双语博科娃总干事世界哲学日致辞

Message from Ms. Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, on the Occasion of World Philosophy Day

联合国教科文组织总干事伊琳娜·博科娃世界哲学日致辞

17 November 2016

2016年11月17日

This year, we celebrate World Philosophy Day immediately after International Day for Tolerance. This coincidence is deeply significant, given the link between tolerance and philosophy. Philosophy thrives on the understanding of, respect and consideration for the diversity of opinions, thoughts and cultures that enrich the way we live in the world. As with tolerance, philosophy is an art of living together, with due regard to rights and common values. It is the ability to see the world with a critical eye, aware of the viewpoints of others, strengthened by the freedom of thought, conscience and belief.

今年,我们于国际宽容日次日庆祝世界哲学日。这样的机缘巧合,意义非同寻常,因为宽容与哲学紧密相连。哲学受益于尊重、倾听和理解那些丰富着我们存在方式的多式多样的观点、理念与文化。同宽容一样,哲学也是一门在尊重彼此权利和共同价值的基础上共同生活的艺术。哲学还是一种以批判式眼光看世界的能力,这样的眼光因接纳他人的观点而更为敏锐,因思想、意识和信仰的自由而更为坚定。

For all these reasons, philosophy is more than an academic subject; it is a daily practice that helps people to live in a better, more humane way. Philosophical questioning is learned and honed from the youngest age, as an essential key to inspiring public debate and defending humanism, which is suffering the violence and tensions in the world. Philosophy does not offer any ready-to-use solutions, but a perpetual quest to question the world and try to find a place in it. Along this road, tolerance is both a moral virtue and a practical tool for dialogue. It has nothing to do with the naive relativism that claims everything is equally valid; it is an individual imperative to listen, all the more striking because it is founded on a resolute commitment to defend the universal principles of dignity and freedom.

正因如此,哲学不仅仅是学校里的一门学科专业,也是有助于更好、更人道地 生活的日常实践。哲学追问自幼形成,经过不断学习和完善,在推动公共辩论并捍卫人文主义方面发挥着根本性作用,而人文主义在当今世界被暴力和各种紧张局势冲击得七零八落。哲学不提供任何现成可用的答案,却为思考世界、探寻自我指引出永恒求索之路。在这条道路上,宽容既是一种道德品质,也是一种实用的对话手段。它与宣称一切均无对错的素朴相对主义毫不相干,它是对倾听的一种个人化要求,因为宽 容建立在捍卫尊严和自由之普遍原则的坚定承诺之上,这种要求愈发强烈。

This year, UNESCO celebrates the birthdays of two eminent philosophers, Aristotle and Leibniz, who contributed to the development of metaphysics and science, logic and ethics. Both of them, a few centuries apart and in very different cultural contexts, placed philosophy at the core of public life, as the centrepiece of a free and dignified life. Let us, in turn, celebrate this spirit; let us dare to open spaces for free, open and tolerant thinking. On the basis of this dialogue, we can build stronger cooperation between citizens, societies and States, as a lasting foundation for peace.

教科文组织今年开展亚里士多德和莱布尼兹的周年纪念活动,这两位杰出的哲学家都为形而上学和科学、逻辑学和伦理学的发展作出过贡献。他们虽然所处时代不同、文化背景迥异,却有一个共同点:将哲学置于公共生活的核心位置,作为有尊严的自由生活的根本要素。现在轮到我们来弘扬这一精神,勇于向自由、开放和宽容的思想敞开大门。以此对话为基础,我们可以在公民、社会和国家之间建立起更强有力的合作,作为和平的永久基石。