Thought for the Day
"This day is an invitation to rethink the conditions for inclusion and sustainability in societies that are increasingly diverse and ever more interconnected, between themselves and with their environment."
- Irina Bokova, Director-General of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
To celebrate World Philosophy Day, it would be best to play some Lego blocks of all shapes and sizes.
A child's toy collection would be incomplete without those Lego blocks. Every box has a manual on what to design to construct, but there's no need to follow it if you're familiar with the toy. It's easy to assemble those blocks - and disassemble it. Ingenuity is its main appeal. This could be akin to how philosophers came up with their ideas. It may be incredulous at first, but it wouldn't be hard to see the similarity. It's an unpretentious process. The outcome would astonish anyone.
World Philosophy Day, observed every third Thursday of November, would emphasize the importance of philosophical reflection. This would promote critical thinking, which was what philosophers would keep on saying. It defines countries, cultures included. It would be easy to remember it, but there would be another thing to consider. How to make it relevant. To be more specific, how would students relate to it.
Jostein Gaarder had an answer.
Man at the center
"While he stood there, several tall buildings had risen from the ruins. As if by magic, all the old buildings were once again standing. Above the skyline, Sophie could still see the Acropolis, but now both that and all the buildings down on the square were brand-new. They were covered with gold and painted in garish colors. Gaily dressed people were strolling about the square. Some wore swords, others carried jars on their heads, and one of them had a roll of papyrus under his arm."
Gaarder's works were adult themes youngsters try to understand. Teachers would have second thoughts about including it in a school curriculum, but the Norwegian author knew a way. "Sophie's World" is a novel about the history of philosophy. Fourteen-year-old Sophie Amundsen would learn about the natural philosophers, the Renaissance, and the Englightenment from a mysterious stranger. This took place after school. No hint of pretense on this kind of study, no coming-of-age passage on Sophie's part either. The teenage girl's curiosity was piqued, and after reading the unknown correspendent's letters, she became more aware of her surroundings. This doesn't mean that the world would become a better place.
Many chapters of the novels were devoted to the Greek philosophers. from whom the Western world owed a great deal. Not that the other civilizations, which were no less important than ancient Greece, should be dismissed. Much of the modern society functions on the ideals that have its origin to Periclean Athens. Under Pericles's rule, Athens was the leading city state. The cultural flowering wasn't like any other seen in the entire history of mankind. Maybe this would be a bit of an exaggeration, but one couldn't helped but be awed. It wouldn't be hard to figure out the rest.
As for what the other philosophers have espoused, their message can be summed up in a sentence. Man is an important creature.
