World Congress of Philosophy feted by Parliament in Athens

World-renowned philosophy professors participating in the 23rd World Congress of Philosophy in Athens, the first ever to be held in Greece, on Wednesday evening attended a formal dinner given in their honour by the Greek Parliament at a restaurant with a view of the Acropolis.

Earlier, they had participated in a special session on philosophy as practical wisdom. The session had a highly symbolic meaning, as it was held at the archaeological site of Pnyx, a hill in central Athens which was the official meeting place of the Athenian democratic assembly. The audience was addressed by professors Chen Lai from China, Juliana Gonzalez from Mexico and Alexandros Nehamas from Greece and teaching in the US.

The session focused on the comparison between Confucianism and ancient Greek philosophy, particularly on the perception of virtue and the meaning of philosophy for the two civilizations representing the East and West.

Another special session is scheduled to take place at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday at the site of ancient Callirhoe, at the banks of the former Ilissos River, by the church of Saint Fotini. The site is associated with Plato's “Phaedrus”, a dialogue with Eros as its central theme.