ARGENTINA:
A Pause for Thought
By
Marcela Valente
BUENOS AIRES, (IPS) -
Academics from every
continent will be
meeting next week in
Argentina for the Second
Extraordinary World
Congress of Philosophy,
where they will ponder
the shape of the future
in a context of
free-market economics
and globalisation.
Latin American
intellectuals will
predominate at the
meeting, which will be
held from Jul. 9 to 12
under the heading of
"The Human Project and
its Future: Different
Alternatives," in the
western province of San
Juan, in the foothills
of the Andes mountain
chain.
Participants will be
able to attend lectures
by foreign experts,
round table discussions,
about 30 forums, and
workshops for students.
The programme includes a
social science symposium
on "Globalisation and
Inequality", with expert
social science speakers
like Fernando Calderón
from Bolivia, Manuel
Garretón from Chile,
Julio Boltvinik Kalinka
from Mexico, and the
Argentine Secretary of
Culture, lawyer José "Pepe"
Nun.
"Social scientists,
humanists and
philosophers should
analyse the future of
the human project, in
the context of
globalisation and an
aggressive free-market
economic model that
decides what our place
is to be, without taking
our wishes into
account," Cristina
Genovese, a member of
the academic committee
of the congress and a
researcher at the San
Juan National
University, told IPS.
"This is a time for
taking thought. We need
to discuss where we want
to be in the future, and
that's why this congress
is open to dialogue with
science and the arts,
and although Hegel may
come up in the debate,
it will be from the
starting-point of our
own historical and
social context," said
Genovese.
The German philosopher
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich
Hegel (1770-1831) is
regarded as the "father"
of the dialectical
method, and his ideas
had a major influence on
the development of Karl
Marx's theory of
historical materialism.
The response has been
far beyond the
expectations of San Juan
University, the main
organiser of the event,
which is also sponsored
by other higher
education establishments
and national and
provincial government
authorities.
"Three thousand people
have registered, and
there is no room to
accommodate any more,"
Genovese said.
The organisers are
expecting philosophers
from Brazil, Chile,
Colombia, Cuba, the
Democratic Republic of
Congo, France, Germany,
Hungary, Mexico, Peru,
Spain, Thailand,
Venezuela and other
countries.
The round table
discussions will address
topics such as "The
Human Project,"
"Philosophy and
Analysis," "Philosophy
and the Nation," "Gender
and Citizenship," and
"Memory and the Human
Project." There will
also be lectures and
forums on education,
politics and social
sciences.
This is the third
congress of its kind to
be held in Argentina.
The first was organised
in 1949 during the first
administration of Juan
Perón, who was president
three times (1946-1952,
1952-1955, 1973-1974).
It was held in the
province of Mendoza,
which is also in the
foothills of the Andes,
sharing borders with
Chile and San Juan.
It was a National
Congress of Philosophy,
attended by academics
from all over the
country.
The second was the First
Extraordinary World
Congress of Philosophy,
the direct predecessor
of the upcoming congress
in San Juan. This
congress was held in
1987 in the central
province of Córdoba,
during the government of
Raúl Alfonsín
(1983-1989), to reflect
on the recent
restoration of
democracy.
This time, the congress
is receiving strong
support from Senator
Cristina Fernández, the
wife of President Néstor
Kirchner, who has just
been selected by the
governing Justicialista
Party as their
presidential candidate
for the elections on
Oct. 28. Senator
Fernández will preside
the congress and deliver
the closing speech on
Jul. 12. |
