Taiwan yesterday marked World Philosophy Day for the first time, with hundreds of people meeting to brainstorm on important life issues.
A two-day event comprising 16 salons that start in the afternoon and run until midnight is being held to encourage free and continuous discussions in an area of study that has not gained the attention it deserves in Taiwan until recently, according to the organizers, a group of intellectuals and academics.
The “pursuit of reasoning” has become popular in Taiwanese society and it is timely to re-emphasize the importance of philosophy because it provides “good tools” through which people can reflect on the issues they encounter in their daily lives, said Claire Lin (林靜君), event coordinator and deputy head of the Philosophical Education Development Organization.
There has been more reflection on the relationship between individuals and society, especially since the high-profile death of army corporal Hung Chung-chiu (洪仲丘), which raised awareness of social justice, Lin said.
The 24-year-old conscript died of heat exhaustion on July 4, 2013, after being forced to do strenuous exercise in a confined facility.
Hung’s death raised questions about human rights violations in the military, sparked mass protests in the nation and led to the prosecution of several military officers and non-commissioned officers and major legal reforms, such as the abolition of military courts during peacetime.
Once people have familiarized themselves with the study of philosophy, they are better equipped to reflect on and understand what is happening in the world around them, Lin said.
“Those who follow a consistent set of values as a result of healthy reasoning are more likely to have a peaceful state of mind,” Lin said at the opening salon, titled “the Possibility of Philosophy Education: France and Taiwan.”
Citing as an example the philosophy curriculum in France, where third-year high school students discuss how the use of language delivers power, writer Carole Lo (羅惠珍) said that such life quests are important for teenagers.
“There is no right or wrong in philosophy, which makes it a study of humanity,” she said. “This is a necessary coming-of-age gift we offer to the younger generation.”
Numerous issues were discussed in the salons, including “Is bullying legitimate if it represents the interest of an overwhelming majority?” and “Should people be allowed to buy and sell human organs if they belong to the individual?”
On the whole, philosophy is about asking questions and exchanging ideas, Lin said.
“Philosophy is an action rather than an idea, through which people complete one another’s thoughts,” she said.
“I have always been interested in the discussion of philosophy. It inspires me,” said Liu Chieh-sheng (劉傑生), a 23-year-old university student who attended the event.
According to UNESCO, by celebrating World Philosophy Day on the third Thursday of November each year, people underline the enduring value of philosophy for the development of human thought in all cultures and for all individuals.
“Faced with the complexity of today’s world, philosophical reflection is above all a call to humility, to take a step back and engage in reasoned dialogue, to build together the solutions to challenges that are beyond our control,” former UNESCO director-general Irina Bokova said.
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) working group for Taiwan-related policies is likely to be upgraded to a committee-level body, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. As Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is increasingly likely to upgrade the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should prepare by researching Xi and the CCP, the report said. At the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, which ended on Thursday last week, the party set a target of 2029 for the completion of some tasks, meaning that Xi is likely preparing to
US-CHINA TRADE DISPUTE: Despite Beijing’s offer of preferential treatment, the lure of China has dimmed as Taiwanese and international investors move out Japan and the US have become the favored destinations for Taiwanese graduates as China’s attraction has waned over the years, the Ministry of Labor said. According to the ministry’s latest income and employment advisory published this month, 3,215 Taiwanese university graduates from the class of 2020 went to Japan, surpassing for the first time the 2,881 graduates who went to China. A total of 2,300 graduates from the class of 2021 went to the US, compared with the 2,262 who went to China, the document showed. The trend continued for the class of 2023, of whom 1,460 went to Japan, 1,334 went to