KIP and International Federation of Philosophical Societies exchange views on values at Kyoto University meeting
A meeting to exchange views was held on March 25 at Kyoto University between senior representatives of the International Federation of Philosophical Societies, including President Kim Heisook (Professor Emerita, Ewha Womans University, South Korea), and Yasuo Deguchi of Kyoto University, Co-chairperson of the Kyoto Institute of Philosophy (KIP). Discussions were held from a broad, high-level perspective on topics including a draft of the “Kyoto Declaration,” which is planned for presentation at the second Kyoto Conference, scheduled for the summer of 2027.
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The Federation is scheduled to host the World Congress of Philosophy in Tokyo in 2028. Held once every five years, the Congress brings together philosophers and researchers from around the world. The next gathering will mark its 26th edition since its first meeting in 1900, and it will be the first time the Congress has been held in Japan.
Building on the connection established when President Kim participated in a panel discussion at the first Kyoto Conference, in September last year, members of the committee responsible for developing the program for the Tokyo Congress visited Japan, creating an opportunity for them to exchange views with members of KIP.
Around ten participants attended the meeting, including President Kim, Secretary General Jacob Dahl Rendtorff, Program Committee Chair Wolfgang Kaltenbacher, and Noburu Notomi of the University of Tokyo. Representing KIP were Professor Deguchi, Senior Research Manager Ryosuke Igarashi, and Research Manager Shunichi Takagi.
At the outset of the meeting, Professor Deguchi emphasized, “One of our missions is what we call a ‘network of networks.’ This kind of networking is now blossoming in many parts of the world—philosophy and humanities in general, and other sectors of society such as businesses, local and central government, and various people.” He also called for continued collaboration, stating, “Let us explore many possibilities in the future for philosophy and its relationship with society.” This was followed by a presentation by Senior Research Manager Igarashi, who explained KIP’s proposed “ABC model” and the draft of the Kyoto Declaration and invited feedback.
President Kim remarked that she was extremely impressed by the Kyoto Conference last year. “The most impressive thing to me was that many people in the business sectors were interested in doing philosophy,” she said. “I think we should keep doing that kind of experiment to build philosophy’s commitment to the world and to the lives of real people.”
Members of the Federation also expressed strong support for the draft of the Kyoto Declaration, noting that it was appropriate to place the question of what values are front and center when aiming for a value-based transformation of society.
At the same time, however, some participants pointed out challenges, emphasizing that how to move beyond relativist concepts of values would be a major question for the declaration, and some emphasized the importance of maintaining a broader perspective, stating that “We should also not forget that values are always embedded in power structures.”
Following the meeting, a dinner was held at Hakusasonso, the former residence of the Japanese painter Kansetsu Hashimoto. Jun Sawada, Co-chairperson of KIP and Executive Chairman of NTT, also joined, and discussions continued over dinner.
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