17th ICPP: International Conference on Philosophical Practice 2023
Sophia, Counseling and Intercultural Philosophical Dialogue
June 5-8, 2023, Timișoara, Romania
Organizer: Vasile Hațegan PhD and Florin Lobont
BIO OF VASILE HATEGAN
Studies: PhD. and Postdoctoral studies in Philosophy, bachelor’s degree in Economics and Law, Master’s degree in Marketing and Education studies.
Research Affiliation: Lecturer at University “Aurel Vlaicu” from Arad, Romania and Editor at IRCEP journal (www.ircep.eu).
Professional affiliation: President of The Romanian Association of Philosophical Counseling and Ethics, practitioner certified by APPA; mediator practitioner certified by Romanian Mediation Council.
Research interest is oriented for interdisciplinary links between philosophical practice and ethics applied in many area, such: economics, community, social responsibility and environment, personal development, education, organizational consultancy and leadership, democracy and society, groups facilitation, communication, alternative conflict resolution, philosophy for society, social works.
Contact: icpp2023@gmail.com, consiliereafilosofic@gmail.com, ircep.eu@gmail.com
Web site : www.icpp2023.ro www.consiliereafilosofica.ro www.ircep.eu
BIO OF FLORIN LOBONT
Abstract: Despite many enthusiastic and often superficial presentations (which have become cliché) of philosophy with children and communities (P4C) practice, co-philosophizing in these communities is far from a linear, fast and easy process. Their members are often able to critique the ideas of others, but initiating new ideas, alternative opinions, or generating hypotheses are more difficult to acquire skills. Much less will they easily navigate the steps to authenticity. Often P4C enthusiasts present the mere sharing of ideas as the end of the road. Participants regularly share ideas with each other but do not yet listen carefully enough to the suggestions of others to make a difference at the level of their own thinking. Many people, perhaps even most, „assume that they reason if they give a reason – any kind of reason – after first promulgating a conclusion that they intuitively believe and/or want to be true.” (S. T. Gardner & D. J. Anderson). In this context, the cultivation of autonomy as a recipe for authenticity can steer the pursuant away from authenticity itself. As facilitators, we have a duty to teach these practice groups members that what counts as reasoning is not up to them—given that it is governed primarily by objective norms—and that it must take place in the public space, so that the value of their claims of truth can be confirmed by their ability to survive counterexamples and alternative comparison.
BIO: Studies: BA (UB), MSt (Oxon), PhD (Wales), PhD (UBB)
Professor, Faculty of Political Science, Philosophy and Communication Sciences, West University of Timisoara
ICPP 2023 Conference Committee:
Vasile Hategan (Romania) (chairman), Florin Lobonț (vice chairman), Gerd Achenbach (Germany), Sergey Borisov (Russia), Mike Roth (Germany), Lou Marinoff (USA), Maria daVenza Tillmanns (USA), Lydia Amir (Israel), Ora Gruengard (Israel), Jose Barrientos Rastrojo (Spain), Neri Pollastri (Italy), Marinelli Gincarlo (Italy), Aleksandar Fatic (Serbia), Michael Weiss ( Norway), Finn Thorbjørn Hansen (Denmark), David Sumiacher (Argentina), André de Almeida (Brazil), Constantinos Anatasopolus (Greece), Young E. Rhee (Korea), Detlef Staude (Switzerland), Balaganapathi Devarakonda (India), Tulsa Jansson (Sweden).
Conference Organizing Committee:
Vasile Hațegan (chairman), Florin Lobonț (vice chairman), Ionuț Mladin, Maria Sinaci, Mihail Pricop, Adriana Macsut, Marian Tătaru, Daniela Stănciulescu
The main objective:
In philosophical practice, the “academic” model, centered around the presence of the self-sufficient philosopher as the first reality of philosophy, is relegated to a subsidiary, informing, philosophical level. The modus philosophandi in which inquiry is a solitary contemplative process is replaced with modes of thinking inspired by the pragmatist belief that only in communication philosophy – constituted as co-philosophizing – acquires authentic reality. This relatively recently rediscovered attitude is also deeply rooted in dialectic as defined by Aristotle, which demands the presence of fellow co-inquirers – as lovers of sophia – with whom one establishes the shared points in an argumentation, and understands their community element as a major type of philosophical companionship.
Timisoara is the capital of a region known as one of the most diverse ethnic, religious and cultural melting pots of Europe, a crossroads and a bridging land between Central, Eastern Europe and the Balkans, where nearly 20 ethno-linguistic groups live or lived together peacefully over the centuries. This multiculturalism allowed mutual acceptance and cooperation and laid the groundwork for intercultural dialogue and brought Timisoara the title of European Capital of Culture for 2023. As in philosophical counseling and consultancy meanings do not pre-exist dialogue, we are confident that there are very few places in the world where the century-old heritage diversity can better fuel the philosophical practice debates inspired by interculturality than Timisoara.