World Congress of Philosophy

[Philosophy Now]

Rick Lewis and Anja Steinbauer report from Athens from one of the biggest philosophy gatherings of all times.

http://philosophynow.org/issues/98/Worl ... Philosophy

[spike]

Speaking of the Congress getting no press coverage, I remember reading about the Congress that took place in Boston in 1998. It was mentioned by The New York Times in a piece call Think Tank by Sarah Boxer. The heading of the article was "At the End of a Century of Philosophizing, the Answer is Don't Ask" (typical). The congress was most likely mentioned by the Times because it took place on American soil and because it was chaired by the most eminent philosopher of the day - Willard Van Orman Quine, who was 90.

Was there a single question or theme to the Congress in Athens? The one in Boston was "What have we learned from philosophy in the 20th century?" I don't think anybody answered the question or were reluctant to, probably out political correctness or something like that. One of the sticking points was the word "we". It was too ambiguous. One response in lieu of a definitive answer was, "The only philosophical thing left is 'et cetera' ". What a copout.

But as Athens and Greece may have seemed to some delegates it really is about et cetera, a usual response when it's all too much to fathom or explain.

[RickLewis]

The theme was "Philosophy as Inquiry and Way of Life", which is perhaps intentionally vague. There was certainly much more there about philosophy as inquiry than about philosophy as way of life. The congress website gives a fuller description of its aims here:

http://www.wcp2013.gr/en/universal/cong ... ofias.html

[spike]

I guess I should share this - "Was Wiggensteins Right" : http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/20 ... ein-right/