11-07-16 Filis opens philosophy congress marking 2,400th anniversary of Aristotle’s birth
Education, Research and Religious Affairs Minister Nikos Filis on Saturday evening inaugurated at Athens’ Herod Atticus Theatre the Aristotle World Congress, an international philosophy conference marking the 2,400th anniversary of the birth of Aristotle. Entitled “The Philosophy of Aristotle” and held under the auspices of President Prokopis Pavlopoulos, the conference runs through 15 July.
“Upon the initiative of UNESCO, our great ancestor who belongs to the entire world, Aristotle, is being honoured worldwide. His philosophical works and his pioneering treatment of nearly all sciences showed the way for human thinking. For us, especially here in Athens where Aristotle studied at Plato’s academy for 20 years, this is of particular significance, because we retain from his work two key points and legacies. First is that catharsis is a result of art, that art betters us. The second regards the citizen’s relation to politics. ‘Man is a political animal, and not without a state,’ he wrote, and we retain this lesson in contemporary conditions,” Filis said.
Representing the government, Filis said that, “The social value of Aristotle is justified as much by the breadth of his spiritual quests as by the catalytic impact that his theories had on broad swathes of history.”
“Aristotle was one of the causes of the creation of the university, which is the locus of philosophy, the sciences and the arts. The restoration and translation of Aristotle’s texts required the collaboration of many scholars. During the 12th century in Toulouse, the first university-type academy was created.
Filis said that the Herod Atticus Theatre concert that marked the opening of the conference honoured the philosopher that defined the function and mission of art. In his Poetics, Aristotle maintains that tragedy and art in general mimics events and situations, in such a way that with the proper handling by the author or artist, one can achieve catharsis, and a release from our evils and drawbacks, and we can become better people,” Filis said.
Stressing the eternal timeliness of Aristotle’s works, Filis noted the philosopher’s definition of politics and man. The political life is the natural condition of man, who in contrast to other species is by nature a political [social] animal – He who cannot live in society with others or is in need of nothing has no place in the polis, for he is either a beast or a god.
Ethics and economic science are for Aristotle the introduction to politics, which is the foremost science and aims toward the happiness of man, while it facilitates man in approaching the absolute good, which is theory. In an era of reversals, in economics and political philosophy, the need to update logic and the notion of the contract and of mutual toleration, bequeathed to us by our great ancestor, is more obvious than ever, Filis noted.
The musical programme included the symphonic work of Eleftherios Kalkanis Aristoteli Hairein (Aristotle Rejoice), performed by the ERT state television orchestra and conducted by the composer. The lyrical segments, with poetry by Yorgos Skylogiannis, were interpreted by sopranos Vanessa Kalkani, Eirini Konsta, Nancy Papakonstantinou, and baritone Vasilis Asimakopoulos. The choreography was by Despina Malliarou and Regina Argyraki. The dancers were Despina Malliarou, Chrysa Giannaka, and Sophia Tzanetakou.
In the second part, the concert featured the world premier of the world premiere of the oratorio “Liturgical for a Fatherland”, with poetry by Iason Leidinos and music by Eleftherios Kalkanis, interpreted by Victoria Tagouli and Spyros Kleissas.
The municipality of Aristotelis took part with the Chorus of the Cultural Association of Ierissos “Kleigenes” and the chorus of the municipality of Volvi, with musical preparation by Stavros Karamanis, as well as the children’s chorus “Rosarte” of Rosie Mastrosavva.
The performance was complemented by the work of video artists Yorgos Lazaridis, Fotis Korosidis, and Yorgos Kokkinos. Costumes were designed by Veronica Dimakakou.
The World Congress of Philosophy runs from 9-15 July in the amphitheatre “Aoula” of the Philosophy Faculty of the University of Athens. Three thousand Aristotle scholars and philosophy professors from major universities are participating. The conference will delve into the importance of Aristotle’s work in public affairs, but also more generally into the universal issues that affect humankind.
