Επιμέλεια: Εύα Πετροπούλου Λιανού
Jeffrey Levett, Honorary President, World Philosophical Forum, Athens
At the outset and to muzzle any disappointment let me say that I have only a smidgen of expectation of being read an out of character pessimism given my long experience of Greece and of many foundations. Even after penning the Declaration of Independence addressed to humanity that gave a new nation an enduring vision, its author found the need to ask Is anybody there? Furthermore, the probability that an octogenarian’s proposal is ever read approaches zero and being accepted places it at zero’s door. The AI estimated statistical probability of being accepted is 1 in 24,677,213,620. And herein lies a danger with AI, namely, that as the probability of success recedes, its likelihood of having great merit grows while chances of its completion exponentially decrease. Taking it to Pythia, High Priestess of Delphi I learned that absolute certainty, 1 or 0 is bestowed only by the gods on Mount Olympus who do not take kindly to trespassers. Seeing confusion, the Priestess told me not to worry, be happy for my Proposal would be read, when or by whom she deigned not to say but added with scholastic erudition, effective decision making lies between a grave solution and dead reckoning.
Nevertheless, it is with pleasure that I greet you all as the Honorary President of the World Philosophical Forum, Athens and offer for your perusal, information relating to our recent 14th dialectical symposium (6-8 November, Athens). The Forum advocates that Greece should not let humanity reach the end of Hellenistic reason, morality, justice, and responsibility before it acts to invest in the wisdom implicit in Greek philosophy and suggests a conceptual revisit to the little known public health revolution launched by Eleftherios Venizelos in 1929. The Athens School of Public Health (1929-2019) was an obstacle for many and a curse for some. Politics finally executed it. From its miraculous and labored birth it overcame many threats of closure from the medical and political establishments; attempts to stop the development of public health. With its first gasp Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos was accused of misusing public money, while a quinine scandal jeopardized its survival. Nevertheless, it sparked a short-lived public health revolution to become a cornerstone of social policy. As a result a scientific culture was emergent and life expectancy increased by 20 years between 1930 and 1970 to place Greece in the society of progressive nations. Two revealing observations of those times; a mathematician from Germany: in just two weeks in America, I did as much for Greece as I did in two years in Greece, a doctor from Constantinople: local doctors, politicians, press, ministerial and civil servants-bureaucrats prevent foreign experts to stop international efforts to reform public health in Greece. The absence of practical classic philosophy and the trajectory of public health truthfully mirror the evolution of Greek society over the past century but more importantly it is a forerunner of what it will be like tomorrow.
It would be insightful to have a short meeting with you all wherever you are; just one more, impossibility. Let’s not rule out some other alternative intelligence AI2, which may invent a more accommodating Super boomer ZOOM. Should it transpire, then common interest subjects could be Nikola Tesla or skills and competence development within the framework of civic education in philosophy and population health for the public, recognizing that such systems exist in medical sciences and public health for professionals but little is available for the citizen within a framework of health literacy? Sorry, you may direct the dialogue to food prices, rent and the absence of warmth or nuclear anguish and climatic upheaval. No one wants to talk about atrocities, man’s minimal needs, diarrhea, thirst or at least not in the same breath.
Among other things the 14th dialectical symposium featured was a 3hour session dedicated to the work and vision of Nikola Tesla with a brainstorming on what his legacy might mean for our modern times especially, in artificial intelligence, which discussion wise ran into the Enlightenment. It was preceded by a stirring presentation on the Antikythera mechanism and first ever analogue computer of ancient Greece and was followed with a repeat proposal that a symbolic Peace be negotiated in the sacred place of Delphi, with an agreed upon Universal Peace Treaty signed in the Old Hellenic Parliament of modern Greece. A question posed to our international guests was why is Tesla present in a dialectical symposium in Athens? Because he looked to the future to better it, came the answer. One follow-up was that of the World Philosophical Forum’s hope, is to help save it; a dream certainly not to be deferred. Another was who would not want to rub shoulders with Socrates and eat under the Acropolis?
Lest we should be overheard, we addressed ideas surrounding Tesla’s powerful death ray circulating widely just before his demise, the ransacking of his room while on his deathbed and the issue of stolen papers to locate the plans, but on the sidelines. The atomic bomb is too much. Treaties are needed but are too little. At the current time other dialectical symposia of the World Philosophical Forum are ongoing for example in Mexico and Peru, in Manila and Kuala Lumpur.
We do need a philosophy of health, humanity’s lingua franca and classical philosophy needs to find a home. Although the WHO, points to a coming global avalanche of mental health problems it has not yet placed one single classical philosopher on any committee and maybe it needs to sponsor a creative retreat from deep reflection making sure for the presence of a resident psychiatrist. The silence of the elite is even more troubling given the political execution of a unique institution for public health (2019). By philosophizing we send out smoke signals by wafting our safety blankets to kindle flames that warm all men, women, youth, elderly and children into action. Prometheus would be jealous.
Of course we are surely unsure thinking that like Don Quixote we are tilting at windmills. We are sure though that in strengthening the roots of our civilization and watering its precious flowers with philosophy the work of the World Philosophical Forum, Athens rests on a noble platform and that next year if we are here support will be given to the 15th Dialectical Symposium 2024.
Each year at Easter a comforting holy light arrives from Jerusalem to Greece and we are moved by the suffering words of Jesus Christ on the cross forgive them for they know not what they do. I have thought to protest, by saying their coffers are overflowing from profiting from a spill of innocent blood and they do know what they are doing and must be stopped! Philosophy is key, but politics has thrown it away.
