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Comparative philosophy department hosts World Philosophy Day event

Professors Sudesh Mantillake and Alessandro Moscaritolo Palacio sit next to each other, smiling, during an event in the chapel

Sudesh Mantillake and Alessandro Moscaritolo Palacio

Randolph’s Department of Comparative Philosophy hosted a World Philosophy Day event in November. 

Alessandro Moscaritolo Palacio, comparative philosophy professor, and Sudesh Mantillake, the College’s Quillian Visiting International Scholar, spoke during the event, which was held in Houston Memorial Chapel before a crowd of about 60 attendees. 

During the program, Moscaritolo Palacio and Mantillake brought philosophical ideas and practices from Latin America and Sri Lanka into conversation with each other, as well as philosophies from the Global North. 

Comparative philosophy professor Kaija Mortensen said they hope to make it an annual celebration.

Randolph’s comparative philosophy major was created in 2022 on the same principles as World Philosophy Day, she said, quoting from UNESCO’s website: “By awakening minds to the exercise of thinking and the reasoned confrontation of opinions, philosophy helps to build a more tolerant, more respectful society. It thus helps to understand and respond to major contemporary challenges by creating the intellectual conditions for change.”

World Philosophy Day carries a special significance for Moscaritolo Palacio, whose alma mater in Latin America celebrates it every year. 

“Our event highlighted the educational and civic role of philosophy, and the humanities more generally, at a time when these disciplines are often viewed as dispensable,” said Moscaritolo Palacio. “At a time when certain forms of embodied diversity are still met with hostility, my colleagues and I showed, in practice, why diversity of identities and lived experiences makes for a richer educational experience for our students.” 

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