By Aljohara Zarea

JEDDAH — After the big success of Saudi Arabia's first-ever Philosophy Conference in 2021, the upcoming 2nd edition of the event will shift its focus to engaging young audiences.

Speaking to Saudi Gazette, Dr. Mohammed Hasan Alwan, CEO of the Ministry of Culture's Commission for Literature, Publishing, and Translation, stressed that the new focus has come in response to a huge amount of interest from school and university students in the second Philosophy Conference, which will take place on Dec. 1-3 at the King Fahad National Library in Riyadh under the theme, "Knowledge and Exploration: Space, Time, and Humanity".

Saudi Arabia has witnessed a major shift in recent times with regard to philosophy and critical thinking, which have been included in the school curricula.

Dr. Alwan affirmed that they will prove that philosophy is not just an academic discipline but is important to everyday life. It is one of the main objectives of the conference, he said, noting that philosophy is here to shape the views of people and society.

Dr. Alwan has confirmed their determination to work toward bringing philosophical thinking to everyday life in Saudi Arabia, in addition to creating an outward-looking and vibrant philosophical community in the country.

"The first philosophy conference may have come as a surprise to many as it confirmed the fact that there is critical thinking in Saudi society from young people to adults of both sexes," he said.

Dr. Alwan said the first philosophy conference proved those who assumed Saudi students are not critical thinkers wrong. As the conference has received a great response from global philosophers who recognized that people do think critically in Saudi Arabia, using reason and logic in everyday life, even in schools.

After his participation in the conference, American philosopher Michael Sandel said he had discovered that the young Saudi generation was hungry to engage in philosophical discussions. Commenting on Sandel's remarks, Dr. Alwan said young people are naturally philosophical.

"The late American philosopher Gareth Matthews has presented evidence to support this," he said. "Just think how often young people question the world around them, asking us ‘why?’."

Dr. Alwan said last year's event was the Kingdom's first-ever philosophy conference and at the time, the concept of discussing philosophy on such a scale was a novel idea.

He also stressed that their partners in the previous conference including the president of the International Federation of Philosophical Societies, Luca Maria Scarantino, were very supportive of the Saudi students.

Scarantino encouraged Saudi students to pursue philosophy while pointing out that philosophers are increasingly being sought out to reflect on and understand the world around us, Dr. Alwan said.

Moreover, to increase the philosophy and critical thinking in the Kingdom, Dr. Alwan confirmed that they have several plans for collaboration between international partners and their Saudi counterparts, which would help to identify new methods to reach a better educational offering in the Kingdom and support academic philosophers. For the first time, he said many of them have submitted funding requests.

Last year's conference in Riyadh gathered philosophers from all over the world — from Europe, Africa, North and South America, and the Middle East — to engage in philosophical conversations and discussions about the important role of philosophy in addressing the challenges facing humanity.

The gathering of philosophers from all over the world in the Saudi capital resulted in a quantum leap in the field of philosophy in the Kingdom, Dr. Alwan said, noting that they are aiming to have a similar melting pot of people at the second edition of the Philosophy Conference.

The philosophy event which was held in December 2021 has affected positively foreign philosophers. Dr. Alwan confirmed that many of the previous speakers are set to return to the upcoming event after their experience during the last year’s conference. They have expressed their interest to develop deeper ties with their Saudi counterparts.

"We are encouraging all types of global collaboration between Saudi intellectuals, thinkers, and educational institutions," he said.

What distinguishes the second edition of the conference is that it is filled with several unique and major events, especially for children. The conference will enable children and youth from an early age to learn critical thinking and build and refine their personalities, which would raise their self-confidence.

The youth will have a special experience during the upcoming conference. Dr. Alwan confirmed that Saudi Philosopher and Educator Dalia Toonsi is going to lead a packed program aimed to encourage philosophical thinking and moral reasoning at home and in the classroom. The program will target children and young adults, in addition to parents and teachers.

Moreover, the conference will set up an area named Tomorrow’s Philosophers. It will enable young people to ask questions and clear doubts that are related to philosophy through workshops and activities. This will also be alongside the Philosopher’s Café, which is an interactive space that would facilitate philosophical conversations between the young people as well as the speakers who are going to participate in the conference.

Dr. Alwan added that they are going to host an outdoor Philosophy Camp targeting college students to encourage debate about philosophical issues.

To instill the spirit of competition among students in increasing their knowledge, Dr. Alwan said they will hold a Reading Between the Lines debating tournament, in which college students from a wide range of academic backgrounds will compete. He noted that they will announce the winning team at the conference’s closing session.

Dr. Alwan said that they are looking forward to seeing the young people discussing with a wide range of interesting partners in panel discussions. The most notable among the participants are Neurophilosopher Prof. Patricia Churchland of The University of California, who works at the interface of philosophy, neuroscience, and psychology, and Saudi Aerospace Engineer Mishaal Ashemimry.

When asked if there will be any reservations about the topics discussed in the conference, Dr. Alwan confirmed that they are venturing into new conversations on the convergence of science and philosophy, bringing world-class experts together to explore topics on how the future of humanity will be shaped by science.

Dr. Alwan stressed the importance of not being conservative while approaching philosophical topics. He confirmed that discussions, conversations, and debates are very necessary for every society, as they encourage critical thinking, raise people's curiosity and reflect their own perspectives and the perspectives of others.

The openness and encouragement of critical thinking contributed greatly to the level of desirable changes witnessed in the realm of philosophy in Saudi Arabia, which also comes as an outcome of the first-ever philosophy conference in the Kingdom.

Among the achievements of the conference, Dr. Alwan clarified: "Our Literary Partner Initiative reports 54 inclusive philosophy events that have taken place within Saudi communities since its launch in mid-2021; they were hosted in accessible venues such as cafes."

Additionally, the Saudi Philosophy Association has held more than 43 philosophy events around Saudi Arabia since April 2022.

Dr. Alwan added that their Literary Partners have recently announced 23 events around the Kingdom in conjunction with the celebration of UNESCO World Philosophy Day.

The commission's translation initiative (Tarjim) received about 43 requests in 2022 from diverse Saudi publishers to translate philosophical books. Dr. Alwan revealed that the research grants initiative launched by the Philosophy Association and the Saudi Center for Philosophy and Ethics, which are sponsored by the Commission, has received 49 applications for research project funding.

He pointed out that in response to requests for papers, the conference received more than 48 research abstracts from academics worldwide.

All these achievements are in large part due to the contributions and efforts of the Kingdom's leaders to make Saudi Arabia a global destination.

Dr. Alwan stressed that the country is driving huge change, diversifying its economy away from oil and rethinking its place in the world. "There is no other country that has a such laser focus on positive change as Saudi Arabia," he said.

"The rapid political, social and cultural change in Saudi Arabia makes it the perfect place to host discussions about the changing world around us and the most pressing issues affecting the future of humanity," Dr. Alwan noted.

He said the conference is a framework that would enable people to reflect on their place within Vision 2030 and the new challenges that will be collectively faced.

"Saudi Arabia is in an era of transformation and people are excited about it," Dr. Alwan said, noting that Saudi Arabia's philosophy events are enriching the quality of life and connecting people globally, which comes in line with the Kingdom's Vision 2030 ambitions.