Intercultural Philosophy: A Polylogue of Traditions

This article provides an overview of the Seventh International Readings on the History of Russian Philosophy, entitled “Intercultural Philosophy: A Polylogue of Traditions”, which were held at the Sociological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences – a branch of the Federal Research Sociological Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The path of the intercultural philosophy began around the 1980ies and 1990ies in Germany and Austria as a criticism of Western-centrism in philosophy and as an ideological alternative to the Western style of thinking. In this conference, an attempt was made to transfer the principles and methods of intercultural philosophy (philosophy of polylogue) to the history of Russian philosophy. This article also offers a summary of the structure of the conference, the content of its plenary lectures as well as the reports on the intercultural subjects and polylogue methodology, including their applied aspects. The main parts of the plenary sessions, roundtables and seminars that were held within the conference are also analyzed. It is pointed out that the process of formation of intercultural philosophy has not been completed yet; its terminology has not been established; and, eventually, the methods and results have not received wide recognition. However, the period of declarations and of manifestos is coming to an end. The conference contributed to the popularization of intercultural philosophy and the philosophy of polylogue in Russia. Relying on the experience and traditions of non-Western thinking, it offers a solution to the problems facing modern humanity, it indicates a number of possible ways to overcome the crisis situations in culture and society, and it also provides some answers to the “eternal” philosophical questions.

The Food, Water, Air and Fire Doctrines in Ancient Indian and Greek Philosophies from a Comparative Perspective

The main aim of this article lies in the comparison of ancient cosmico-natural elements from the Vedic period with their counterparts in the Presocratics, with a focus on food, air, water and fire. By way of an introduction to the ancient elemental world, we first present the concept of food (anna) as an idiosyncratic Vedic teaching of the ancient elements. This is followed by our first comparison—of Raikva’s natural philosophy of Vāyu/prāṇa with Anaximenes’s pneûma/aér teaching in the broader context of both the Vedic and Presocratic teachings on the role of air/breath. Secondly, water as brought to us in pañcāgnividyā teaching from Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad and Chāndogya Upaniṣad is compared to the teaching of the Greek natural philosopher Thales. Finally, the teaching on fire as heat being present in all beings (agni vaiśvānara) and in relation to cosmic teachings on fire in the ancient Vedic world are compared to Heraclitus’ philosophy of fire as an element. Additionally, this article also presents a survey and analysis of some of the key representatives of comparative and intercultural philosophy dealing with the elemental and natural philosophy of ancient India and Greece.

Talk between Dussel and Forner-Betancourt: dialogue between philosophical knowledge, interculturality and indigenous school education

Summary The article focuses on Enrique Dussel's Philosophy of Liberation, with the aim of reflecting on the articulation between modernity, the Eurocentric paradigm and the world paradigm. In this sense, the article develops the discussion on rationality and irrationality of modernity (myth of modernity) and its transmodernity (overcoming), as it is directly related to the question of the negative dialectical method with the negation of otherness - of indigenous populations - in philosophical systems. Eurocentric totality and points out the analytical movement as overcoming, expanding and liberating the negative dialectical method. It also outlines the intercultural philosophy of Rául Fornet-Betancourt, which aims at a symmetrical dialogue between philosophical knowledge. It is inferred, from the Liberation of the Other as Alterity and Interculturality, the concrete existence of a dialogical relationship between philosophical knowledge, enabling greater cosmological, philosophical and educational enrichment, as well as the teaching of intercultural philosophy in indigenous schools. In this study, the bibliographic review is the methodological strategy used.