StFX philosophy professor Dr. William Sweet recently returned from Barletta, Italy, where he participated in a two-day International Philosophy Summit to draft a “Declaration on Philosophy and Interculturality” for the forthcoming G7 meetings in Apulia, Italy.
The G7 (Group of Seven) is an informal forum of seven of the world's advanced economies (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, United States) along with representatives of the European Union that meets annually, bringing together leaders to discuss global issues and trends, with a goal of strengthening international economic and security relations, and responding to global crises. The Italian Presidency of the G7, through the Università degli studi di Bari Aldo Moro and the city of Barletta, in collaboration with the Region of Puglia, invited a group of internationally-known philosophers, one from each G7 country along with a representative of the European Union and leaders of the Italian philosophical community, to prepare a statement on some of the pressing philosophical issues facing the G7 nations.
Dr. Sweet says in a letter sent to the organizers at the beginning of the summit, Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, congratulated the organizers "because bringing philosophy back to the center of the socio-cultural debate, that is, one of the humanistic disciplines on which Mediterranean and Western civilization is based, is a choice of great foresight and a very clear message to those, like me, who have the responsibility of leading a nation: … it is only thanks to the firm awareness of what our roots are that we will all be able to open up to others and dialogue."
Dr. Sweet reports that the Declaration was finalized during the meetings in Barletta, May 23-24, 2024, in the context of a session on “Conviviality and Dialogue among People.” The Declaration will be included in the materials of the G7, which meets from June 15-17, and will also be presented to the General Assembly of the 25th World Congress of Philosophy, which will take place in Rome in August of this year. Canada will be hosting the G7 in 2025.
