World Philosophy Day in Tehran?

World Philosophy Day in Tehran?

World Philosophy Day in Tehran?

Earlier this year, our friends at Reset-DoC appealed UNESCO?s decision to hold its World Philosophy Day event, coming in November, in Tehran. Giuliano Amato, Giancarlo Bosetti, and Ramin Jahanbegloo wrote, ?It is certain that under current conditions a World Philosophy Day could not be held in ?normal? conditions in Iran and that many philosophers would not be able to attend freely.? In a recent update to that appeal, they write:

World Philosophy Day is an invaluable occasion of encounter and dialogue among philosophers and thinkers of different cultures and backgrounds. The very idea of gathering them in a country where an authoritarian and intolerant regime continuously violates freedom of thought and expression and bans the humanities from universities is a challenge to every reasonable and plausible principle of dialogue, universality, and openness (which used to be the essential characteristics of World Philosophy Day). And questions still linger: who?s selecting the participants? What guaranties of liberty and security will be provided for the speakers? Under these uncertain conditions, UNESCO?s initiative is turning into the opposite of what it should be. The list of defections from the conference confirms the warning we sent in January to the general director of UNESCO, Irina Bokova. We think UNESCO still has time to preserve the universality of its initiative and of its mission, by postponing this event in Iran to a future date.

For more information and to add your name in support of the proposal, visit RESET-DoC?s website.