On 19th November 2015, New Acropolis (Mumbai) celebrated World Philosophy Day with an exhibition and lecture presentation titled Revival of the Renaissance. World Philosophy Day was introduced in 2002 by UNESCO as a way to reaffirm the power of Philosophy to change the world by enabling us to change ourselves. The evening saw 120 attendees and was supported by media partner, Indian Express.
As Director-General of UNESCO Irina Bokova aptly explains, “Faced with the complexity of today’s world, philosophical reflection is above all a call to humility, to take a step back and engage in reasoned dialogue, to build together the solutions to challenges that are beyond our control. The greater the difficulties encountered the greater the need for philosophy to make sense of questions of peace and sustainable development.”
The Renaissance Period marked a Golden Age of intense artistic, scientific and political development. Yet perhaps the most important characteristic of the time was the consciousness of the people, the recognition of the ability of man to reach towards the highest archetypes and give them form in the material world. The spirit of philosophy and the need to take a journey inwards, in order to discover who we really are, was also touched upon. The exhibit shed light on the way in which the Renaissance united countries across Europe in a common cultural vision, suggesting that today, the human experience is shared across the planet. The evening ended with an urgent call for each of us to revive our own humanity by being the change we wish to see in the world.
