Statement of the Azeri scientist at the international conference arouses great interest

At the initiative of UNESCO since 2002 the third Thursday of November every year is celebrated as the World Day of Philosophy. The international scientific conference devoted to this day took place on November 18 in the Headquarters of UNESCO.

After plenary session the conference continued in sections. The section "Al-Farabi and the European Renaissance" was devoted to creativity of outstanding philosopher of the East Abu Nasr al-Farabi.

Opening the meeting the UNESCO assistant secretary general on culture Francesño Bandarin and the head of permanent mission of Kazakhstan at UNESCO Ambassador Oljas Suleymenov spoke of the role of the founder of Islamic philosophy al-Farabi in development of world philosophy, his activity in the area of mathematics, astronomy, chemistry, music.

Known philosophers and scientists from the various countries of Asia and Europe delivered lectures on creativity al-Farabi.

Professor of the Baku branch of the Moscow State University after M.V. Lomonosov Nargiz Pashayeva's lecture was devoted to “Al-Farabi and dualism of being”. Pashaeva, in particular, said:

“The World Day of Philosophy is an important day. This Day is devoted to the essence of the phenomenon, that is the Universe, and this day our meeting is devoted to a certain theme - al-Farabi.

This theme is important on many aspects, the first is the most widespread and familiar to all of us: al-Farabi has translated Aristotle and Plato on the Arabian language and thus he has given new life to these works, and also entered new concept of the Universe, the European thinking through his translations, interpretation. He was named the second thinker. If he wasn`t the second teacher, he never would understand the first: to interpret Aristotle needs to be almost Aristotle. With his philosophical treatises he has brought huge contribution to history of philosophy, mankind. The third - he has united and even this day unites the disputable question of two worlds, two sights, two morals, mentalities - of the East and the West. He still then has united these two concepts of a single whole. But there is also a fourth aspect, in my opinion - very important. Maybe it is not so extended in many modern interpretations. It is that al-Farabi recognized for the first time value of the doctrine, thoughts, reason - and not simply for science, but for all mankind, for development of all mankind. It was just he who considered that the moral component of the person, any society and high cultural wealth can change much. To change what is not under control of politicians, warriors. It is possible to tell that it is just the high spirit, high reason, and recognition of world harmony. For this world harmony and high reason were also calling the ideas of all great philosophers of the world, including al-Farabi.

I would like to underline once again that mankind today, as well as thousand years ago, haven`t perceived the world up to the end surrounding him. The mankind still has to answer the questions, those classical questions of philosophy which have arisen for a long time: whence we are, what for we are, what we do and for the sake of what.

To this day, it excites many: both scholars, and simple people. May be it was just then when there were these doctrines when there were special classes - and these special classes arose when Plato set up his academy in Athens when he gathered round himself the pupils-followers - those were special people, of high spirit, high thought. Esteemed and honored, they had difficult life anmd ambiguous destiny. But they knew that they possess what the others had not. May be, today's irrational science slightly lags behind from rational, and, probably, today the spirit of the East and reason of the West have a little bit kept away from each other.

To understand the world, the reason of the East is necessary but to understand the world, the spirit of the East also is necessary. To understand the world, the reason of the West is necessary, but also the spirit of the West is necessary also. Thus, all develops in a common beginning, in common essence. Al-Farabi in "The Pearl of Knowledge" asserted that God is the same essence, as well as the world, but embodying unity and the world too is essence, as well as God, but is expressed in set.

And finally, I want to remind the philosophical saying that the future is always closed, the past is lived, and the present is granted. This present depends and on us – scientists, this present depends and on that generation to come. It depends also on what respect and esteem we pay to that heritage which was left to us by great people, people of great ideas, great values."

The statement of the Azerbaijani scientist aroused great interest and was cheered. The Conference was also attended by Ambassador Eleonora Huseynova, the head of permanent mission of Azerbaijan at UNESCO and the ambassador of Azerbaijan to France Elchin Amirbeyov.


/AzerTAc/