Azerbaijan, Baku, June 29 / Trend, S. Agayeva /
Conferences are an important part of resolving complex humanitarian, social, moral, cultural and economic problems in the 21st century, Moscow State University (MSU) Baku Branch Rector Nargiz Pashayeva said at the opening of the international scientific conference on "Cultural Dialogue in a Globalizing World."
The scientists who attended the conference must offer concrete proposals and solutions to problematic issues plaguing contemporary society and modern man, Pashayeva stressed.
The two-day conference is a follow-up to the "Cultural Interaction in the Age of Globalization" international conference in Moscow June 15-16. The conference is held in honor of former Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation's Moscow Office and the Azerbaijani National Academy of Sciences' (ANAS) Institute of Philosophy, Sociology and Law.
"Such measures are also important for strengthening international and human relations, as dialogue is only possible in a single impulse in terms of active cooperation," she said.
Pashayeva underscored that several key questions from classical philosophy remain very pertinent to modern man, such as "What is a human?" What can he know?" and "What can he hope for and what should he do?"
"Only through knowledge, education, rich internal potential, and the human soul and mind can we know the world around us," the rector said.
According to Pashayeva, philosophy is a science of the highest minds and the highest ideas.
"But we should note that any sensible person has an inclination to philosophy -- that is, a craving to understand himself and the world around him," she said.
Meanwhile, ANAS President Mahmud Kerimov said in his address at the conference that international scientific contacts contribute not only to science, but also to forging a dialogue between cultures of the modern world.
He added that the ANAS Institute of Philosophy, Sociology and Law is working with the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute of Philosophy to continue traditions of cultural dialogue between Russia and Azerbaijan.
"Philosophy is a science," Kerimov said. "Any dialogue is difficult without philosophy. One must recognize that the scope of the international cooperation between our scholars, social scientists and humanists is not great. But a positive trend has emerge."
He noted that the ANAS realizes the importance of increasing contacts with Russian scientists, as well as participating in joint programs and publishing joint works.
"I know that our Institute of Philosophy, Sociology and Law is doing a great deal in this regard," Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute of Philosophy Director Abdusalam Huseynov said. "We fully support expanding cooperation. Today, we are facing an enormous challenge. It is a way to ensure cultural dialogue in a globalizing world."
"We appreciate cultural diversity," he said. "We must try to keep this diversity going in the context of globalization. I hope that the forum will contribute to resolving such issues. I note with great pleasure that the number of contacts between Azerbaijani and Russian scientists are developing more and more in the post-Soviet space. We should increase and develop these contacts in the future. "
He expressed hope that the forum will contribute to developing dialogue and understanding between peoples.
Philosophical studies will also be considered at the forum.
Renowned ANAS and Russian Academy of Sciences scholars will make presentations on " Problems of International Scientific Cooperation and Ways to Develop Social Sciences in Azerbaijan," "Globalization, Terrorism and Dialogue," "Culture, Civilization, and Globalization. Heydar Aliyev - Person and Politician," "Individual Parameters of Democratic Values in Modern Society," "Democracy, Mass Society and the Role of Personalities in History," and "Civic Culture and Civic Values in Modern Azerbaijan," among other themes.
The event will also highlight the theoretical and practical contributions of Azerbaijani and Russian scholars in maintaining the cultural dialogue in the modern era.
Baku Conference is attended by about 20 Russian philosophers, mostly from the Institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow State University, Finance Academy under the President of Russia, including academic Abdusalam Husseinov, Ph.D., Professor Alexander Chumakov, Igor Liseev, doctor of historical sciences, Professor Georgi Alexeyev (MSU), philosophers from Dagestan, Turkmenistan and other countries.
