food for thought, thought for action

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In 2002, the Social and Human Sciences Sector launched Philosophy Day and this year, at its fourth celebration, Philosophy Day will become known as World Philosophy Day. The 33rd session of the UNESCO General Conference (October 2005) accepted a proposal submitted by the Kingdom of Morocco to proclaim this Day as World Philosophy Day, thus acknowledging the tremendous success of the three previous Philosophy Days and recognizing the need for shared reflection on contemporary issues. By inscribing Philosophy Day in the calendar of annual events, UNESCO hopes to encourage as many partners as possible in as many countries as possible, to organize on one and the same day, activities and debates on philosophical issues.

Why a day of philosophy?

Many thinkers advance the idea that "astonishment" is at the heart of philosophy. Admittedly, philosophy results from this natural tendency in human beings to be astonished by themselves and the world in which they live. This discipline teaches how us to reflect on reflexion, to call into question well-established "truths", to check assumptions, and sometimes to find conclusions. For many centuries and throughout all cultures, philosophy gave rise to concepts, ideas and analyses, thus providing the bases for critical, independent and creative thought. Philosophy Day makes it possible to celebrate the importance of philosophical reflexion and to encourage the populations of the world to share among themselves their philosophical heritage. For UNESCO, philosophy offers the conceptual bases of the principles and the values on which world peace depends -- democracy, human rights, justice and equality. This Day offers an opportunity to question ourselves on the state of the world and if it corresponds to our ideals of justice and equality, to ask ourselves whether our society lives in agreement with the ethical standards and morals of our great Declarations. It offers us the occasion to also ask often forgotten questions: "On what do we neglect to reflect? With which intolerable realities are we accustomed?"

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