The World Congress of Philosophy is a global meeting of philosophers held every four years under the auspices of the International Federation of Philosophical Societies (FISP). First organized in 1900, these meetings have been held regularly since 1948. They focus philosophical knowledge on global problems, promote philosophical education, encourage the development of professional relations between philosophers of all countries, and intend to foster scholarly and public reflections on the future of the world's philosophical community.
From August 1-8, 2024, the XXV World Congress of Philosophy on the theme "Philosophy across Boundaries" took place in Rome (https://wcprome2024.com/), under the joint responsibility of Fisp, the Italian Philosophical Society, and Sapienza University. The congress brought together 5,730 philosophers from 109 countries around the world. During the congress, presentations were made by both world-renowned philosophers and promising young researchers.
On August 1, the opening ceremony was held at the famous Caracalla Baths complex, where welcoming speeches were delivered by Roberto Gualtiery, the Mayor of Rome, Luca Maria Scarantino, President of the International Federation of Philosophical Societies, Antonella Polimeni, Rector of Sapienza University of Rome, and Emidio Spinelli, President of the Italian Organizing Committee.
The grand opening of the Congress concluded with arias from the opera *Tosca* by one of the greatest Italian opera composers, Giacomo Puccini (Conductor Antonino Fogliani, Floria Tosca Francesca Tiburzi, Mario Cavaradossi Luciano Ganci).
The congress included five Plenary Sessions, covering the Spheres of Boundaries: Personae, Transitions, Justice, Earth, and Infinity. The Plenary Sessions featured their Symposiums.
The Congress also comprised 89 Thematic Sections and Chairs. There were Endowed Lectures featuring distinguished philosophers: Nancy Tuana (USA) with “From Population Anxiety to Immigration: Fears: Controlling Images,” Barbara Herman (USA) with “Why the Kingdom of Ends Needs a Doctrine of Means,” Joachim Garff (Denmark) with “Kierkegaard’s Formation:
Between Authenticity and Fictionality,” Wang Zhongjiang (China) with “Relationism and Human Reciprocal Ethics Based on Universal Correlation,” Lee Tae-soo (South Korea) with “Humanism: An Unfinished Project,” and Evandro Agazzi (Italy) with “Transparency of Borders.”
More than 370 round tables were organized throughout the congress, discussing a wide range of urgent and interesting philosophical issues. Each round table lasted two hours and included speakers from at least three countries. More than 120 invited sessions were held upon proposals made by members of the FISP Steering Committee.
The congress also organized four Dialogic Sessions: Philosophical Dialogues about Critical Societal Questions, covering the following topics: Session 1: To Trust or Not to Trust? Session 2: Republicanism, Session 3: The Role of Women in Emerging Countries, and Session 4: Hospitality in a Global World.
During the Congress, 51 society sessions organized by FISP member societies were also held. The Armenian Philosophical Academy (APhA), which has been a member of FISP since 2022, also initiated a session titled “Philosophical Researches in Armenia.”
More than ten presentations and reports were delivered on key issues regarding the valuable heritage of Armenian philosophical thought, current trends, the politics of denial regarding genocide, national identity, ethics, bioethics, argumentation, and rhetoric.
Discussions around the reports presented at the Armenian Philosophical Academy session were attended by not only Armenian experts but also established and young researchers representing renowned academic institutions from abroad, as well as specialists in Armenian studies and diplomats.
An awards ceremony was held during the APhA session. FISP President and General Coordinator of the Congress Luca Scarantino, University College Dublin Professor and FISP Vice President-elect Maria Baghramian, and New York University Professor Paul Poghosian were awarded the APhA’s highest award, the “David the Invincible” Medal, for their significant contribution to the development of philosophical knowledge. The awards were presented by Hasmik Hovhannisyan.
On the evening of August 6, a reception for the participants of the APhA session was held, sponsored by Gabriel Chembarchian, representing the HPA presidency. Notable attendees included Valentina Kaltsolari, President of the International Association of Armenian Studies at the University of Geneva, Zovinar Hambardzumyan, Armenian Ambassador to Italy, Deputy Ambassador Marietta Stepanyan, and Boris Sahakyan, Armenian Ambassador to the Vatican.
During the 25th World Congress of Philosophy in Rome, the members of the Presidium of the Armenian Philosophical Academy were hosted by the Armenian Ambassador to the Vatican, Boris Sahakyan.
To organize the next 4 years of FISP’s work and the 26th World Philosophical Congress, a meeting was held on August 4 to elect the 39 members of the FISP Presidium and the venue for the congress, where the Armenian Academy of Philosophy had one vote. The competition during the election was fierce. Our compatriot Professor Maria Baghramyan was elected Vice President of FISP.
It was decided to hold the next XXVI World Philosophy Congress in 2028 in Japan, where the Armenian Philosophical Academy also plans to actively participate.
Armenian philosophical academy