In various paper presentations, Filipino thought was expounded on by Thomasian philosophers who attended the August 1鈥�8, 2024 25th World Congress of Philosophy (WCP), which was held at Sapienza University of Rome. Philosophy Beyond Boundaries was the theme of the 25th WCP, which attracted researchers worldwide to discuss it as a global platform for philosophical conversation. Several academics from the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in the Philippines were among the eminent attendees, and contributed to the inclusive and diverse discourse of the Congress.
Complying with the Congress’s pledge to diversity, researchers from UST gave talks and took part in panels that broadened the discussion on Filipino philosophy and its role in international discourse. Professor Jove Jim S. Aguas of the Department of Philosophy, Graduate School, and Center for Theology, Religious Studies, and Ethics was a major contributor to the Congress. In addition to moderating and chairing the PAP Society Session titled “Filipino Philosophy in Dialogue: Expanding the Conversation,” Aguas contributed to the Center for Research in Values and Philosophy (CRVP) Round Table Discussion on National Values by presenting a paper titled “The Ambiguity of the Filipino Sense of Nationalism and Filipino Identity.”
In the Contributed Paper Sessions, Thomasian scholars presented their respective papers:
鈼徛� 聽聽聽 Prof. Fleurdeliz R. Altez-Albela, PhD (Department of Philosophy, Graduate School, and Center for Theology, Religious Studies, and Ethics) – “What Is Levinasian in Sustainability?: Sustainability in the Economy of Being Through Levinas鈥� Third”
鈼� Junior Teacher Blaise D. Ringor, PhD (Senior High School and Ecclesiastical Faculties) – “Education, Christian Values, and the Voiding of Reason: John Henry Newman鈥檚 Personalist Education”
鈼� Mr. Christian U. Solis, MA (Senior High School and Graduate School) – “Towards Understanding Fidelity in Marriage and Family: Paul Ricoeur on Man鈥檚 Capacity to Promise”
鈼� Mr. Charles Aldrin A. Delgado (Graduate School) – “Christianity as Discomfort: Kierkegaard鈥檚 Philosophy of Religion”
鈼� Inst. Ivan Efreaim A. Gozum, MA (Institute of Religion and Graduate School) – “Understanding Filipino Close Family Ties Through Gabriel Marcel鈥檚 Mystery of the Family”
Aguas also presented the paper entitled “The Relevance of the Metaphysics and the Notions of Being and Analogy of St. Thomas.”
These talks demonstrated the breadth and depth of philosophical study at UST and the contributions made by Filipino academics to international philosophical debates. Additionally, through one-on-one interactions, the Congress gave Filipino scholars a rare chance to fortify relationships and build mutual trust.
The Congress emphasized Rome’s long-standing position as a crossroads of civilizations, and it began with a ceremony at the ancient Baths of Caracalla. Prof. Luca Maria Scarantino, President of FISP, and Prof. Antonella Polimeni, Rector of Sapienza University, both emphasized the merging of humanistic and scientific cultures in philosophical conversations, reinforcing this subject of interconnection in their introductory statements.
Scholars addressed pressing ethical, social, cultural, political, and spiritual concerns all week long. Topics covered included the ethics of artificial intelligence, with discussions on the implications of AI on human decision-making and the ethical responsibilities of AI developers, and the place of spirituality in secular cultures, with debates on the role of spirituality in a modern, secular society. The Congress featured round table discussions, invited sessions, symposia, contributed paper sessions, endowed lectures, plenary sessions, student sessions, and the FISP General Assembly. The goal of these talks was to question conventional wisdom in philosophy by tackling issues of sustainability, gender and cultural diversity, inequality, and other modern world concerns.
Every five years, the WCP is arranged by the Federation Internationale des Soci茅t茅s de Philosophie (FISP) or the International Federation of Philosophical Societies. The WCP is a major conference that brings together philosophers, educators, students, and philosophy aficionados worldwide for a week-long discussion of a certain issue.
