Theme

Today, economic models for development often raise new challenges. In particular some educational models restrict people?s ability to reach more deeply into the philosophical and social roots of their cultural identities, and hence impede their application to the issues of the times. This can slow progress and deaden the creative imagination, while failing to protect against egoism, social inequality and mutual antipathies.

Yet these challenges can also entail new and unexpected opportunities as they call for the new vision and commitment needed in order to navigate peacefully our changing world. This, in turn, requires rethinking the place and role of the various philosophical traditions with a view to their enrichment and/or more appropriate and progressive application in these times of global interchange. This calls urgently for philosophical attention.

Such an effort needs to be a matter, not of attenuating or abstracting from, the humanities and their philosophical foundations, but of more fully appreciating and bringing to bear, these cultural resources for facing present challenges.

All this calls urgently for the creative insight required for successful public life, which is the issue for this conference. Hence papers are invited, especially on the following issues:

- re-valuing the cultural and philosophical accomplishments of one's civilization in order to apply its meaning for life today;

- shaping the new values of our times in ways that are able to promote the development of all;

- interchange between cultures and civilizations; and

- educational models for uniting rich and poor, city and countryside, self and others, past and future for social progress in peace.

The Local Host of the Conference

The local host institute of the meeting will be the Department of Philosophy of Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST). Professor Ouyang Kang, the director of Institute of Philosophy and the Vice President of HUST has rich experience and theories studies in the cross cultural communication and cooperation. Professor Gang Chen will be the academic secretary of the meeting.

Logistics

One page abstracts are due April 15, 2012; and full papers are due May 20, 2012; presentations will be 20 minutes in length followed by 20 minute discussion; papers for publication should be as developed as possible, with no upper page limit and are due on October 10, 2012. There is no application fee. Travel is to be covered by the participants or their home institutions.

For further information please contact Professor Ouyang Kang: [kouyang@mail.hust.edu.cn] and Professor Gang Chen[mgchen@mail.hust.edu.cn], with copy to [cua-rvp@cua.edu], and provide the following contact information:

Name:

Scientific Degree:

Institute:

Email:

Title and Abstract of the paper: