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RIYADH: Over the course of three days, scientists, writers, historians, professors and philosophers from world wide gathered on the King Fahd Nationwide Library in Riyadh to debate the main points affecting humanity right this moment.

The second version of the convention, which concluded on Dec. 3, was devoted to the theme of “Information and Exploration: Area, Time and Humanity.”

A complete of 71 audio system attended from greater than 19 nations world wide, together with the US, UK, UAE, Mexico, Italy, Singapore, Italy, Germany and Egypt, making the convention a various platform to debate concepts and subjects pertinent to our world right this moment. Attendees numbered round 2,700.

“A convention comparable to this has cross-cultural dialogue at its coronary heart. Inviting and welcoming main philosophers from all around the world shouldn’t be a one-way factor,” Dr. Mohammed Hasan Alwan, CEO of the Literature, Publishing & Translation Fee, informed Arab Information. “It’s, as a substitute, a two-way dialogue, with worldwide specialists becoming a member of their Saudi and regional colleagues in a spirit of mental exploration that’s much more profound and far-reaching as a result of it’s executed in a spirit of partnership.”

This yr’s convention continues the efforts of final yr’s occasion, which was the primary of its sort to happen within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. “Our convention has been greater and extra formidable in some ways,” added Alwan.

The convention was established, he stated, “as a result of we consider in philosophy and its relevance in our world.”

The theme of the convention was extremely topical to ongoing debates surrounding house exploration.

“The convention theme is, to coin a science fiction phrase, ‘going boldly the place few conferences have gone earlier than,” stated Alwan. “We selected a theme that was difficult, and but which additionally confirmed simply how philosophical pondering is completely very important for humanity, due to its skill to map out fully new mental territory that pertains to house exploration, to humanity’s potential extra-terrestrial actions.”

The subject of house exploration can be reflective of Saudi Arabia’s personal plans. In September 2022, the Kingdom introduced that it had launched a brand new astronaut program. Its first journey, set for 2023, will carry a feminine Saudi astronaut, the Saudi Press Company reported.

“What has been spectacular is the power to talk to a various and huge inhabitants right here that you simply don’t discover in tutorial conferences; attendees this yr included even funding bankers and folks working within the oil business,” Nicolas de Warren, professor of philosophy at Penn State College within the US, who was attending the convention for the second time, informed Arab Information. “I used to be impressed once more by the extent of sophistication and questions from the various viewers.”

De Warren chaired a panel titled “Exploring Area and Time Right now.” His analysis appears on the influence of science fiction literature which, as he says, “imagines not solely the exploration of house however what it could imply to enter into contact with different life types or alien civilizations. It’s what known as first contact narratives.”

Such concepts increase the elemental philosophical query of if we as a species are alone within the universe? Are there different life types? How do we all know if there are different life types? Why has there been no contact with these different life types? And what would it not actually signify if, certainly, at some point, there was the invention that there are different clever life types and civilizations?

De Warren mentioned such questions in his panel however went a step additional. In response to his thesis, these questions do not likely concern aliens however ourselves.

“It has to do with the way in which wherein we mission our planetary fears onto some imaginary alien to sublimate them,” he stated. “From that perspective, it’s not fortuitous that through the Fifties and Nineteen Sixties, one of many dominant genres of science fiction literature and movies was invasion narratives — Martians are coming, and so forth. That displays the type of sublimation one discovered through the Chilly Battle.”

Other than delving into urgent points involving our world right this moment and fostering cross-cultural dialogue, the convention additionally had a pedagogical side.

A pavilion space with workshops for kids known as Philosophers of Tomorrow, a Philosophical Camp for philosophical dialogue, and a debating competitors for skilled groups of faculty college students known as Studying Between the Strains Competitors underlined the significance of fostering philosophy inquiry and thought inside instructional platforms, colleges and communities within the Kingdom.

“We’ve executed greater than earlier than to encourage youngsters and younger individuals to take part within the convention via a Thinker’s Cafe, which has house for members of the viewers to debate philosophical subjects with the convention’s audio system,” added Alwan.

This yr the convention partnered with extra organizations, starting from worldwide universities, the Worldwide Federation of Philosophical Societies, in addition to the Saudi Area Fee, and a number of other Saudi organizations engaged in selling philosophical pondering, comparable to Baseera, the Saudi Middle of Philosophy and Ethics, Mekal Philosophy Membership and the Saudi Philosophy Affiliation.

“We summary the instruments that philosophers use and attempt to invite lecturers to use these instruments of their curriculum,” stated Dalia Toonsi, instructional marketing consultant, founder and basic supervisor of Baseera Academic Consultancy. Baseera, an institute that trains lecturers to implement dialogical and philosophical educating in addition to studying strategies into the curriculum of Saudi colleges, was collaborating within the occasion for the second time.

“Folks within the Arab world usually don’t assume philosophy is an fascinating topic,” stated Toonsi. Baseera’s work emphasizes the significance of philosophical inquiry in colleges.

Toonsi stated: “Instruments from philosophy entail essential pondering, analyzing assumptions, deduction and discount, and inquiry and in addition caring pondering, associated extra to youngsters, which supplies youngsters the power to open their minds to completely different opinions associated to philosophical inquiry.”