Peking University, Mar. 30, 2014: The Memorandum of Agreement (2018) of the World Congress of Philosophy between the International Federation of Philosophical Studies （FISP）and Peking University was signed at Lakeview Pavillion at Peking University, which marked the start of the 24th WCP in Beijing.
Wang Enge, president of Peking University, extended his warmest welcome to the scholars from all over the world on behalf of Peking University and was happy that PKU would have the opportunity to be hosting the 2018 World Congress of Philosophy.
Wang shared his personal experiences on the “Philosophy Road” in Heidelberg, Germany and Kyoto, Japan and pointed out that PKU is strong in the field of philosophy. “It is really a good chance to think about the universe and a lot of big things and we will continue to support the collaboration and research in philosophy as we can”, said he.
Later, Dermot Moran, president of FISP expressed that it has been a dream for Professor Tu Weiming for many years. “I can think nowhere more appropriate than PKU, which was founded in 1898, two years before the first world congress, which was took place in Paris in 1900”, he pointed out, “there is great similarity between the two great institutions”.
He also visited the PKU museum and noticed that there were a lot of western philosophers coming to PKU as visitors and visiting professors. He promised to promote the cooperation and development in philosophy.
According to Moran, this is the second time the Congress is held in an Asian city with Seoul being the first. He hoped that the 24th Beijing WCP would be one of the most successful and influential congresses in history.
Later in the afternoon, Zhu Shanlu, chairman of Peking University Council, met with Moran and the other scholars.
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The World Congress of Philosophy is a global meeting of philosophers held every five years under the auspices of the International Federation of Philosophical Societies (FISP), which is a non-governmental organization composed of philosophical associations from around the world. First organized in 1900, the WCP became firmly established after the Second World War. The purpose of these events is to contribute to the development of professional relations between philosophers of all countries, promote philosophical education, and contribute to the impact of philosophical knowledge on global problems. In 2013, the delegation of Peking University won over the Brazilian delegation and gained the host of the 24th WCP in 2018.
Written by: Yan Shengnan
Edited by: Zhang Jiang
