Celebrating World Philosophy Day at the Mill Philosophy Circle

I'm celebrating World Philosophy Day UNESCO and the reasons behind it with my Mill Philosophy Circle. It’s an idea I’m sure Harriet Taylor Mill and  J.S. Mill would have endorsed. She was a philosopher and a women's rights activist and he was politically active and into world issues, for example, poverty, class injustices, women’s suffrage, ending slavery, racism, sexism and discriminatory attitudes. He also encouraged respectful debate and exchange of ideas so together we reach greater knowledge and truth and use this to improve human rights, society and the world. These principles behind philosophical debating, as well as those outlined by UNESCO below, form the values of this international circle 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 from J. S. Mill’s On Liberty, p63:

“No one can be a great thinker who does not recognize that as a thinker it is his first duty to follow his intellect to whatever conclusions it may lead.”

Available at:  http://lf-oll.s3.amazonaws.com/titles/347/0159_Bk.pdf