the way the artists create their works

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and to judge the objectivity of their living conditions In the way the scientists judge the objectivity of their works and of their technological innovations Only thus would it give access to an ethical, aesthetic and polr- tical world as certain of its values as the scientific and technological world makes us certain of its objectivity, for only this cultural globalization would make us judge ofthe objectivity ofthe cultural forms of life it would turn academic and critical reflection into the only form of cultural life, allowing the human being to free him- self Intellectually from his physical and social constraints For the day devoted to philosophy, the aim of this round table was to analyse these various ways of consi- dering how culture relates to globalization by bringing to light the risks globalization places on culture, by clarifying the new demands specific to this culture of experimentation and communication and by evaluating its chances of success Far from neutralizing all culture indeed, does globalization offer each culture the chance to rebuild itself on the model of the scientific and technological dialogue or the possibility to regenerate in a way as creative as art does? Does it show the need for universalizing academic critical thinking as a form of cultural life as the only valid form of shared judgement?

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Organized with the University of Paris Vlll and the UNESCO Philosophy Chair, Faculty of Philosophy and Humanities, University of Santiago (Chile) Participants Patrice Vermeren (France), Miguel Abensour (France), Antonia Birnbaum (United States of America), Geneviève Fraisse (France), Tanella Boni (Côte d'Ivoire), Marilena de Souza Chaui (Brazil), Julie Saada (France), Rose Mie Leonard (Haiti)

What is emancipation? Can philosophy still conceptualize emancipation, and create new ways that lead to it? Emancipation is first a legal concept which refers to the passage from the status of minority to that of majority. Strictly speaking, in Roman Law or in the civil code, "to emancipate" does not exist as a reflexive verb: one is emancipated by the law, by the father or by the tutor, i e. by the power which holds the autho- rity The expression belongs to the ordinary language and applies also to the freeing of slaves and to women's liberation. H o w does one go from there to the modern idea of emancipation, for which to emancipate is to assert one- self as subject, to seize a right or to create it7 And particularly: how can we revisit the issue of freedom and democracy today, what criticism of domination can w e start from, and how can philosophy, far from giving in, ask the question destined to remain the question of human emancipation?

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Organized with the “Université de tous les savoirs” Participants Gabriel Leroux (France), Emmanuel Malolo Dissake (Cameroon), Pierre Ltvet (France), Claude Debru (France), Emmanuel Picavet (France), Yves Michaud (France)

Philosophy is increasingly confronted with a proliferation of disciplines and with the emergence of increa- singly diversified and technical scientific approaches. This is accompanied by a trend towards autonomy and specialization of the modes of reflections. Traditional academic divides - physics, chemistry, biology, mathe- matics - are largely blurred although they preserve their organizational utility. Genetics, biogeochemistry, genetic chemistry, data processing, artificial intelligence, soft matter physics, nanophysics and nanobiology, are instances of this phenomenon. Objects of study such as society, lifestyles, mind, language, politics, economic or legal standards, which not long ago were still largely the prerogative of philosophical reflection, have become fields of research of new disciplines standing on their own. economy, political science, linguistics, psychology or sociology and sciences of cognition with, in each case, a high degree of specialization The history of recent philosophy is first that of a loss of monopoly, in the field of thought, by a discipline and, even more, by a certain form of thinking. Philosophers who, still recently, could claim to actively understand, even take part, in the development of science, seem now only to have a second hand reflection to offer Can

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w e conclude from this that philosophy is going through a crisis of identity and reflection? And has, for all that, philosophy’s field shrunk? Does there still exist a philosophical field par exceihce, an object that would be the exclusive object of philosophy? And above all, would that have a meaning? Far from limiting its field of reflection, philosophy seems to keep addressing all the fields of knowledge In doing so it has to take into account increasingly diverse and expert data from other disciplines. At the same time, it is confronted with a strong demand from society Sometimes this demand is quite traditional and comes close to a demand for wisdom, even a demand to be reassured The “cafés philosophiques” testify to this dimension. Sometimes the demand IS much more novel, as shown by the increasing demand for ethics that not only concerns the technical and scientific issues but also the financial and legal issues. What kind of role can philosophy play today? H o w does it integrate an increasingly growing and specialized knowledge in its reflection? Conversely, what impact does it have on the development of scientific research? Is it a discipline among others? What are the scientific, political, economic or social issues that require a philo- sophical point of view? Finally, how does it fit into a society increasingly centred on knowledge but also increasingly exposed to ignorance?

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Several additional events took place on Philosophy Day

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A “café philosophique” was organized by Ms Cécile Duvelle (UNESCO) and Mr Mauro Rosi (UNESCO), on the topic “How Can One Be Happy?”, and then by Ms Gael Prawda (from the Café de Flore, Paris) and Mr Daniel Ramirez (from the Café des Phares, Paris), on another topic freely chosen by the public, alternating between the selected topics and questions introduced by the public

A very lively public, mostly made up of high school students, attended the Philosophy Day

A book fair, with books in the field of philosophy was organized, in which leading publishing companies took part (Gallimard, PUE LIHarmattan, Odile Jacob, Seuil), alongside UNESCO Publishing.

In parallel, an art performance went on throughout the Day in the central hall. The artist (Alexis Fraikin) painted a special canvas for UNESCO, following his own “philosophical” inspiration. This painting, entitled “De la Pensée”, was given to UNESCO’s Social and Human Sciences Sector.

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A Philosophy Dialogue was also organized for the Philosophy Day through a virtual forum connecting young scholars in philosophy throughout the world

Finally, preceded by a philosophical debate on Jazz and its ability to open the mind to philosophy, a free Jazz concert given by Herbie Hancock, accompanied by the Thelonious Monk Jazz Institute (United States of America), took place in front of an audience of more than 1300

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ctivities ield More than 50 Member States celebrated Philosophy Day on 21 November 2002 and, for some, on the days that followed The National Commissions for UNESCO and the Delegations to UNESCO were involved in this initiative. as well as universities, research institutes, student associations, etc

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Argentina Azerbaijan Bangladesh Bolivia Brazil Bulgaria Cambodia Cameroon Canada Central African Republic Chad China Columbia Congo

Cuba Czech Republlc Democratlc Republic of the Congo Ecuador

Finland Georgia Hungary Indonesia Iran (Islamic Republic of) Ireland ltaly Kazakhstan Kenya

Egypt

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Kuwait Lebanon Lithuania Madagascar Mali Mauritania Mexico Micronesia (Federated States of) Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nicaragua Niger i a Norway

Peru Poland Republic of Korea Slovakia South Africa Switzerland Syrian Arab Republic Turkey United Republic of Tanzania United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Uruguay Zambia

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Some examples of activities in the field *

* Some of the countrles that have sent a description of organized activities to the Section of Philosophy and Human Sciences.

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6LW The Department of Philosophy of the University of Chittagong organized a seminar on the topic “Philosophy and Intercultural Understanding’ which brought together prominent philosophers of the country The Centre for Philosophical Research of the Department of Philosophy, Jahangirnagar University organized a debate during the Day on the topic “The Meaning of Philosophy in Today’s World”

Zrl In partnership with UNESCO and the UNESCO Chair on Education for Peace, Human Rights, Democracy and Tolerance at the University of Sao Paolo, the UNESCO Office in Brasilia and the Palas Athena Association, organized a round table on the topic “The Role of Philosophy in the 21st Century” Among those present were Professor Dalmo Dallari, coordinator of the above mentioned Chair, Professor Basilo Pawlowitz, cofounder of the Palas Athena Association, several professors of philosophy, various NCOs as well as members of the Government

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The Department of Philosophy of the University of Quebec at Montreal, the Canadian National Commission for UNESCO, Professor Elisabeth Barot and the UNESCO Philosophy Chair in Canada orga- nized on 28 November 2002, a round table on the topic ‘People Excluded from Justice in Democracy” In increasingly multiethnic societies, racist prejudices and stereotypes have devastating effects The dominant ethics in the field of gender and sexuality generates also its share of outcasts These forms of resistance to difference generally coalesce to hamper the advent of greater justice for the greatest number Among the par- ticipants were Alonce Ndiaye, Roberto Jovel, Micheline Labelle, Fo Niemi and Pierre Sané (UNESCO)

Organizer of the activities in China was the China Incarnate Word (CIW) Education Centre, Kang da College of South China Normal University, Zengcheng Open classes of philosophy were organized by Professor Nader Chokr O n 20-21 November 2002, several discussion groups and workshops were organized throughout the campus of the University, on topics such

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as altruism, culture in a global world, tolerance, ethics of beliefs, the devil the transforming force of philosophy A website was also created for the occasion at wwwciweduc com

i88A In cooperation with the Cuban Society for Philosophical Research (SCIF), the Faculty of Philosophy and History of the University of Havana, the Cuban Association for the United Nations and the Ministries of Culture and Science, an international conference was organized on the topic “The Role of Philosophy and the lntangible Inheritance of the Countries of Central America”

S$$Ff4 The Supreme Council of the Ministry of Culture organized a session on the subject of religions and conflicts today Several experts were present Dr Bastaouisi Ramadan, Dr Hassan Hanafi, Dr Magdi Abdel Hafez, and Dr Salah Konsouha

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t: $$ii$$$,D Organizers of the activities in Finland were the National Board for Education and the Finnish National Commission for UNESCO An event consisting of a philosophy essay competition was organized by the Finnish Philosophy Teachers' Association (FETO), Finland's ASP schools' network, and the Philosophical Society of Finland This event covered all the Baltic area, and essays were received from Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, the Russian Federation and Germany. A second event "Questions to a Philosopher", consisted of questions in philosophy posed through the Internet and by telephone to a group of prominent Finnish philosophers.

The University IULM organized, on 3 December 2002, a public debate on the general topic of "Philosophy and.. ." The specific question on the relation between philosophy and the media received the greatest attention

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The event was attended by Professor Emanuele Ronchetti (ULM), Professor Michele Lenoci (Catholic University of Milan), Professor Roberto Casati (University of Vercelli) and Professor Armando Massarenti (newspaper /I Sole 24 Ore).

Professor Judith Bahemuka, holder of the UNESCO/UNIÏWIN Chair at the University of Nairobi. orga- nized a panel on two subjects "Poverty, Justice and World Peace", and " Can Philosophy Create Paths for the Emancipation of Humanity Today?" in partnership with the UNESCO Office in Nairobi, the UNES CO Ofice in Dakar (Regional Unit for Social and Human Sciences in Africa) and the Section of Philosophy and Human Sciences at UNESCO

LO $4 The UNESCO Chair for Culture, Peace and Democracy at the Law University of Lithuania, and PAIDEA UNESCO Club organized, on 28 November 2002, a round table on the topic "Philosophy and Ethics in

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Cultural Reflection Today’. The moderator of the discussion was Mr Wilhelm Augustat, President of the organization “Peace through Culture - Europe” The debate focused mainly on the issues of communica- tion between believers and non-believers of traditional cultures and the future of the philosophical tradition The participation of professors and students of the Law University, as well as other universities and institutes enhanced the event. A second event, an international conference on the topic “Philosophy: an Opportunity for Intercultural Dialogue” was organized in Palanga from 18 to 20 December 2002, by the Lithuanian Educational Centre of Philosophy for Children, the Ministry of Education and Sciences of Lithuania, the Open Society Fund of Lithuania, the “Nordisk Ministerrads lnformasjonskontor I Vilnius” and the Lithuanian National Commission for UNESCO. A message for Philosophy Day from UNESCO S Director-General was read at the opening of the session. The issues addressed were “The Changes in Educational Policy and Philosophy, and the Challenge of Globalization”, “The Roles of Philosophy and the Development of a Global Economy”, “The Role of Philosophy in Education”, etc.

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The ‘Asociación Filosófica de México” (AFM) organized a series of round tables and debates in Mexico City, with the participation of several Universities. The Faculty of Humanities and Philosophy organized with the “Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México” an opening ceremony and a series of round tables on the topic ‘Why Philosophy?” with several professors of the AFM, as well as students. The University radio station, Radio UNAM, devoted all its programmes to the event The Faculty of Philosophy of the “Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro” organized a programme for 2 1 November 2002, with an exhibition entitled “Philosophers, their Portraits and Unexpected Words”, and a debate on “How to Teach the History of Philosophy?”. A philosophical play was also prepared by a group of students. O n 22 November 2002, a conference was set up by a group of students, on the unexpected subject: ‘Why Are W e Here at the Faculty of Philosophy, rather than Somewhere Else?”. The Centre of Human Sciences at the “Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes” (UAA) organized an ela- borate programme, which started with a multidisciplinary panel on “The Contribution of Philosophy to the Other Disciplines of the University” and a meeting between professors from each department and students, broadcast by the radio station of the campus.

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A session entitled “Philosophy Today’, was also organized by the professors of the Department of Philosophy Another conference was held by Professor Rodolfo Berna1 Escalente who focused his speech on the topics of religion and nihilism. This programme was accompanied by a video projection entitled “Ten Years of Philosophy at the ”Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes (UAA)” The Faculty of Philosophy of the “Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolas de Hidalgo” organized with its students an interdisciplinary meeting entitled “Linking People”. O n 22 November 2002, philosophy work- shops were set up for primary school children. as well as a show for children The day was also marked by two art exhibitions. The Panamerican University organized a contest of ideas on the subjects of Philosophy, Anthropology and Ethics, which was a great success and aroused great interest among the students.

u Within the framework of the Philosophy Day, two events were organized on 21 November 2002, the National Library of Peru and the School of Philosophy of the University of San Marco organized together a

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book show and a conference on ”Philosophy in Peru” In addition, at the “Universidad Federico Villareal”, a forum was held on the topic “Philosophical Interpretation of Peruvian Reality”

Co-organizers of the activities: Polish National Commission for UNESCO and the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the Polish Academy of Sciences. On 21 November 2002, the Polish National Commission for UNESCO, with the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, organized a debate entitled “Philosophical Improvisation”. The first part of the event dealt with some of the most important issues in philosophy, as well as the most current debates and controversies in contemporary philosophy. It was presented by a group of authors of the Institute and was concerned, notably, with debates around philosophical reflection in France, philosophical analysis, phenomenology or African ethnophilosophy. Issues such as “Do Philosophical Problems Really Exist?”, “How Can Philosophy Be Possible in a World of Science?”, “The Individualized Subject Confronted with the Force of Language”, “The Ethics of Ego and the Ethics of the ‘Other“’. “Is Philosophy a European Discipline?” were all discussed A panel discussing subjects chosen by the public was the second part of the

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programme. Finally, a third part consisted in a reading by Juliusz Domanski, Professor Emeritus of the Institute on the topic ‘What It Is To Be a Philosopher Today” that touched upon the opposition between academic philosophy and philosophy understood as a certain way of life that prevailed in former approaches. This event was held at the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology at the Polish Academy of Sciences. The participants were mainly students, especially from the network of schools associated with UNESCO, as well as from universities This event attracted a great deal of public attention, leading the Polish radio to broadcast certain parts of the “Improvisations” on 1 December 2002.

s D For the celebration of the Philosophy Day at UNESCO and within the framework of the operation Netd@ys 2002, the Swiss National Commission for UNESCO, with the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education (CDIP) and the “Fondation suisse pour la formation par l’audiovisuel” (FSFA), orga- nized on I9 November 2002 in Bern an event entitled ”Dialogue of Cultures -Standardized Global Ethics” This event supported the Philosophy Day activities with its contribution to reflection through mutual understanding, particularly in the field of education

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The first part of the programme treated the presentation of school projects, as well as a round table for pro- fessors, with the notable participation of Professors Hans Küng and Klaus Wegenast. The objective was to encourage reflection and to increase the awareness ofyoung people as well as adults on the increasing impor- tance of the fundamental ethical values, what the United Nations calls "Global Ethical Standards". The second part of the programme consisted of a symposium for decision-makers in the sectors of politics, economics and education. The moderator was Professor Hans Küng, President of the Foundation "Planetary Ethics - Research, Formation, Encounter between Cultures and Religions", who spoke on the topic "Standards in Education Processes and Awakening'. Other authors, such as Bernard Wicht, touched on the themes of cultural diver- sity, cross-cultural competence (Professor Dieter Spanhel), biosphere reserves (Professor Engelbert Ruoss), each on the basis of existing projects, thus putting the "Global Ethical Standards" in a practical perspective. The exhibition "Religions of the World -World Peace - Planetary Ethics", based on the multimedia pro- ject of Professor Küng "Spurensuche" and already presented at the Headquarters of the United Nations in N e w York, was shown during the Day at the entrance of "Congress Centre Galaxy" For more details on the site, go to: h t t p : / / w unesco ch/actual-content/globalethic-f-frame-htm

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$‘‘y;$Z; I - ’ 4 g $7. “.q&g ZiFpk j$ The Department of Philosophy, University of Aleppo organized two round tables on the subject. “Philosophy as a Means of Dialogue between Civilizations”, in which several professors of various universities in the country took part: Dr Halim Asmar spoke on “The Philosophical Question”, Dr Rachid Hajsaleh on “Obstacles to Philosophical Reflection”, Dr Pierre Masry intervened on the topic “Learning Philosophy is Learning Dialogue”, Dr Gregoire Marcho, on the topic of the “Future of Philosophy”, Dr Abboud AI Askri on “The Role of Man in Sufi Philosophy’ and finally, Dr Taleb Tizzini on “The Significance of Philosophy in the Dialogue between Civilizations”.

I’ **?=o Gbgk;L R&b.FOGi,X 8F ~~~~~~~~~~

The Philosophy Section of the Department of Political Sciences of the University of Dar Es Salaam organi- zed a series of events to mark Philosophy Day on the topic “Philosophy, Culture and Development“. The Day started with a seminar presented by Dr Hellsten (Coordinator of the Philosophy Programme), with the par- ticipation of professors and students of the University who discussed subjects relating to philosophy in Africa, and especially in Tanzania. The subjects presented included Islamic philosophy, philosophy and theology in

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Africa, and the Nyerere philosophy. The Day went on with the presentation of papers by students on the subjects ‘What Is and What Is Not Philosophy?”, ‘What Is Philosophy Made for?”, ‘Which Is the Role of Philosophical Reflection in the Development of Africa, its Globalisation and the Understanding of its Culture?”. The main panel also examined the role of philosophical reflection in other disciplines. Professors of various departments of the University spoke about the role of philosophy for science, social sciences, edu- cation, law, technology, medicine, the world of business, human standards and philosophy in public life. A stu- dents’ forum on ethics and a ‘café philosophique’ concluded the Day.

sng Co-organizers of the events were: the UNESCO Regional Ofice in Montevideo, the ‘Associatión Filosófica del Uruguay” (AFU), the “Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS)”, Sao Leopoldo, Brazil, and the Argentina National Commission for UNESCO. The joint efforts of these institutions resulted in a celebration of the Day which lasted three days. O n 21 November 2002, a videoconference connecting prominent lecturers from Brazil (UNISINOS, Sao Leopoldo), from Argentina (Buenos Aires) and from Uruguay (ten cities, including Montevideo, Paysandu,

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Salto, Minas, Colonia, Maldonado, Tacuarembo and San Jose) was organized on the topic “Philosophical Reflection and Prevailing Economic Models”. Representatives of the Regional Office in Montevideo also attended, as well as professors of philosophy. The conference was followed by a workshop in which the par- ticipants discussed the questions that had been raised O n 22 November 2002, a second videoconference was organized, in partnership with the University of Paris Vlll and with the participation of prominent philosophers, like Miguel Abensour, Marilena Chaui, Jorge Davila, Stéphane Douailler and Patrice Vermeren, on the topic. “Reading Spinoza under the Aspect of the Multitude”. Finallly, on 23 November 2002, the AFU, the Association of Educators of Latin America and the Caribbean (AELAC), and the Uruguayan National Institute for Minors (INAME), coorganized a seminar in Montevideo with Aghostino Reis Monteiro as lecturer, on the topic “Ethics, Education, Development and Globalization”

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?.r.sn t .-:y 5 * '1 s: &kB Address of the Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences Address of the Chairperson of the Executive Board Address of the President of the International Federation of Philosophical Societies (FISP)

.- 1 :r.lai:t>z:lg aie::i:"Z$ Virtual forum connecting young scholars in philosophy all over the world

I r . < <::%A" 2:;c q9a>&.?<% l"<*,I&Cr$

Can Philosophy Create Paths for the Emancipation of Humanity Today? Questions on Human Rights, Democracy and Citizenship Organized with the University of Paris Vlll and the UNESCO Philosophy Chair of Santiago de Chile "Public Arena and Experiences in Pluralism". Faculty of Philosophy and Humanities (University of Santiago, Chile)

Philosophy and Culture: Cultural Diversity and Cultural Rights Organized with "Le Collège international de philosophie"

Culture Facing Globalization Organized with the UNESCO Philosophy Chair, "Philosophie de la culture et des institutions" (University of Paris VIII)

Philosophy, Cosmology and Physics Organized with the "lnsttut d astrophysique de Pans" and the 'Centre de recherches en épistémologie appliquée"

Philosophy, Science and Ethics Organized with "La Maison des sciences de l'homme'' and the International Council for Philosophy and Humanistic Studies (ICPHS)

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Poverty, Justice and World Peace Organized with the International Federation of Philosophical Societies (FISP)

Philosophy and Transculturality Organized with the "Institut de la pensée contemporaine"

Philosophy and Human Rights Organized with the UNESCO Chair of Philosophy and Human Rights (Hacettepe University, Turkey)

Philosophy and the Media Organized with the 'Agence universitaire de la francophonie", the UNESCO Chair in Philosophy "Philosophie et expériences de l'altérité'' and the Social and Human Sciences Faculty (University of Tunis I, Tunisia)

Philosophy and Knowledge Organized with the "Université de tous les savoirs"

I *:\::s,;**z Professor Paul Ricoeur, Honorary President of the "Institut international de philosophie" "The Struggle for Recognition and the Economy of the Gift"

Professor Jaako Hintikka, Honorary President of the "Institut international de philosophie" "Epistemology without Knowledge or Belief"

AY:. E Xe!; f Art Performance by the French artist Alexis Fraikin depicting the concepts ofjustice, tolerance, dignity and peace

c; o:. 1 er! 5; E -- a CXl Jazz Concert: Herbie Hancock accompanied by the Thelonious Monk Jazz Institute Musicians

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