Message from Ms. Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, on the Occasion of World Philosophy Day

聯(lián)合國教科文組織總干事伊琳娜·博科娃世界哲學(xué)日致辭

17 November 2016

2016年11月17日

This year, we celebrate World Philosophy Day immediately after International Day for Tolerance. This coincidence is deeply significant, given the link between tolerance and philosophy. Philosophy thrives on the understanding of, respect and consideration for the diversity of opinions, thoughts and cultures that enrich the way we live in the world. As with tolerance, philosophy is an art of living together, with due regard to rights and common values. It is the ability to see the world with a critical eye, aware of the viewpoints of others, strengthened by the freedom of thought, conscience and belief.

今年,我們于國際寬容日次日慶祝世界哲學(xué)日。這樣的機(jī)緣巧合,意義非同尋常,因?yàn)閷捜菖c哲學(xué)緊密相連。哲學(xué)受益于尊重、傾聽和理解那些豐富著我們存在方式的多式多樣的觀點(diǎn)、理念與文化。同寬容一樣,哲學(xué)也是一門在尊重彼此權(quán)利和共同價(jià)值的基礎(chǔ)上共同生活的藝術(shù)。哲學(xué)還是一種以批判式眼光看世界的能力,這樣的眼光因接納他人的觀點(diǎn)而更為敏銳,因思想、意識(shí)和信仰的自由而更為堅(jiān)定。

For all these reasons, philosophy is more than an academic subject; it is a daily practice that helps people to live in a better, more humane way. Philosophical questioning is learned and honed from the youngest age, as an essential key to inspiring public debate and defending humanism, which is suffering the violence and tensions in the world. Philosophy does not offer any ready-to-use solutions, but a perpetual quest to question the world and try to find a place in it. Along this road, tolerance is both a moral virtue and a practical tool for dialogue. It has nothing to do with the naive relativism that claims everything is equally valid; it is an individual imperative to listen, all the more striking because it is founded on a resolute commitment to defend the universal principles of dignity and freedom.

正因如此,哲學(xué)不僅僅是學(xué)校里的一門學(xué)科專業(yè),也是有助于更好、更人道地 生活的日常實(shí)踐。哲學(xué)追問自幼形成,經(jīng)過不斷學(xué)習(xí)和完善,在推動(dòng)公共辯論并捍衛(wèi)人文主義方面發(fā)揮著根本性作用,而人文主義在當(dāng)今世界被暴力和各種緊張局勢沖擊得七零八落。哲學(xué)不提供任何現(xiàn)成可用的答案,卻為思考世界、探尋自我指引出永恒求索之路。在這條道路上,寬容既是一種道德品質(zhì),也是一種實(shí)用的對(duì)話手段。它與宣稱一切均無對(duì)錯(cuò)的素樸相對(duì)主義毫不相干,它是對(duì)傾聽的一種個(gè)人化要求,因?yàn)閷?容建立在捍衛(wèi)尊嚴(yán)和自由之普遍原則的堅(jiān)定承諾之上,這種要求愈發(fā)強(qiáng)烈。

This year, UNESCO celebrates the birthdays of two eminent philosophers, Aristotle and Leibniz, who contributed to the development of metaphysics and science, logic and ethics. Both of them, a few centuries apart and in very different cultural contexts, placed philosophy at the core of public life, as the centrepiece of a free and dignified life. Let us, in turn, celebrate this spirit; let us dare to open spaces for free, open and tolerant thinking. On the basis of this dialogue, we can build stronger cooperation between citizens, societies and States, as a lasting foundation for peace.

教科文組織今年開展亞里士多德和萊布尼茲的周年紀(jì)念活動(dòng),這兩位杰出的哲學(xué)家都為形而上學(xué)和科學(xué)、邏輯學(xué)和倫理學(xué)的發(fā)展作出過貢獻(xiàn)。他們雖然所處時(shí)代不同、文化背景迥異,卻有一個(gè)共同點(diǎn):將哲學(xué)置于公共生活的核心位置,作為有尊嚴(yán)的自由生活的根本要素�，F(xiàn)在輪到我們來弘揚(yáng)這一精神,勇于向自由、開放和寬容的思想敞開大門。以此對(duì)話為基礎(chǔ),我們可以在公民、社會(huì)和國家之間建立起更強(qiáng)有力的合作,作為和平的永久基石。