The Conference in Ancient Olympia
The XXth International Symposium of Philosophy
and the IVth International Bilingual Summer Seminar
The Olympic Center for Philosophy and Culture
August 2-7, 2009
In celebration of its 20th anniversary, the Olympic Center for Philosophy and Culture (OCPC) brought in a number of scholars from around the world as well as drawing in many prominent intellectuals from Greece to the XXth International Symposium of Philosophy and the IVth International Bilingual Summer Seminar, August 2-7, 2009
The theme of this year’s conference was The Enlightenment in the Greek and the European Traditions. Round-table discussions were held on:
• “The Future of the Sciences and Medical Technologies,”
• “The Greek and European Enlightenment,”
• “The Place of Greek Philosophy in East-West Relations,”
• “Modernity and Religion,” “The Environment and Paideia,” and
• “Archeological Approaches to Philosophy, Culture and the Environment.”
Papers were read in groups according to overall themes: politics, ethics, the arts, theories of knowledge, the practice of medicine, religion, and the sciences, among others. The papers were a mix of both critical and positive views of the Greek Enlightenment in comparison with Modern and Post-modern notions of “enlightenment.”
A few overriding themes emerged:
First, most of the papers discussed the way that a philosopher’s views of politics, ethics, etc. were connected to his or her overall culture, and to a worldview. The parts need to be understood in relation to the broader whole of culture.
Second, most of the papers recognized that the rejection of the entire ancient worldview during the time of the birth of modern science was too extreme.
Third, our task as philosophers today is two-fold: a) to find a new way to synthesize what is best from the ancient, modern, and post-modern paradigms in Western culture; and b) to study other cultures around the world and find the universal insights from their own ancient and modern intellectuals and artists. In this way we can develop a truly universal and relevant understanding of the universe and humanity’s place within it.
During the celebration of the 20th anniversary of OCPC, in the opening session at the Municipality Hall of Pyrgos, in my address to participants I extended greetings from the ISUD Board. Many of the original founders and long-time members of the OCPC were honored. Two volumes of Skepsis were presented to the honorees: one a volume produced in honor of Dr. George Anagnostopoulos, professor of philosophy at the University of California, San Diego, and another on the “Ecological Crisis and Greek Paideia” in honor of Charalambos Bramos, a renowned lawyer of Elia, one of the founders of the OCPC and now holding the post of counselor at the Prefecture of Elia. The volume Introduction to Chinese Philosophy was presented to Dr. Keping Wang, and Celestia II, a new philosophical journal in Greek, was presented to Dr. Christos Evangeliou. Two long-time supporters to the Center were honored: Georgios Kontos and Professor Manolis Mikrogiannakis, former Dean at the University of Athens.
Last year’s conference on Greek Philosophy and Environmental Issues was also a part of this larger project. The Olympic Center is dedicated to this perspective on philosophical issues; because of its location in Greece, it is particularly focused on the ways Ancient Greek philosophy and culture can provide insights into the process. But it is open to criticism, even radical criticism, of the Ancient Greeks, and it is open to cultural traditions throughout the world and to universal dialogue.
The next, XXIst International Symposium of Philosophy and the Vth International Bilingual Summer Seminar will take place in the Summer of 2010.
Leonidas Bargeliotes
