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Boston University to Host the Largest-Ever Gathering of Philosophers
More than 3,000 thinkers scheduled to attend the Twentieth World Congress of Philosophy
(Boston, Mass.) -- Three thousand philosophers from around the world will convene in Boston on August 10 for the 1998 World Congress of Philosophy, a gathering held only once every five years since 1900. The twentieth and final Congress of the century, organized under the aegis of the FÈdÈration Internationale des SociÈtiÈs de Philosophie, will feature more than 2,000 symposia and has so far generated 1,300 scholarly papers. The last Congress held in the United States was in 1926.
According to Chancellor John Silber, a featured speaker on philosophy and the future of education, "Because of Boston University's outstanding department of philosophy I concluded that we should spearhead the effort to bring the Twentieth World Congress of Philosophy to the United States. The Boston Congress is not only the largest gathering of philosophers ever held but also the most substantive."
The Congress' theme is Paideia: Philosophy Educating Humanity. Applying their work in everyday circumstances -- particularly, in the classroom -- is an ongoing challenge philosophers face. The Congress speaks to both teaching philosophy and the philosophy of teaching, says B.U. Professor of Philosophy and Religion Alan Olson.
"It's both an old and a very current debate," he says. "How can we inculcate values and prepare people for responsible citizenship rather than simply train them to be investment bankers and athletes?"
Some of the timely topics to be discussed include the ethical questions posed by biotechnology, the conflict between economic growth and environmental protection, the responsibilities of educators in a global context, and the impact of the Internet on society.
For the first time in the Congress' history, nearly all of the sessions will include a global diversity of viewpoints. Globalization of media and the economy is reflected in philosophical developments, observes B.U. Professor of Broadcasting and Congress advisor Jeremy Murray-Brown. "It is necessary and inevitable that philosophic discourse become inclusive and non-jingoistic," he says. "Including Asian philosophies is now central to the Congress, which will highlight thinking from a myriad of traditions."
Another group of people carefully included in the Congress' planning is laypeople. If the event is to be relevant to contemporary pedagogy, Murray-Brown says, it must be comprehensible to nonspecialists.
"I think the philosophers are very keen to try and make the whole conference accessible," he says. "It's at that level, really, that practical philosophy needs to be understood and felt and practiced. And I think they're very well aware of that."
The Congress is co-sponsored by Boston College, Brown University, the University of Massachusetts/Amherst and Boston, Suffolk University, UNESCO, and Wellesley College.
-- 30 -- August 5, 1998
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