Seoul Hosts XXII World Congress of Philosophy 2008

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1 FOCUS Seoul Hosts XXII World Congress of Philosophy 2008 The XXII World Congress of Philosophy 2008 was held at Seoul National University July 30-August 5. Some 2,600 scholars of philosophy from 100 countries presented 1,700 academic papers and discussed a variety of topics during 479 sessions. Lee Myung-hyun Professor Emeritus Philosophy Department, Seoul National University, Director, WCP 2008 Organizing Committee Photographs Korea Philosophical Association 1 T he XXII World Congress of Philosophy (WCP 2008), often referred to as the Olympics of Philosophy, was presented at Seoul National University July 30-August 5. The largest gathering of its kind, this event has been held once every five years since its inauguration in Paris in Due to the prevalence of Western thought on the philosophical world thus far, a majority of the previous sessions were hosted by European countries. As such, the Seoul gathering was the first foray of this group in the Asian region. Korea was selected as the host country of the XXII World Congress of Philosophy in a vote held during the XXI World Congress of Philosophy, in Istanbul, Turkey in 2003, when it edged out Greece, which is recognized as the cradle of Western philosophy. The holding of this event in Seoul thus symbolized a shift in the focus of the World Congress of Philosophy from the West to the East. The Seoul organizers selected a primary theme of World Philosophy to bring together Western and Eastern philosophies. Until only recently, a notion that philosophy is equated with Western Philosophy was generally accepted. However, the proceedings of the WCP 2008 made it clear to the global participants that Eastern Thought deserved to be recognized as a fundamental component of world philosophy. This was evident from the papers presented at the event, which for the first time featured sections on Asian Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. 1~2 Opening ceremony of the XXII World Congress of Philosophy, on July 30, 2008, included the participation of Lee Myung-hyun, director of the Korea Organizing Committee, and Peter Kemp, president of the International Federation of Philosophical Societies Koreana Winter 2008

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3 1 A leading authority in the field of phenomenology, Professor Cho Kah Kyung of the State University of New York participated in the XXII World Congress of Philosophy. 2 Professor Allan Gibbard of the University of Michigan is regarded as today s preeminent ethicist. 3 Professor Vittorio Hosle of the University of Notre Dame stressed the need for a renewed emphasis on critical philosophy. 1 Newsbankimag 2 Newsbankimag 4 Professor Tim Scanlon of Harvard University, an ethicist and political philosopher, has focused on the exploration of interpersonal relationships. 5 Peter Kemp, President of the International Federation of Philosophical Societies Most Western universities offer few, if any, courses related to Eastern Thought in the curriculum of their philosophy departments. In this regard, the XXII World Congress of Philosophy provided a venue for a direct encounter between Eastern and Western thought. In particular, the event served as a turning point for the direction of mainstream philosophy, which shifted toward a more balanced perspective of Eastern and Western philosophies. Love of Wisdom The WCP 2008 participants included notable delegations of representatives from the United States (174), Russia (166), Japan (134), China (126), India (64), and Germany (53), along with a large number of Eastern philosophers from Korea and other regions. The term philosophy is derived from the ancient Greek term philosophia, meaning love of wisdom. Philosophia was originally used as a general term to include all theoretical disciplines. The separation of disciplines only occurred during the modern era, while the individual spheres of learning evident in today s universities emerged from this division of disciplines. Although the field of philosophy has undergone various transformations during the departmentalization of disciplines, philosophical inquiry remains rooted in an exploration of the nature of man and the universe, based on comprehensive, fundamental, and critical methodology. Human civilization is currently in the midst of a profound transition. Thus far, humans have established various relations with nature that has enabled people to alter their basic life structure, whenever deemed necessary. The relationships between people and nature underwent repeated change during the agricultural and industrial eras, which opened a door for the advent of a variety of philosophies. A secondary theme of the WCP 2008, Rethinking Philosophy Today, focused on a fundamental reconsideration of the need for a new blueprint to provide a future direction for civilization, while also reviewing our past philosophical heritage during this dramatic period of transition for humankind. The discussions might not have immediately resulted in the creation of a detailed road map, but they did serve as a timely opportunity to adjust the basic framework of human thought and to prepare for the dawn of a new civilization. Distinguished Participants The WCP 2008 featured four plenary sessions: Rethinking Moral, Social, and Political Philosophy, Rethinking Metaphysics and Aesthetics, Rethinking Epistemology, Philosophy of Science and Technology, and Rethinking the History of Philosophy and Comparative Philosophy. In addition, five symposiums were presented: Conflict and Tolerance, Globalization and Cosmopolitanism, Bio- 34 Koreana Winter 2008

4 3 Yonhapnews 4 5 Yonhapnews Yonhapnews ethics, Environmental Ethics, and Future Generations, Tradition, Modernity, and Post-Modernity, and Philosophy in Korea. During the various symposiums, lectures, and roundtable discussions, prominent scholars introduced and discussed recent academic trends. The participants included Vittorio Hosle, the world-renowned German philosopher and professor of the University of Notre Dame; Timothy Williamson, an illustrious figure of British and American literature; Judith Butler, a foremost theorist and contributor to the development of modern feminist theory, and professor of the University of California, Berkeley; Kim Jae-gwon, professor of Brown University and renowned author of metaphysics; and Tanella Boni, professor of the University of Cocody, in the Republic of Cote d Ivoire, and avid promoter of African arts and culture on the international stage. Overall, some 2,600 scholars from 100 countries participated in this event that included the presentation of some 1,700 academic papers. Alain Badiou, who presented a lecture on the subject of rethinking the history of philosophy and comparative philosophy tradition, criticism, and conversation, is perhaps the most influential figure of modern French philosophy. Slavoj Zizek regards him as the greatest French philosopher after Jacques Derrida and Gilles Deleuze. As for Alain Badiou, who has a PhD in mathematics, he has earned the respect of his colleagues in the field of philosophy because of the broad spectrum of his thought, which covers a wide range of disciplines, such as art, mathematics, politics, and religion. Known as a Nietzsche of the 21st Century, Peter Sloterdijk is a philosopher who has attracted much attention because of his ability to develop bold theories that effectively challenge existing philosophical icons. His Kritik der zynischen Vernunft (Critique of Cynical Reason), published in 1983, is the bestselling German-language philosophy book since World War II. The substantive quality of the philosophical discussions was further enhanced by the presence of the acclaimed French philosopher Luc Ferry, who served as Minister of Education under Jacques Chirac, and Kim Jaegwon, a world-famous professor of Brown University. Guidance for Humanity Over the last 2,500 years, philosophy, and Western thought in particular, has focused on the presence of a certain absolute. However, a growing perception that humans are incapable of maintaining such an absolute, has led to the emergence of wallows of despair and a descent into nihilism. As such, human thought has been dominated by the psychological extremes of absolutism and nihilism. In this regard, the World Congress of Philosophy serves as a venue for Winter 2008 Koreana 35

5 1 In conjunction with the World Congress gathering, publishers sponsored an exhibition of recent books on philosophy. 2 Professor Tim Scanlon made a presentation during an event dinner. 3 Closing ceremony of the XXII World Congress of Philosophy in Seoul. 1 addressing the political tasks assigned to those who are concerned about the current and future state of humankind. This requires a critical assessment of humankind s place within the universe and the search for a framework for human life. Humankind currently faces a fundamental challenge in the form of a question of whether people can continue to live on this earth for much longer. That is to say, because of man s failure to engage in productive communication with nature and the allowing of obstacles to exist within different cultural spheres, which serve to impede dialogue and interaction among the members of various cultural spheres, the very existence of humankind is now being threatened. It is thus incumbent upon humankind to reconcile with nature, and search for methods to promote an integrated perspective and open mindedness that are required to bring about reconciliation between those trapped behind such cultural obstacles. As for the XXII World Congress of Philosophy in Seoul, its most valuable contribution to the posterity of humankind would be the efforts to awaken people to the serious problems that require our attention and to sow the seeds of reconsideration needed to bring about a new thought and behavioral framework. A new, sustainable civilization cannot be realized without a mind that is free from arrogance and greed. Accordingly, contemporary philosophers should seriously contemplate what they can do to help bring about a new civilization, in which we can all effectively communicate with one another. A new civilization requires a new world philosophy. In this regard, the WCP 2008 can be appreciated as a vital turning point in the process of reconsidering how we should face up to today s challenges. The XXII World Congress of Philosophy provided a venue for a direct encounter between Eastern and Western thought. In particular, the event served as a turning point for the direction of mainstream philosophy, which shifted toward a more balanced perspective of Eastern and Western philosophies. 36 Koreana Winter 2008

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