Habermas and Eco among those expected for the 23rd World Congress of Philosophy Socrates a major theme in this year’s Congress of Philosophy.

In a fitting tribute to the Greek origins of modern philosophical thought, the 23rd World Congress of Philosophy will be held in Athens from August 4 to August 10.

The congresses are held every five years by the International Federation of Philosophical Societies in collaboration with one of its member societies. This year’s congress focuses on the theme “Philosophy as Inquiry and Way of Life” that deals with Socrates” declaration that an unexamined life is not worth living.

Sponsored by the Hellenic Organising Committee, founded by the Greek Philosophical Society, the one-week congress will see over 2,000 philosophers from 105 countries convene in the birthplace of classical philosophy.

Among them, leading minds such as Juergen Habermas, Umberto Eco, Tomas Calvo and Georgios Anagnostopoulos will be discussing a variety of topics including classical Greek philosophy, Buddhist philosophy and metaphysics.

The event also hopes to revisit the classical roots of philosophy while addressing modern-day issues that engage our society in the 21st century – be they religious, economical, political or otherwise.

The conference’s theme, Socrates” unexamined life, has much to show about our current way of life.

The ancient philosopher urged his students to seek a greater meaning to their lives that went beyond the pursuit of goals such as wealth, material possessions, success and pleasure.

As society has progressed, championing the western ideal of consumerism, Socrates” lesson seems to have fallen on deaf ears.