[Discussion] (no subject)

[Paksoy, Hb]

From: Evgeny Torchinov <blade@comset.net> 

Announcement 
 September 7-12, 2002 
St. Petersburg, Russia 
The Fifth International Congress on Philosophy and Culture 

CREATURE - CREATION - REPRODUCTIONS: 
WISDOM OF CREATOR, REASON OF DEDALUS 
AND THE CUNNING OF THE HACKER 
Arranged by the St. Petersburg Branch of the Russian Institute for Cultural 
Research, 
The Russian Federation Ministry of Culture and Russian Academy of Sciences 
& 
The Philosophical and Cultural Research Center "Eidos", 
The St. Petersburg Association of Scientists and Scholars 

UNESCO Chair on Comparative Studies of Spiritual Traditions, 
Their Specific Cultures and Interreligious Dialogue 



This congress continues a series of international conferences and symposia 
organized and convened by the St. Petersburg Branch of the Russian Institute

for Cultural Research and the Philosophical and Cultural Research Center 
"Eidos" in the framework of a long-term scientific research and 
organizational program of the International Center for Fundamental Studies 
in Contemporary Culture. Among these were the International Congresses on 
Philosophy and Culture: "Language and Text: Ontology and Reflection" (17-21 
August, 1992); "Paradigms of Philosophizing" (10-15 August, 1995); "Issues 
of Communication in Contemporary Culture" (under the auspices of UNESCO, 
17-21 September, 1998); and the Symposia: "In the Labyrinths of Culture" 
(1997),"Reflections on Chaos" (1997), "Metaphilosophy - or Philosophical 
Reflections in Space of Traditions & Innovations" (1998), "Cultural Studies:

Issues of Interdisciplinarity" (under the auspices of Russian Commission for

UNESCO, 1998), "Symbols, Images, Stereotypes of the Contemporary Culture" 
(under the auspices of UNESCO and with support from the UNESCO Division for 
Cultural Pluralism, 1999) "Intellect, Imagination, Intuition: Reflections on

the Horizons of Consciousness" (under the auspices of UNESCO and with 
support from the UNESCO Division of Human Sciences, Philosophy and Ethics of

Science and Technology, 2000); the First cycle of Cross-cultural and 
Interreligious Discussions "Ontology of Dialogue as the Main Value of 
Cultural and Religious Experience" (under the auspices of UNESCO and with 
support from the UNESCO Division of Intercultural Dialogue, 2001). The 
materials of each meeting are published in the thematic issues of the 
International Readings in the Theory, History and Philosophy of Culture (?? 
1-12). 

The human being of today is dealing with serious shifts in the paradigm 
system of values and ontological orientations. Notwithstanding the 
flexibility of this system, one should take care in order to preserve its 
vital force, which consists of an essential difference of ways between 
descending and ascending. Any indifference to this distinction, any 
insensitivity to it, any forms of ethical and ontological aloofness, lead a 
person to a crisis of identity, to a total lose of the meaning of his/her 
own existence, to existential devastation. An extremely attentive and 
sensitive relation to Tradition is needed in order to avert the dangers of 
the paradigm shift that is happening in the topos of Being. 
It seems doubtless that the problem of revealing creative and harmonizing 
potentials of contemporary culture becomes actual now against the background

of increasing cultural and ecological crises inhibiting numerous meaningful 
prospects of man and society development. 
The on-going search for new possibilities for a productive syntheses of 
philosophic, scientific, artistic and religious experience in contemporary 
culture demands methodologically accurate research practices that must 
include very careful attention to the underlying heritage of traditions. 
The problems of national and cultural spiritual identity cannot be properly 
and fully formulated without considering the role being played by religion 
in the self-determination of regional, national and ethnic communities and 
also in the creation and development of personality, including the specific 
hierarchy of basic values and definite horizons of personal freedom and 
responsibility. 
The Fifth International Congress on Philosophy and Culture will be held to 
examine this set of theoretical and existential problems of contemporary 
culture with a special emphasis on their fundamental nature. 
Leading scholars, philosophers, religious figures and thinkers representing 
various traditions, confessions and cultures will be invited to participate 
in the discussions. 
The discussion space of cross-cultural and interreligious dialogue suggested

for examination is outlined in the following way: 
I 
Conceptions of Creation in Different Cultural & Religious Traditions: 
Challenges of Contemporaneity 
II 
Being & Nothingness: 
Mythological, Artistic, Scientific and Religious Experience 
III 
Metaphysics and Poetics of the Elements: 
Air - Water - Fire - Earth - Man 
IV 
Paradoxes of Creation: 
>From the Wisdom of the Creator to the Cunning of the Hacker 
V 
Ontology of the Original and Phenomenology of Reproductions: 
Image and Imitation, Clip and Clone 
VI 
Joys and Horrors of the New Technologies: 
Is the Creation Continuing? 
VII 
Narratives of Wisdom, Discourses of Reason, Bits of Information: 
Search for the Optimum under Extreme Conditions 
The strategic importance of research efforts, not only for the understanding

and description of the processes taking place in contemporary culture, but 
also for the highly accurate forecasting of the possible consequences, will 
dramatically increase in light of the historical transformations of values 
and orientations that humankind currently faces. 
If you would like to take part in the discussion please send us your 
application according to the following form: 
The Fifth International Congress on Philosophy and Culture 
CREATURE - CREATION - REPRODUCTIONS: 
WISDOM OF CREATOR, REASON OF DEDALUS 
AND THE CUNNING OF THE HACKER 
September 7-12, 2002 
St. Petersburg, Russia 
PERSONAL INFORMATION 
Title  Prof.  Dr.  Mr.  Ms. 
Name________________________________________________________________ 
Organization___________________________________________________________ 
Full Mailing Address_____________________________________________________ 
______________________________________________________________________ 
Telephone__________________ Fax _________________ E-mail_______________ 
Title of my presentation: __________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________ 
I am going to attend the Symposium: Yes / No ____________ 
Approximate date of my arrival: ______________ & departure ______________ 
I will be able only to send my paper for post-conference publication: Yes / 
No _________ 
The Conference has traditionally brought together philosophers, 
philologists, psychologists, historians, experts on cultural studies, 
artists, writers, cultural managers, etc. It is characterised by an open, 
interdisciplinary atmosphere. 
PLEASE, SEND THE REGISTRATION FORM BY E-MAIL OR BY FAX AS SOON AS POSSIBLE: 
FAX: +7 812 437 08 28, e-mail: centre@eidos.spb.su 
Contributors should send 1 page abstracts (not exceed 3000 signs) and 
full-length papers 
(about 30.000 signs) to the Conference Secretariat by e-mail: 
centre@eidos.spb.su 
Deadline for abstracts: March 7th , 2002 
Final papers due: August 7th , 2002 
The work of the Conference will include daily Plenary Sessions and Parallel 
Sessions for presentations and the ensuing discussions ( 30 minutes for Key 
Speakers and about 20 minutes for other presentations). 
Selected contributions will be published in a forthcoming special issue of 
the International Readings in the Theory, History and Philosophy of Culture,

Volume 14. 
II. VISA INFORMATION - IMPORTANT ! 
In order for the Organizing Committee to prepare official invitations which 
are required to apply for a Russian visa, the following information must be 
submitted for each person who plans to attend the meeting: 
NAME (all names according your passport): ______________________________ 
CITIZENSHIP_______________________________________________________ 
DATE OF BIRTH____________________________________________________ 
PASSPORT DATA & No_______________________________________________ 
City where you are going to apply for the Russian visa 
______________________ 
FIRST PAGE OF YOUR PASSPORT HAVE TO BE SEND BY FAX: +7 812 437 08 28 

CONTACTS 
For all information regarding the Symposium please contact: 
St. Petersburg Branch of the Russian Institute for Cultural Research: 
199034 St. Petersburg, Universitetskaya nab. 5, room 102