Message from Ms. Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, on the Occasion of World Philosophy Day
教科文组织总干事奥德蕾·阿祖莱世界哲学日致辞
19 November 2020
2020年11月19 日
World Philosophy Day in 2020 is, in more ways than one, exceptional. It is being celebrated in the midst of a health crisis, an economic crisis, a climate crisis and an existential crisis. The current pandemic is challenging many aspects of our societies, namely how we relate to our communities, to our condition as individuals and to our economic and political systems.
2020年世界哲学日在许多方面都是非同寻常的。今年的世界哲学日庆祝活动,适逢一系列危机:健康危机、经济危机、气候危机、以及存在危机。这场疫情多方面考问着我们的社会,从我们与集体的关系,到我们作为个体的存在状况,以及我们的经济和政治制度。
This Day is therefore particularly meaningful this year. It gives us the opportunity to celebrate much more than an academic discipline or a human science, but a certain way of being in the world, made all the more necessary by the context in which we live today.
因此,今年的世界哲学日尤其发人深省。值此世界日,我们所礼赞的,不仅仅是一个学科或一门人文科学,更是我们存在于世界的某种方式。在我们目前的生活背景下,这一点尤为必要。
Philosophy is in fact the fundamental process by which individuals relate to themselves and position themselves in the world.
哲学,实际上是每个个体得以自处并立足于世界的根本途径。
Far from being separate from life, philosophy contemplates, questions and determines life. According to the Senegalese philosopher Souleymane Bachir Diagne, philosophical activity “has a hold on human life”, providing a capacity to put things into perspective, shared by all cultures. Whether through formalized systems, spiritual traditions, or written and oral heritage, philosophy is a way of viewing and considering the world, rather than merely a subject matter; it is very much alive and in action.
哲学并非远离生活,而是观照着生活,考问着生活,决定着生活。因此,诚如塞内加尔哲学家苏莱曼·贝希尔·迪亚涅所言,哲学活动“植根于人类生活”,是所有文化都共有的某种“超然物外”的能力。无论是以正规体系、精神传统还是书面或口头遗产形式呈现,哲学在成为某种内容之前都是对世界的某种看法和态度。哲学总是鲜活的,并且存在于行动之中。
This is why philosophy is so necessary and valuable in times of “rough weather”, to borrow a phrase from contemporary French philosopher Vincent Descombes. At times of great uncertainty, philosophy is more relevant than ever, because by questioning the world it enables us to resist all forms of reductionism, and to see a bigger picture.
正因如此,值此“狂风暴雨的时代”(语自当代法国哲学家文森特·德贡布),哲学必不可少且大有作为。实际上,越是在充满不确定性的时候,越是显示出哲学前所未有的重要性,因为通过对世界的不断追问,哲学可以帮助人们开阔视野,远离狭隘的思想观念。
During this turning point in the history of humanity, philosophy is an exceptional tool for understanding technological, environmental and human transformations, both conceptual and practical.
值此人类历史转折点,哲学是把握技术、环境及人类动荡变化的特殊工具,无论这动荡变化来自观念层面还是实际层面。
In order to find answers to contemporary challenges, UNESCO relies daily on the resources of philosophy: by listening to all philosophies, including indigenous ones, in order to rebuild our relationship with nature; by asking philosophers to reflect upon the ethical principles of artificial intelligence; or, in the midst of the crisis, to look ahead and imagine the world of tomorrow through, for example, the series of videos called “Women’s Voices”.
为了找到应对当代挑战的答案,教科文组织一如既往依靠哲学资源:通过倾听所有哲学,包括本土哲学,重新构建我们与自然的关系;通过邀请哲学家思考人工智能的伦理原则;或者,放眼疫情后时代,通过发布系列视频《女性的声音》,去构想明日的世界。
In the face of unprecedented crises and events, we are not unarmed. This World Day should be an occasion to celebrate philosophy, to remember that it provides some distance and comfort, and that it consolidates existence. It should also be an occasion to promote the practice of philosophy, from supporting university research to teaching philosophy to children as a way of opening their eyes to the world around them.
面对前所未有的危机和经历,我们没有束手待毙。值此世界日,让我们礼赞和颂扬哲学,并且铭记:是哲学为我们提供了距离和慰藉,巩固了我们的存在。也让我们借此机会促进哲学实践,支持学术研究,并鼓励孩童学习哲学,从小启发心智。
On this World Philosophy Day, UNESCO therefore invites you to put into practice this intellectual distancing, which is the first step towards a lasting solution to the crises we are going through.
值此世界哲学日,教科文组织邀请您将哲学观照付诸实践,这是永久摆脱我们目前所经历危机的第一步。
Happy World Philosophy Day to all!
祝大家世界哲学日快乐!