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Invitation
to an
International Conference
Philosophy and Life World
December 15-16,
2014 Shanghai, P.R. China
with
Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences (SASS)
(SASS is also coorganizing another conference with ISM
at East China Normal University, see link)
Theme
Philosophy, according to the common point of view, is supposed
to be universal knowledge. This means, on the one hand, that it
is knowledge for all, necessary, and hence true; on the other
hand, it claims to be the supreme principle for all the other
kinds of knowledge. Indeed, philosophy has held a favored
position for human beings though it has contained many
conflicts. Today,
however, philosophy seems not to be as popular as it once was.
Many of its areas are occupied by the positive sciences while
the rest as pure speculation seems too far from human
life.
However,
new problems arise every day in our life, many of which cannot
be answered by the positive sciences. For
instance, implied in the notion of social progress is the idea
of human freedom; is this the same as the fulfillment of human
desire? If yes, what is the ultimate purpose of human’s life? If
not, is there a reasonable limitation of desire; is
it necessary and possible for human beings as a whole to be
self-restrained? Such problems, which concern human destiny,
cannot be resolved within positive sciences. In
a world that is ever more democratic where people are obliged to
decide their own future, it is urgent for everyone to have some
understanding of the above questions. This understanding,
concerning our own selves, is self-awareness of our own life. In
terms of traditional philosophy the above problem is called the
problem of human nature or of the human essence and is an
ancient issue. We would like to renew this problem now that our
life is the result of our own choice and people are never
satisfied with the way we live. Human beings face more serious
challenges than ever before, for example, the threaten of
weapons of mass destruction and a worsening environment which
urges consideration of escaping from earth to another planet.
Thus, human beings create crises as well as happiness and it is
time for us to be more self-aware. This surely is a
philosophical issue.
To
work on the above problems, we need to exam our current life
situation; to discuss how life in this planet could be
sustained, and this not merely in favor of human beings but also
of the whole sphere of life including the earth and human
beings. But
the traditional philosophy seems unable to solve the above
problems; as a way for knowledge about the world it does not
touch the above problems at all. Therefore, we should not merely
focus on western philosophy, but open more broadly to other
philosophies. Chinese
philosophy is specially recommended here as it
calls people to be the heart of heaven and earth, as Zhang Zai,
a Confucian of Soon Dynasty, indicated. To be sure, the Chinese
philosophy might not meet the definition of traditional
philosophy, but it engages the problems of our life and world,
which could be discussed in no other way than by philosophy.
Hence, discussion of Chinese philosophy might enrich philosophy.
Philosophers
of the world are welcome to join us on the topic “philosophy and
life-world.” Comparisons between the Chinese and the
western philosophy will be especially appreciated.
Application
There is no registration fee. Participants will cover their own
travel costs.
The application should include:
1) a vitae that specifies the applicants educational background,
professional positions and affiliations, and publications;
2) a letter of intent; and
3) the abstract of the paper
Please send all the information to He
Xirong hxr@sass.org.cn,
Shi Yongshe syz@sass.org.cn and cua-rvp@cua.edu
Contact:
He Xirong
Shi Yongshe
Institute of Philosophy
Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences
hxr@sass.org.cn
syz@sass.org.cn
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