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Lee Myung-hyun, president of the Korean Organizing Committee, talks about the upcoming 22nd World Congress of Philosophy July 30-Aug. 5. The first to be held in an Asian country, the congress will bring about 3,000 philosophers to Seoul.
/ Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
Korean philosophy that evolved within Asian philosophical studies has been mostly unknown in the Western philosophical tradition.
To bring Korean philosophy to the center of the discussion of high-profile thinkers, the 22nd World Congress of Philosophy will be held at Seoul National University from July 30 to Aug. 5 under the auspices of the Korean Philosophical Association.
Lee Myung-hyun, president of the Korean Organizing Committee, said that it took over 20 years of effort to host the world congress in Seoul.
``I began building up my efforts for a bid to host the international meeting in Seoul 20 years ago to raise awareness of Asian philosophy and traditional Korean thought to the Euro-centric philosophical scene,'' Lee said in an interview with The Korea Times.
Seoul will be the first Asian country to hold the world congress, since its first meeting in Paris in 1900.
``Many Western philosophers have downplayed Asian philosophy as they regard it as a part of religion. With their bias against Asian philosophy, Seoul has had to vie for the bid with Greece, which is home to Western philosophy,'' said Lee.
The congress will include for the first time oriental philosophy in official section at the Seoul meeting. The program will consist of a total of 54 official sections including three Asian philosophical sections ― Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism ― an increase from the previous 51 sections.
The congress will also have a symposium titled ``Philosophy in Korea'' to help introduce Korean philosophy to Western scholars.
He said Korean philosophy was thrown aside under Japanese colonial rule. Those who were sent to be educated in Japan, returned with some knowledge of Western philosophy as a whole, although the German educational influence in Japan led to the beginning of interest in German idealists in Korea through indirect knowledge, with the exception of Marx and Hegel, he said.
``What Koreans know about philosophy today was imported from Japan. So Korean philosophy still remains old and outdated, without much changes from the past Japanese influence,'' he said.
``Now the time has changed. We need a new philosophical paradigm based on our own thoughts and knowledge.Ultimately, we Koreans should build up our own `thinking power','' said Lee.
He stressed the need of ``neo-grammar,'' the term coined by Lee, which refers to ``new philosophy'' reigning in the 21st century to yield a breakthrough in a stagnant modern philosophy.
Modern philosophy has generally followed the trend of existentialism and then the analytic tradition that emerged since the second World War.
So to rethink the nature, roles and responsibilities of philosophy in the age of globalization and tackle the problems, conflicts, inequalities and injustices in a multicultural, information and technology era, the congress has decided on the main theme of the Seoul's meeting as ``Rethinking Philosophy Today.''
``We are seeking a new philosophy to replace the previous philosophical concepts. Maybe Koreans can find it in our traditional thoughts like Confucianism. We'll discuss the issue in the upcoming conference,'' he said.
Asked about the concept of philosophy for ordinary people, he said that philosophy is a basic principle for anyone.
Lee explained that many people think philosophy is difficult and idealistic but it is important in that it determines the way one thinks and acts.
``There is no permanent truth in the world. Truth was sought after, when the time called for it. Historically, philosophy has existed to provide answers to urgent problems and to help people cope with social changes in each era,'' said Lee.
``In the complicated society studded with problems posed by information and technology, we need a comprehensive and fundamental way of thinking, which can affect social rules and manners,'' he said.
About 3,000 distinguished philosophers such as French scholars Alain Badiou, Luc Ferry, Jean-Luc Marion and German scholars Vittorio Hosle and Peter Sloterdijk, and British philosopher Timothy Williamson, will take part in the Seoul meeting.
The congress will be conducted under the seven official languages ― English, French, German, Spanish, Russian, Chinese and Korean.
The World Congresses of Philosophy is organized every five years by the International Federation of Philosophical Societies, in collaboration with one of its member societies, which assumes responsibility for the organization of the Congress.
For more information, visit www.wcp2008.or.kr.
chungay@koreatimes.co.kr
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yistory@koreatimes.co.kr
