Three weeks after the “Confucius – Aristotle Symposium” in China (8-12 July 2024) the Interdisciplinary Centre for Aristotle Studies (DIKAM), of AUTh, had one more dynamic presence at the 25th World Congress of Philosofpy (WCP), in Rome (1-8 August, 2024).
I am delighted to say that the three-fold Invited Session with the general title: “Aristotle-Contemporary Perspectives on his Thought,” which I had the honor to organize on behalf of DIKAM, as Invited Session of the 25th WCP Rome 2024, was extremely successful and fruitful.
The titles of the three Invited Sessions, with the participation of five speakers in each, from at least three countries, were the following: I. “Aristotle and the Sciences: Physics, Biology, Psychology. A Contemporary Interdisciplinary Approach.” II: “Aristotle’s Insights on Ethics, Politics, Paideia and their Relevance Today.” III: “The legacy of Aristotle and Confucius for facing global challenges in our era.” Session III was co-organized with the China Confucius Foundation, and co-chaired by Prof. Demetra Sfendoni-Mentzou and Prof. Wen Haiming.
In the above Sessions, we had the honor of the participation of the following speakers: The current President of FISP (International Federation for Philosophical Societies) and President of of the 25th WCP Rome 2024, Prof. Luca Scarantino (Italy); the past President of FISP and also President of the 24th WCP Beijing 2018, Prof. Dermot Moran (Ireland & US); the President of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network of the United Nations, Prof. Jeffrey Sachs; Prof. Stelios Virvidakis (Greece), Prof. Riccardo Pozzo (Italy), Prof. Bryan Van Norden (USA & China), Prof. Chelsea Harry (USA), Prof. Ennio de Bellis (Italy). I am most grateful to them and I wish to express my heartfelt thanks for their participation. Finally, I am particularly happy for the excellent papers presented by the Scientific Associates of DIKAM: Dr. Christos Pechlivanides (Greece), Dr. Dimitra Balla (Greece), Dr. Elsa Nicolaidou (Greece & Cyprus) and MA George Stremplis (Greece & Canada). I am delighted as the four of them have been my students and the three of them have conducted, several years ago, their PhDs under my supervision (Bellow are the names of the speakers together with the titles of their presentations).
As founder and President of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Aristotle Studies, AUTh, I am particularly proud for the two recent achievements of DIKAM. I am referring (a) to the role that the Interdisciplinary Centre for Aristotle Studies, AUTh, has played as a co-organizer of the “Aristotle – Confucius Symposium” 2023 in Greece: at AUTh, at ancient Stageira and at ancient Mieza, and subsequently of the “Confucius-Aristotle Symposium” in Qufu and Beining” in July 2024, as DIKAM was one of the two Greek supporting Institutions together with the Academy of Athens; and (b), I am referring to the three Aristotle Invited Sessions I have organized on behalf of DIKAM, at the WCPRome2024.
The World Congress of Philosophy is a global meeting of philosophers held every five years under the auspices of the International Federation of Philosophical Societies (FISP). First organized in 1900, these meetings have been held regularly since 1948. They focus on philosophical knowledge, on global problems, promote philosophical education, and encourage the development of professional relations between philosophers of all countries. This year’s WCP had 4000 participants from the five continents.
I wish to close this short report by referring to the words of the President of FISP and of the WCP Rome 2024 said, Professor Luca Scarantino, at the opening of the three-fold Aristotle Session of DIKAM on August 1, 2024. In congratulating DIKAM of AUTh for its activity, he referred to the importance of its having extended its network to China and to the “important for Greece that it has a prominent international Aristotle Centre recognized internationally.”
Demetra Sfendoni-Mentzou
Professor Emerita of Philosophy of Science
Member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences
Photos of the Congress
I. Aristotle and the Sciences: Physics, Biology, Psychology. A Contemporary Interdisciplinary Approach.
Chair: Demetra Sfendoni-Mentzou,
President of DIKAM, Professor Emerita of Philosophy of Science, Member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (Greece)
“Aristotle’s Contribution to the Sciences and to Science Itself”
Luca Maria Scarantino
President of FISP and President of the 25th World Congress of Philosophy, Rome 2024 (Italy)
“The Interdisciplinary Centre for Aristotle Studies, AUTh, and its International Recognition.”
Dermot Moran
University College Dublin and Boston College, Member of the Irish Royal Academy, Past President of FISP and of the 25th WCP Beijing 2018 (US and Ireland).
“Aristotle on Animals: The Octopus and the Elephant.”
Dimitra Balla
Dr. of philosophy, AUTh, Scientific Associate at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Aristotle Studies, A.U.Th.
“What is a species?”: Aristotle’s Answers to the Contemporary Species Problem.”
Ennio de Bellis
Professor at the University of Salento, President of the Centro di Ricerche sulla Tradizione Aristotelica nel XV e XVI secolo Country (Italy)
“Inductive and Deductive Process in the Context of Aristotle’s Second Analytics.”
II. Aristotle’s Insights on Ethics, Politics, Paideia and their Relevance Today
Chair: Demetra Sfendoni-Mentzou
President of DIKAM, Professor Emerita of Philosophy of Science, Member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (Greece)
“The Interconnectedness of Aristotle’s Ethics, Politics and Paedeia and their Relevance today.”
Stelios Virvidakis
Professor at the Kapodistrian University of Athens (EKPA), Member of the Steering Committee of FISP (Greece).
“The Synergy between Intellectual and Moral Virtues in the Time of the Pandemic: A Neo-Aristotelian Approach.”
Chelsea Harry
Professor at the Department of Philosophy, Southern Connecticut State University Country (USA)
“The Concept of Living Well in Aristotle’s Zoology.”
Christos A. Pechlivanidis
Dr. of philosophy, AUTh, Scientific Associate at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Aristotle Studies, A.U.Th. (Greece).
“δύναμις and ἐνέργεια: the nature of ἠθικαί ἀρεταί in Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics”
George Stremplis
M.Phil. Bioethics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Scientific Associate at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Aristotle Studies, A.U.Th. & Student Recruitment Administrative Office, Seneca Polytechnic-Canada” (Canada & Greece).
“Nature Unveiled: Rediscovering Aristotle’s Eco-Ethical Insights for a Sustainable Future.”
Elsa Nicolaidou
Dr. of philosophy, AUTh, Cyprus Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth, Cyprus./ Country (Cyprus & Greece).
“Does all (kind of) Life Matter? A Modern Interpretation of “first entelechy” in Aristotle’s De anima. The Case of Microbes.”
III. The Legacy of Aristotle and Confucius for Facing Global Challenges in our Era.
Co- Chair: Demetra Sfendoni-Mentzou
President of DIKAM, Professor Emerita of Philosophy of Science, Member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (Greece).
“An Introduction to the theme of the Session.”
Co-Chair: Wen Haiming
Professor at the Renmin University of China, Associate Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Confucian Studies, Mountain Tai Scholar, Shandong Province (China).
“The Contemporary Significance of Confucian Worldview and Methodology for Facing Global Challenges in Our Era.”
Jeffrey Sachs
Professor at Columbia University and President of UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (USA)
“Confucius and Aristotle on Ethics for the 21st Century.”
Bryan Van Norden
Professor at James Monroe Taylor Chair in Philosophy, Vassar College (USA) & School of Philosophy, Wuhan University (China).
“A discussion on Understanding and Comparing Virtue Ethics that Emphasizes Questions, such as, ‘What is to Live Well?’ And ‘What is Human nature?’”
Riccardo Pozzo
Professor at Tor Vergata University &Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, Country (Italy)
“Aristotle and Confucius in Dialogue with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”
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