(Olivier Abel, a foreign Ricoeurean scholar, answering questions from students and faculty members during the Paul Ricoeur conference spearheaded by UST and Ateneo de Manila University. Photo by Miah Terrenz Provido)
November 20, 2015, 1:35a.m. – INSPIRED by the works of the late French philosopher Paul Ricoeur, the University of Santo Tomas has tied up with Ateneo de Manila University for an international conference aiming to promote philosophy as a field of study in the country.
The two universities, the only two Centers of Excellence in Philosophy designated by the Commission on Higher Education, is holding the three-day conference as a way to reach out to other universities and colleges teaching philosophy.
“It is the responsibility of centers of excellence to sponsor high-impact international events like this, so in a way, we can share the expertise of these experts to the wider community of our country,” said Prof. Michael Anthony Vasco, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Letters, in an interview with the Varsitarian.
The conference was initiated by the former dean of the Ateneo School of Humanities, Leovino Garcia, in honor of the 10th death anniversary of Ricoeur, who combined phenomenological description with hermeneutics or text interpretation.
Eight Ricoeur scholars were invited as plenary speakers, while eight Thomasians were invited to present their papers related to Ricoeur’s works. The UST representatives were Department of Philosophy chair Paolo Bolanos, Jove Jim Aguas, Ranier Carlo Abengaña, Gian Carla Agbisit, Jecko Bello, Jessie Joshua Lino, Elaine M. Lazaro and Jovito Cariño.
The first day of the event was held at Escaler Hall in Ateneo on Nov. 19, while the second and third days will be held at the Buenaventura G. Paredes, O.P. Building in UST on Nov. 20 and 21.
In 2000, Ricoeur was awarded the Kyoto Prize in Arts and Philosophy, which is widely regarded as the most prestigious award in fields traditionally not honored by the Nobel Prize. R. A. DR. Narra
