Saudi Arabia desires not just to showcase its own culture but to forge deep bonds with thinkers and academic institutions throughout the world.

 

By helping to further mankind’s appreciation for philosophy, the speakers are contributing to a better world for everyone, commented Dr Mohammed Hasan Alwan, CEO of the Ministry of Culture’s Commission for Literature, Publishing and Translation at the three-day Riyadh Philosophy Conference, which opened on December 8.

 

The conference heard leading philosophers from around the world discuss topics that demonstrate the important role of philosophy in addressing the challenges facing humanity, under the theme ‘unpredictability.’

 

Opening the conference, Dr Alwan said the inaugural conference marks the “start of Riyadh’s emergence as a major global centre of philosophy”.

 

Addressing the first plenary session about Saudi Arabia’s intellectual landscape, Dr Abdullah Al-Ghathami, of King Saud University, noted that questions such as “What connects us” are ones we ask “in our search for knowledge and an interpretation of the world we live in.” Abrahim H. Khan from the University of Toronto argued that “the task of philosophy today is to make sense of situations where we are very different but have to live with one another.”

 

The second panel was on ‘Transmitting Philosophy: Inventing New Educational Paradigms for a Mutating World’. Dalia Toonsi, Saudi philosopher and founder of the Baseera Educational Consultancy, who is running workshops for children at the conference, argued that children can philosophise and think abstractly. “Children, as philosophers, have so much to tell us and our future is going to be prosperous and promising,” she said.

 

Pedro Monreal of Unesco, explored philosophy’s “prominence in global intercultural exchanges”, adding that it is an “important part” of Unesco’s strategy to “bring peace to the minds of men and women as well as cooperation across education, culture, science, and communication.”

 

Luca Maria Scarantino, President of the International Federation of Philosophical Societies, said that philosophy is “so influential” because it helps us “increase our understanding of the world, expand the boundaries of our experience and become more aware of the complexities of our world.” He added that “philosophers are increasingly being sought out to reflect on and understand the pandemic.”

 

Abdullah Almutairi, an Associate Professor at King Saud University and President of Saudi Philosophy Association noted that “philosophy is not new to Saudi society.”

 

The conference features interactive features that bring philosophy to life, and a Children’s Philosophical Space to accommodate children and families.-- TradeArabia News Service