World Philosophy Day was celebrated at YSU Faculty of Philosophy and Psychology. Since 2002, under the initiative of UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, World Philosophy Day has been celebrated on the third Thursday of November each year. It aims to highlight the significance of philosophy in shaping humanity and its potential to improve contemporary social life.
In the past decade, in order to emphasize the role and importance of philosophy in Armenian society, various events have been organized annually at YSU Faculty of Philosophy and Psychology on this day.
On November 21 of this year, a solemn ceremony was held to conclude the second philosophy essay competition and present the awards.
The competition was organized as part of the collaboration between YSU Faculty of Philosophy and Psychology and Arevahovit Armenia Value System Unity.
Students from various fields of study, including undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate programs, participated in the event. The competition aimed to emphasize the importance of philosophical reflection on the current condition in Armenia, encourage the development of philosophical discourse on identity-related problems, address the ongoing moral and value crises, and highlight the role of philosophy in the spiritual search of young people.
The topics of the competition essays included: "David the Invincible's Philosophy and Its Relevance", "The Present and Future of Armenia: A Philosophical Reflection", "Philosophical Perspectives on the Modernization of Armenian Identity", and "Philosophical Analysis of the Prospects of Artificial Intelligence".
The award ceremony began with a speech by the Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy and Psychology, Aleksan Baghdasaryan. Highlighting the need for a fresh perspective on various issues, he noted that philosophy is a science not only about the past and present, but also about the future. The future will reflect the values and principles adopted today. A. Baghdasaryan concluded his speech by thanking Vano Dadoyan, the Chairman of the Arevahovit Foundation Board, for this initiative.
In his speech, Vano Dadoyan discussed the necessity of unified Armenian value systems and their efforts to strengthen the role of philosophy within this framework, emphasizing the importance of internal spiritual stability amid the current turbulent and crisis-ridden reality. He also presented his booklet "The Voice of Freedom" (a spiritual analysis of the Armenian folk tale "Hazaran Blbul" (Thousand-Voiced Nightingale)) to the recipients of the incentive awards and the members of the jury, including Silva Petrosyan, Hovhannes Hovhannisyan, Arman Gharagulyan, and Karine Yaralyan, associate professors at YSU Faculty of Philosophy and Psychology.
The Coordinator of the competition and the Head of the "Philosophy" educational program, Silva Petrosyan, emphasized that philosophy is a way of life, a care for the soul, especially important in the current era of information overload. She also highlighted the significance of Armenian philosophical traditions and the desire of young people to engage in the study of this discipline. She expressed her gratitude to Dean A. Baghdasaryan, Deputy Dean and Office Director Nune Alaverdyan, for their organizational and financial support, the books provided as prizes, and to the jury members for carefully reading and evaluating the essays.
Jury members Hovhannes Hovhannisyan and Arman Gharagulyan analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of the essays, discussing the logical, structural, and stylistic characteristics of writing philosophical essays. All the speakers congratulated the winners and wished them further achievements.
On behalf of the students, Daniel Nedolyan, one of the winners of the first competition, who is currently a PhD student at the Chair of History, Theory, and Logic of Philosophy at YSU, addressed the audience. He emphasized the relevance of the essay topics and the importance of fostering scientific discourse among young people in this area.
Seven essays were awarded incentive and monetary prizes. According to the jury's decision, no first prize was awarded. The winners included: Arkadi Vardanyan (YSU Faculty of Philosophy and Psychology), Arpi Shamoyan (YSU Faculty of Philosophy and Psychology) – second prize, and Hrachuhi Harutyunyan (YSU Faculty of Armenian Philology) – third prize. The recipients of incentive prizes were Daniel Nedolyan (YSU Faculty of Philosophy and Psychology), Vahe Asatryan (YSU Faculty of Economics and Management), Shushanik Khanaghyan (YSU Faculty of Philosophy and Psychology), and Henrik Nedolyan (Russian-Armenian University).
At the end of the event, the organizers and speakers congratulated the winners, expressing hope that the philosophy essay competition would continue in the future. In addition, A. Baghdasaryan announced that a conference would be held at the faculty in 2025 to mark World Philosophy Day. He invited participants from the previous two competitions, as well as anyone interested, to join the student presentations at the conference.
World Philosophy Day at YSU Faculty of Philosophy and Psychology created a unique philosophical atmosphere, as, at the initiative of the Faculty Student Council, a "Philosophical Café" was opened, where participants enjoyed coffee and tea while reading and discussing famous philosophers' sayings on various drinks and human interactions.
