In an effort to bring philosophy closer to everyone – academics, students, and the general public – World Philosophy Day 2009 will be observed November 16-19, 2009, with Russia as organizer and host of the international celebration with the theme “Philosophy in the Dialogue of Cultures.”

Philosophy touches nearly every aspect of human life. The term comes from the Greek words Philo and Sophia. Philo is the Greek word for love while Sophia is the Greek word for wisdom. Philosophy has something to say when it comes to science, art, religion, politics, medicine, history, and other topics.

Many thinks of philosophy as an idle, academic pursuit, never amounting to anything of local value. But when we look back to the great contributions ancient philosophers have made, we recognize that all of their thoughts and ideas have allowed modern man to formulate opinions about the world, science, the human condition, and thought. They dabbled in areas of interest which included medicine, geography, history, astronomy, and mathematics.

A huge amount of modern studies relating to these subjects have been based upon the work and effort of these ancient philosophers. Without their discoveries and explorations into these subject matters, it could have taken much longer to get where we are today.

Sir Isaac Newton, Immanuel Kant, David Hume, Soren Kierkegaard, Jean-Paul Sartre, Rene Descartes, Karl Marx, and Jean-Jacques Rosseau stand out as some of the most important philosophers. Their contributions have laid the foundation for modern thought socially, economically, culturally, and politically have changed many concepts and methods in modern-day living, and provided insight into human lives and times which has broadened man’s intellectual heritage.

It many be difficult to define philosophy because it makes up so much of what we do during our life time, but with an understanding of philosophy, we all can do a better job at understanding what others are saying and what they mean, and gain a fair and reasonable conclusion.