On November 16 at St. Olaf College with 3,000 students and 200 faculties, there was a celebration of Philosophy Day in which a recorded message from Mohammad Ghaderi (chief editor of Tehran Times newspaper) and Javad Heiran-Nia (Head of international desk of Mehr News Agency) was broadcast continuously in Buntrock Commons at the center of the college on the prospects of peace in the Persian Gulf.
American and Iranian flags were displayed as a filmmaker recorded greetings to the Iranian people in the name of the love of wisdom (the literal meaning of "philosophy").
Students expressed their consolations and sympathy for victims of the recent, November 12, earthquake along the Iran-Iraq border. They expressed a desire for friendship and communication between the Iranian people and the people of the United States independent of the policies of US government. St. Olaf College includes some Iranian students and students of Iranian descent who came to the celebration to express their well wishes for family at home.
By celebrating World Philosophy Day each year, on the third Thursday of November, UNESCO underlines the enduring value of philosophy for the development of human thought, for each culture and for each individual.
"Faced with the complexity of today’s world, philosophical reflection is above all a call to humility, to take a step back and engage in reasoned dialogue, to build together the solutions to challenges that are beyond our control. This is the best way to educate enlightened citizens, equipped to fight stupidity and prejudice. The greater the difficulties encountered the greater the need for philosophy to make sense of questions of peace and sustainable development."
St. Olaf College is a private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota, United States.
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