Celebrating World Philosophy Day at the Lady Mary Shepherd Salon!

I'm celebrating World Philosophy Day UNESCO and the reasons behind it with my Lady Mary Shepherd Salon. The principles behind philosophical debating, outlined by UNESCO below, form the values of this international salon and participation within it. 

"Background

In establishing World Philosophy Day UNESCO strives to promote an international culture of philosophical debate that respects human dignity and diversity. The Day encourages academic exchange and highlights the contribution of philosophical knowledge in addressing global issues.

Why a Philosophy Day?

Many thinkers state that “astonishment” is the root of philosophy. Indeed, philosophy stems from humans’ natural tendency to be astonished by themselves and the world in which they live. This field, which sees itself as a form of “wisdom”, teaches us to reflect on reflection itself, to continually question well-established truths, to verify hypotheses and to find conclusions. For centuries, in every culture, philosophy has given birth to concepts, ideas and analyses, and, through this, has set down the basis for critical, independent and creative thought. World Philosophy Day celebrates the importance of philosophical reflection, and encourages people all over the world to share their philosophical heritage with each other. For UNESCO, philosophy provides the conceptual bases of principles and values on which world peace depends: democracy, human rights, justice, and equality.

Philosophy helps consolidate these authentic foundations of peaceful coexistence."

UN website available at: http://www.un.org/en/events/philosophyday/background.shtml    

So, to celebrate World Philosophy Day here’s a quote which brings out how philosophy is not just for academics but for all, including children who are, perhaps, naturally philosophical:

“Thus it is really the case, that children possess a truer philosophy than that contained in the modern theories, concerning cause…..”

Essay VII. in Essays on the Perception of an External Universe and Other Subjects Connected with the Doctrine of Causation (first edition ed.). Piccadilly, London, London, United Kingdom: John Hatchard and Son. p319, Available at: https://archive.org/stream/essaysonpercepti00shep/essaysonpercepti00shep_djvu.txt