WORLD PHILOSOPHY DAY

A Way Of Life

On the third Thursday of November every year, World Philosophy Day is observed. This year, the day was observed, on 18 November. The day promotes an academic exchange of philosophy for the development of thought. The occasion of World Philosophy Day offers an opportunity to reflect on the challenges we faced and the value and need of philosophy in these unprecedented times.

                            Philosophy stems from Philosophia a Greek word which actually means 'the love of wisdom'. World Philosophy Day was initially established by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisations (UNESCO) on 21 November 2002. The day was recognised in order to praise and universalize the teachings of Philosophy. The aim was also to raise a certain level of awareness in the world around the importance of philosophy. The theme for World Philosophy Day 2021 is intended to be based on "different interactions of human beings with their social, cultural, geographcall and political environment with the underlying objective of better understanding the contribution of philosophy in a contemporary science it is and the challenges they face" in the wake of the pandemic.

                            Philosophy is one of the oldest kinds of human inquiry at remarkably continues to grow, occasionally shedding some questions but more regularly generating new ones - new questions that specify with increasing detail what we do not know about topics Philosophers have long looked into, and new questions that begin to map with unknown in areas Philosophers have not much that explored.

                            The contemporary idea of philosophy as an intellectual pursuit then, seems to have lost the very essence of what Philosophy stood for. In times of uncertainty and continuous flux where entire system and ways of life that we took for granted have been completely shaken,  Philosophy can direct us what stability.

                            As human beings we are constantly waging an inner battle between our strengths and weaknesses, our vices and virtues. But the glory of the human condition lies in our freedom to choose to continually strive towards the good, not only ourselves but as a contribution towards a better world. Perhaps, to be truly human is to be a philosopher : to love wisdom and to live in accordance with its principles. Philosophy is not a field of study, nor is it a profession. It is a way of life : to live with a deeper understanding of the nature of things, and a sense of responsibility, joy and wonder for life.