Philosophy across Boundaries

It is with great pleasure and satisfaction that I address this message of welcome to you, confident that the forthcoming 25^th World Congress of Philosophy will be a unique and rich opportunity to develop a global, wide-ranging and intellectually profound debate on the most relevant topics in contemporary philosophical debate. These topics will also be approached by interweaving them with other forms of knowledge and other disciplines – which is to say, in a genuinely and fruitfully interdisciplinary spirit.

From the outset, Sapienza University of Rome has enthusiastically welcomed the proposal to hold this World Congress in Rome for the first time in its long history. The University’s resources will be mobilised to ensure the success of the event, with a view to welcoming thousands of scholars from all over the world. In addition to the Campus’ openness to the proposal, I must mention the opportunity which the Congress offers the city of Rome – with its unique landmarks and attractions – to play the privileged role of host, and thus to serve as a kind of crossroads for different philosophical perspectives on the world and on the increasingly pressing and fraught issues that have affected it in recent years.

In close organisational collaboration with the International Federation of Philosophical Societies and the Italian Philosophical Society, Sapienza intends to act once again as a compelling catalyst for the most advanced intellectual perspectives, constantly striving to ensure a solid basis for research and free discussion, so as to promote and affirm a widespread and profitable culture of inclusion and international collaboration.

More specifically, the possibility of promoting the capacity of philosophy – in all its different and complementary forms – to provide a privileged perspective on the complexity of the world and the challenges that still await us, in view of better global relations, is an objective fully in line with the University’s policy of supporting all efforts to cross borders, not least to overcome the sterile division or opposition between humanistic culture and scientific culture. We are confident that what we will witness is the realisation of an integrated and integral form of knowledge that does not omit any of the problems which we are called upon to solve.

Antonella Polimeni
Rectress
Sapienza University of Rome

Dear Colleagues and friends in Philosophy,

It is my honor and pleasure to welcome you all to the 25^th World Congress of Philosophy. It marks a dream of global philosophical collaboration, perhaps the most ambitious of its kind. The audacity of inviting you all to a world congress of philosophy has been sustained for a century by devoted members in philosophical communities from every region of the world, who respond to the challenge to give their commitment and dedication to this opportunity, especially during this time of troubling uncertainty and crippling anxiety.

The Theme of “Philosophy Across Boundaries” was decided in Mostar in May 2019, several months before the onslaught of the pandemic which has gripped the world in the past years. It seems that all the isolation, physical or emotional, all the fear and trembling which have attacked all our lives on the global scale point to the timeliness of rethinking our different spheres of existence which need fresh and bold reflections. Our rules of thoughts, our norms of conduct, our familiar habitat of bodily existence, our lively imagination of the infinite are facing fierce new challenges which philosophy of all persuasions need to address. The “inclusive togetherness” of a World Congress of Philosophy will be a crucial opportunity for all of us to come together, to think, to empathize and hopefully to understand each other better in such turbulent times.

Since the Antiquity, Rome has been connected to distant worlds and civilizations through maritime and land trades and cultural exchanges. In our last WCP in Beijing, we acutely learned that doing philosophy in this century can no longer afford to tolerate the time-worn philosophic divides between East and West, Ancient and Modern, Europe and the Rest, to name just a few. From this perspective, Rome is the perfect venue for the 25^th World Congress, as Rome has always been a crossroads of the world, and in 2024, Rome is again, inviting all peoples from every region of the globe into her embrace. I believe that this 25^th World Congress of Philosophy will be another gem among the treasure troves of FISP as well as the global philosophical communities, and beyond. We hope to help make better sense for the human and non-human condition in this volatile and vulnerable century.

As Secretary-general of FISP, I offer my deep appreciation of the Sapienza University of Rome and of the Italian Philosophical Society for taking up the torch in hosting the 25^th Congress. Special thanks go to each and every one of you who takes up the challenge to join us in August 2024.

Thank you

Suwanna Satha-Anand
Secretary-general
International Federation of Philosophical Societies

Dear Colleagues and Friends in Philosophy,

I am particularly glad and excited to welcome you all. The occasion allowing us to come together around the ideal table of philosophical discussion is the upcoming World Congress of Philosophy, the 25th, which for the first time will be held in Rome. It will be hosted by the Campus of Sapienza University, the largest university in Europe, with the direct involvement of the Italian Philosophical Society, which I have the honour of presiding over.

The event that we are planning through the shared effort of the Italian philosophical community certainly serves a powerful and lofty aim: as is clearly shown by the title of the Congress, “Philosophy Across Boundaries”, the ultimate goal is to create the conditions for a profound and fruitful exchange between all those who study, practise and are interested in philosophy, by overcoming all barriers, distinctions, differences and obstacles, and putting aside old and no longer acceptable contrasts between North and South, East and West. The perspective from which to approach philosophy will therefore be marked by the desire to include, give voice to, and make the most of every possible glimpse on past reality, today’s reality, and future developments, based on an awareness of the difficulties that have marked recent years and of the global challenges still remaining to be faced.

From this perspective, one of the driving elements of the Congress will be its staunchly inter- and multidisciplinary approach. As we can see from the Programme, which has already been defined in its basic outline, the exercising of philosophy during this event will not be characterised by this or that ‘parochial’ view, but rather by a spirit of openness to the healthy interplay between different disciplines, which will be set in constant interaction and dialogue with the more strictly philosophical approach.

This inclusive broadening of perspectives is a task that so-called ‘professional’ philosophers from all over the world will be called upon to fulfil, together with scholars working in other fields of knowledge. In addition, special room will be devoted to the participation of young people, who are also laying a solid foundation for their cultural education by engaging with the most relevant philosophical strands within the international community.

Finally, I should note the historical and cultural significance of the place where the Congress will be held: Rome will once again serve as a crossroads for a fruitfully diverse range of voices. By welcoming people from all over the world, the city will provide an outstanding stage where to present and discuss one’s own views and proposals, one’s own peculiar and unique approach to the world – beyond and without borders.

Thank you

Emidio Spinelli
President
Italian Organizing Committee