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Riyadh Philosophy Conference Program

8TH - 10TH DECEMBER 2021

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 8TH DECEMBER 2021
16:00 – 21:15

16:00 - 16:15 OPENING

PLENARY Mohammed Hasan Alwan, CEO of the Ministry of Culture’s
Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission

16:15 - 17:30 OPENING PLENARY LECTURE

PLENARY “Philosophy in Islam: Drawing Perspectives from
our Heritage”

Speakers:
Abdullah Al-Ghathami, Professor of Criticism and Theory, King Saud
University “Philosophy of Postmodernism”
Sulaiman Al Nasser, Consultant “Islamic Thought and Moral Philosophy”
Abrahim H. Khan, Professor and Graduate Director, Faculty of Divinity,
Trinity College in the University of Toronto

Discussion points:
• Demonstrate the vivacity of the Saudi Arabia’s intellectual landscape
• Discussion on Saudi Arabia’s openness to philosophical inquiry at the
outset of this conference
• Discussion of philosophical perspectives from the meeting of Islamic
thought and philosophy

17:30 - 18:30 PLENARY PANEL

PLENARY Transmitting Philosophy: Inventing New Educational
Paradigms for a Mutating World

Speakers:
Edwige Chirouter, Professor of Philosophy and Educational Sciences,
University of Nantes, UNESCO Chair of Philosophy for Children
Dalia Toonsi, Educational Consultant, Founder and General Manager,
Baseera Educational Consultancy
Christopher Phillips, Philosopher and Author, Founder of “Socrates Café”

Discussion points:
• Contemporary educational frameworks for the transmission of philosophy
in secondary and higher education
• Propositions of novel pedagogical curriculums in philosophy
• The comparative possibilities of teaching philosophy in diverse
geographical and societal contexts
18:30 - 18:40 A WORD FROM THE UNESCO
PLENARY The Work of the UNESCO in Favor of Philosophy

Speaker:
Pedro Monreal, UNESCO
“Why a UN Agency is Interested in Philosophy?”

18:40 - 21:15 PLENARY LECTURE

PLENARY The Good Unpredictability of Philosophy

Luca Maria Scarantino, President of the International Federation of

Philosophical Societies

PLENARY PRESENTATION
Presentation by the Saudi Philosophy Association

Abdullah Almutairi, Associate Professor of Philosophy of Education,

King Saud University and President of the Saudi Philosophy Association.
Lecture: “The Limits of Predictability”
Hamad Alrashed, Engineer, Writer, Philosopher, the Saudi Philosophy
Association. Lecture: “The Philosophical Consequences of the
Unpredictable: Between Humans and Technology”
Shaya Alwaqian, Vice President, the Saudi Philosophy Association. Lecture:
“Philosophy of Hope: Towards the Unpredictable”

Discussion points:
• Lecture from the President of the World Congress of Philosophy and the
International Federation of Philosophical Societies
• Presentation of the Saudi Philosophy Association by its governing body
• The limits and positivity of philosophy in the face of unpredictable crises
and the need to develop new thinking performatives to transform the
unpredictable into a sustainable human responsibility

NETWORKING IN THE PHILOSOPHICAL CAFÉ

Platform for meetings, encounters, and project building with participants

and guests of the conference
 9TH DECEMBER 2021
10:30 – 19:40

10:30 - 11:00 PLENARY LECTURE

PLENARY “Uncertainty and Complexity:
How Modern Individuals Manage Intimacy”

Speaker:
Eva Illuz, Director of Studies, Ecole des Hautes Etudes en
Sciences Sociales - Paris
Q&A from the audience

Discussion points:
• Sociological and philosopcial examination of contemporary
human relations
• Discussion of the relation between public and private spaces in
contemporary society
• Discussion of how individuals meet uncertainty in everydayness

11:00 - 12:30 PARALLEL WORKSHOPS

WORKSHOP 1
Giving Philosophy a Space for our Future

Speakers:
Heba El Deghaidy, Chair of the Department of Educational
Studies, American University of Cairo “STEAM Education for
Building the Minds of the Future”
Muqtedar Khan, Professor of Political Science and International
Relations, University of Delaware “What is Enlightenment: An
Islamic Perspective”
Abdullah Almutairi, Associate Professor of Philosophy of
Education, King Saud University and President of the Saudi
Philosophy Association “Hospitality as Welcoming the
Unpredictable”

Discussion points:
• The need for education in escaping self-imposed ignorance
• The value of education in facing the unpredictability of human
advancement
• The relation between creative autonomy and the enhancement
of skills and competences in contemporary society
 11:00 - 12:30 Unpredictable Pasts: Rethinking History
WORKSHOP 2
Speakers:
Joseph Cohen, Associate Professor of Philosophy, University
College Dublin “On Singularity in History”
Hernán Gabriel Inverso, Associate Professor of Philosophy,
University of Buenos Aires, “Considerations on the relationship
between the Unpredictable and the Inapparent”
Abdalla Alhmaily, Poet and Philosopher, Founding Member,
Saudi Philosophy Association, “The Relation Between the
Unpredictable and History”

Discussion points:
• Discussion on the relationship between unpredictability and
history
• How historical meaning and memory can foster the possibility of
responsibility
• The value of historical recognition for present and future
decisions

11:00 - 13:00 WORKSHOP BY BASEERA

Children’s Philosophical
Big Ideas: Philosophical Workshop for
Space Juniors

Moderated by:
Dalia Toonsi, Educational Consultant, Founder and General
Manager, Baseera Educational Consultancy

12:30 - 13:30 LUNCH

13:30 - 14:30 PLENARY LECTURE

PLENARY
“Homo Detritus and the Vastness of Time”

Speaker:
Nicolas de Warren, Associate Professor of Philosophy,
Pennsylvania State University
Q&A from the audience

Discussion points:
• Discussion on environmental dangers and how to propose
sustainable repsonses
• Discussion of future recognition of potential catastrophies
• Philosophical interrogation of the nature of danger and its threat
on human existence
14:30 - 16:00 PARALLEL WORKSHOPS
WORKSHOP 1 Why (and How) to Inspire Children in
Becoming Philosophers?

Speakers:
Dalia Toonsi, Educational Consultant, Founder and General
Manager, Baseera Educational Consultancy “What Can Children
Bring to Philosophy?”
Christopher Phillips, Philosopher and Author, Founder of
“Socrates Café”
Moderator: Edwige Chirouter, Professor of Philosophy and
Educational Sciences, University of Nantes, UNESCO Chair of
Philosophy for Children

Discussion points:
• Novel educational paradigms for the transmission of philosophy
to younger generations
• The importance of philosophical questioning in recognizing
difficulties in children’s development
• The value of critical thinking in early development for the
upbringing of responsible adult citizens

WORKSHOP 2
Expect the Unexpected: the Fate of Human
Freedom

Speakers:
Fran O’Rourke, Emeritus Professor, University College Dublin
“Freedom and the Human Spirit”
Gerardo De la Fuente Lora, National Autonomus University of
Mexico “Unpredictability and Hope”
Dermot Moran, Joseph Chair in Philosophy, Boston College
and Professor of Philosophy, University College Dublin “Divine
Ignorance: Thinking the Ineffable in the Medieval Mystical
Tradition”

Discussion points:
• The value of hope in human existence
• Discussion on how unpredictability can foster a new dynamism
of hope
• Discussion on the relation between hope and belief in human
reason
 PLENARY
The Unpredicted and the Limits of Human
Reason

Speakers:
Mpho Tshivhase, Professor of Philosophy, University of Pretoria
Kenneth Westphal, Professor of Philosophy, Boğaziçi Üniversitesi,
“Critical Inquiry and Credible Results”
Niall Keane, Research Fellow, University of Padova, “Stabilizing
Unpredictability: Promising, Speaking and Judging in Hannah
Arendt”

Discussion points:
• Human agency in the face of critical situations
• The value of critical assessment for undermining dogmatism
• Normative practices in the enhancement of human freedom

16:00 - 17:00 PLENARY LECTURE

PLENARY “Why Islamic Philosophy Was Not Just
Philosophy?”

Speakers:
Peter Adamson, Professor of Philosophy, Ludwig Maximilian
Universität Munich
Alwaleed Alsaggaf, Ludwig Maximilian Universität Munich

Discussion points:
• The importance and contribution of Islamic philosophy in the
history of ideas
• Novel modalities of thinking in Islamic philosophy

17:00 - 17:40 FII-INSTITUTE presents,

PLENARY TH!NKing Tomorrow’s Humanity

Speaker:
Richard Attias, CEO, FII-Institute
Rakan Tarabzoni, COO, FII-Institute

17:00 - 19:00 WORKSHOP BY BASEERA

PHILOSOPHICAL CAFÉ Spotting the “Fascination of Philosophy”
in Educational Curriculum: Workshop for
Teachers

Moderated by:
Dalia Toonsi, Educational Consultant, Founder and General
Manager, Baseera Educational Consultancy
17:30 - 19:00 PARALLEL WORKSHOPS
WORKSHOP 1 The Vital Contribution of Arabic Thinkers in
Philosophy

Speakers:
Charles Burnett, Professor of the History of Arabic and Islamic
Influences in Europe, Warburg Institute, University of London
Alwaleed Alsaggaf, Ludwig Maximilian Universität, Munich

Discussion points:
• The lasting influence of Islamic thought in philosophy
• The role of Islamic thought in Medieval and Renaissance
philosophy

WORKSHOP 2 Responding Ethically to the Unprecedented

Speakers:
Hassan Alsharif, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Taibah
University “Moral Reasoning in an Unpredictable World”
Thomas Pogge, Leitner Professor of Philosophy and International
Affairs, Yale University “The Veil of Ignorance”
Saleh Salim, Researcher in Philosophy “Ethics between
Epistemology and Philosophy of Science”

Discussion points:
• The role of technological innovation as unpredictable and yet
capable of preparing humans against catastrophes
• Morality and ethics in the face of unforeseen historical events
• Possibilities of responding ethically to the various negative
effects on society caused by the global pandemic

17:40 - 19:40 Mind, Body, and the Promises of Science

PLENARY
Speakers:
Fahad Saleh Alaieri, Dean of the Institute of Studies and
Consulting Services at Qassim University: “What if a Machine
Thinks?”
Bandar Al-Ghamiz, Teacher and Researcher, Applied Linguistics,
King Saud University “Pragmatism of Language and Artificial
Intelligence: Does a Machine Think?”
Anne Marie Moulin, Université Paris Diderot - Paris VII, “The
Multiple Body: Philosophy and Medicine”
Catarina Belo, Associate Professor of Philosophy, The
American University in Cairo “Ibn Rushd on Science and Certain
Knowledge”

Discussion points:
• Is artificial intelligence an accomplishment or a break with
humanism?
• How can history inspire scientific truth and discovery?
• Ethical reason and moral care in our contemporary world
decisions
 10TH DECEMBER 2021
13:30 – 19:30

13:30 - 15:00 PARALLEL WORKSHOPS

PLENARY Which Truth Lies in Unpredictability?

Speakers:
Pablo Dreizik, Professor of Philosophy, University of Buenos
Aires “The Original Delay of the Start. The Unforesseen of the
Event”
Mohammed-Chaouki Zine, Professor of Philosophy, University
of Tlemcen “The Event and Kairos: Where are we with the
Unpredictable?
Abrahim H. Khan, Professor of Philosophy, Faculty of Divinity,
Trinity College in the University of Toronto

Discussion points:
• Discussion of ethical and actual potential in the face of
unpredictable events
• How to make the best of the unpredictable
• What can the unpredictable promise us

WORKSHOP 1 Being Just Towards Unpredictability: Law

and Society in the Face of Unanticipated
Events

Speakers:
Laurent de Sutter, Professor of Legal Theory, Vrije Universiteit
Brussel “Far Beyond Rules : Why Law Should Learn to Embrace
Uncertainty”
Tom Angier, Lecturer of Philosophy, University of Cape Town
“Virtue and Skill: Two Different Approaches of Unpredictability”
Andrew Hines, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, SOAS,
University of London “Unpredictability and Misunderstanding:
Reflections on the Evaluation of Language in Public Sphere”

Discussion points:
• The status of moral virtue and law in the assessment of future
catastrophes
• The importance of semantic comprehension and philosophical
questioning in ethical recognition of human differences
 WORKSHOP 2 Inventing New Futures in Philosophy:
An Aesthetic Experience

Speakers:
Alejandra de las Mercedes Fernández, Professor of Philosophy,
Universidad Nacional del Nordeste “Teleology and Expectation :
Why Insist Politically with Aesthetics?”
Badr Mostafa, Professor of Philosophy and Aesthetics, Cairo
University “The Future of the Aesthetic Experience in the Light of
the Current Artistic Development”
Benjamin Olivennes, Columbia University “Can we Predict the
Future of Great Art?”

Discussion points:
• The different and multiple horizons of art in human existence
• How can art open new directions for human action and thought

13:00 - 14:00 SOCRATES CAFÉ

PHILOSOPHICAL CAFÉ Directed by Christopher Phillips

Moderated by:
Christopher Phillips, Philosopher and Author, Founder of
“Socrates Café”

14:00 - 16:00 WORKSHOP BY BASEERA

Philosophical Café Spotting the “Fascination of Philosophy” in
Educational Curriculum: Workshop for Teachers

Speaker:
Dalia Toonsi, Educational Consultant, Founder and General
Manager, Baseera Educational Consultancy

15:00 - 16:30 How Can the Unexpected Foster New Scientific

PLENARY Paradigms?

Speakers:
Ned Block, Silver Professor of Philosophy, New York University
“Why Seeing does not Involve Concepts or Understanding”
Patricia Smith Churchland, Professor Emerita of Philosophy,
University of California, San Diego “How Surprise can Inspire
Progress: Illustrations from Neuroscience”

Discussion points:
• Discussion on the role of reason in science and technology
• Unexpected scientific discoveries in the enhancement of human
life and progress
• The importance of philosophy in scientific understanding and
knowledge
16:30 - 18:30 PLENARY LECTURE
PLENARY “Public Philosophy: A Conversation with
Michael Sandel”

Michael Sandel, Anne and Robert Bass Professor of Government,

Harvard University
Hassan Alsharif, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Taibah
University

Followed by a discussion with Students:

• Abdulaziz Al-Aqeel, Law Student, King Saud University
• Nouf Al Hoshan, English Literature Student, King Saud
University
• Rana Katami, Medicine and Surgery Student, Alfaisal University
• Faisal Al-Dasimani, Psychology Student, King Saud University
• AlGhalya Muamar, English Literature Student, King Saud
University

Discussion points:
• Discussion on justice in the history of philosophy
• Question and answer on key concepts in Michael Sandel’s
theory of justice

18:30 - 19:30 CLOSING PLENARY LECTURE

PLENARY Post-Coronial Studies: Philosophy for the
Future?

Speakers:
Maurizio Ferraris, Professor of Philosophy, University of Turin
In discussion with:
Mpho Tshivhase, Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of
Pretoria “The Unpredictable Relationality Between Persons and AI”

Discussion points:
• Philosophical interrogation into the effects of the Corona Virus
pandemic
• Discussion of possible recovery frameworks after the global
pandemic
• Discussion on the importance of education and research for our
future
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