RIYADH — The second annual Riyadh Philosophy Conference has been announced by Saudi Arabia’s Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission. The conference will take place from Dec. 1-3 at the King Fahad National Library in Riyadh.

It builds on the success of last year’s inaugural event, which was the first of its kind to take place in Saudi Arabia and featured leading philosophers from around the world and the Kingdom, garnering international media attention.

This year’s theme of "Knowledge and Exploration: Space, Time, and Humanity" has been chosen to enable a convergence of science and philosophy.

Intellectuals, philosophers, scientists, artists, astronauts, writers, and historians from around the world will explore topics such as the modern spaces of existence, the status of contemporary science, justice and ethics in exploration,

They will also discuss the latest developments in technology, the dilemmas of artificial intelligence, the complexities of space diplomacy and climate change and environmental crises, assessing how these issues will shape the future of humanity.

The conference organizers have also issued a call for papers encouraging academics around the world to contribute papers on these and other sub-themes.

Mohamed Hassan Alwan, CEO of the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission said: “Last year’s ground-breaking conference succeeded in putting Saudi Arabia on the global philosophical map and established the Kingdom as a regional center for philosophical dialogue.

“I am delighted to announce the second session of the Riyadh Philosophy Conference, which will bring together a geographically diverse range of leading philosophers, educational institutions and others, to debate important issues of our time, and help stimulate inter-cultural, international and inter-disciplinary dialogue.

“The conference will welcome people of all ages, so that we can continue the work begun last year of exploring philosophy and its empowering methods and tools.”

The three-day conference will feature lectures, panel discussions, seminars and workshops. There will be children’s philosophical space and two parallel activations at the event. Speakers and parallel interactive activations will be announced nearer the date of the conference. — SPA