On the occasion of 2400 years since the birth of Aristotle, the International Association of Greek Philosophy, the Greek Philosophical Society, the Philosophical Society of Cyprus and other Societies, Associations and Educational Institutions have decided to organize a World Philosophy Congress on the Philosophy of Aristotle, under the Auspices of the President of the Hellenic Republic and with the support of the International Federation of Philosophical Societies (FISP).
This Congress will take place in Athens where Aristotle lived most of his life. He studied and taught at Plato’s Academy for nearly 20 years and later he founded the Lyceum where he taught and composed great works, and where the foundations of philosophical and scientific research were brought into being. Recent archaeological surveys and excavations have brought to light the Lyceum and the Congress will hold. Special sessions within its perimeter.
The influence of Aristotelian philosophy through the ages is so broad and so profound that a special conference devoted to his philosophy requires no argument to justify its importance. However, it is necessary, and indeed a duty, of all those engaged in philosophy to measure their contribution in relation to his intellectual accomplishments, in that he surveyed fields of knowledge and moral and political institutions that were undergoing far-ranging transformations during his lifetime – quite similar to the scientific, social and political transformations occurring in our own times. For this reason we must re-examine his works to search for that which is viable and useful in relation to the problems and contexts of our era.
It is particularly important to emphasize that Aristotle is the founder of the concept of the democratic republic as the free, open political society of equal partners joined in friendship for achieving a just and qualitatively flourishing society. The problem for us today is to reflect upon the nature and quality of democracy not only in Europe but throughout the world, and to bring to the fore its problems and prospects. In this respect, looking at our political dilemmas through the prism of Aristotle’s intellect can be very useful precisely because his philosophy sought to bring into a unity all knowledge and all the arts for the practical possibility of human flourishing in democratic forms of government. For these reason there will be Special Sessions with selected Speaker dealing with the kind and the quality of democracy and which will take place in the Lyceum itself, Pnyx, Plato's Academy and the Temple of Zeus.
http://www.wcp2016.gr/en/main/