17 November: Celebration of World Philosophy Day 2011

The World Philosophy Day 2011 will take place on 17 November at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.

Within the framework of the celebration of this event, and in cooperation with academic institutions, civil society actors and other partners in the philosophical world, UNESCO provides philosophers, researchers, teachers and students as well as the general public with a wide variety of conferences on various subjects, such as the equitable sharing of scientific benefits, philosophical meanings of the political upheaval in the Arab world, the role and the place of women philosophers in the exercise of thinking, philosophical practices with children, philosophy and equal opportunities at school.

Throughout the World Philosophy Day 2011 at UNESCO Headquarters, the following events will take place:

• The Third Assembly of the International Network of Women Philosophers under the auspices of UNESCO will take place on 17-18 November 2011. The first issue of the online Women Philosophers’ Journal will be launched during the Assembly. A conference on the theme “What women philosophers think of the (new) Arab world? What women philosophers of the (new) Arab world think?” will also be organized.
• The International Panel: “Philosophy and Spirit of Justice: the Equitable Sharing of Scientific Benefits” organized by UNESCO, 17 November 2011
• 11th International Meeting on New Philosophical Practices – Philosophical Practices and Development of Critical Thinking, jointly organized by IUFM de Créteil and Philolab Association, 16 -17 November 2011
• A symposium tribute entitled “Relevance of Mohammed Arkoun’s Thought”, jointly organized with the University of Nice Sophia-Antipolis, 17 November 2011.
• A round table "Sergio Vieira de Mello: The fight of a philosopher to change the world", followed by the screening of the documentary "Sergio", jointly organized with the Permanent Delegations of Brazil and of the United States of America to UNESCO, 17 November 2011.
• A round table on “Philosophy in the Public Space” jointly organized with the Institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 17 November 2011.
• A symposium: “Equal Opportunities at School: What Kind of Equality? What Kind of Opportunities? Knowledge sharing in question” jointly organized with the Collège international de philosophie, 18 November 2011.

Other activities will also take place: a book fair, cafés philo, philosophy workshops with children, exhibitions, the award of the 2010-2011 Prize of the French Federation of UNESCO Clubs (FFCU) Concours Philo and the launch the 2011-2012 edition. Celebrations will also be organized by different actors in many countries around the world.