"Riyadh Philosophy" He rereads the interaction between East and West and evaluates children’s literature
In the first session, which bore the title “ between the East and the West in modern times,” Dr. Walid Al-Zamil, Dr. Yasser Al-Ghamdi, and Dr. Amani Al-Zouaibi participated, and it was moderated by Professor Tarif Al-Sulaiti, where the speakers reviewed the features of intellectual interaction between civilizations.
They stressed that philosophy is the product of a continuous exchange whose tributaries were formed through translation, the arts, theater, cinema, and multiple readings of the history of thought from a geographical perspective that goes beyond The centrality of the traditional narrative.
Dr. Walid Al-Zamil spoke about urban transformation and the idea of “global cities,” pointing out that their ability to attract elites and transcontinental companies represents an important economic and cultural dimension, but in return it creates social challenges that emerge in the “dual city,” as a result of the difference in the ability to integrate into the globalized economy. He called for fair urban policies that balance global openness and the protection of local identity to avoid marginalization and the spread of slum areas.
The concept of “geophilosophy”
The session touched on the concept of “geophilosophy” proposed by Deleuze and Guattari, which re-establishes the emergence of philosophy in a diverse, dynamic geographical and cultural context, not bound by the strict framework of history. The participants explained that the ancient Greek environment, with its commercial and cultural interactions, constituted a suitable space for the emergence of philosophy, within a broad vision that moves thought from centralism to pluralism.In another axis, the session discussed the concept of “participatory Orientalism” through the model of Goethe in the “Eastern-Western Diwan”, as an experience based on mutual respect and spiritual openness towards the East, inspired by Persian poetry and the Qur’anic text, while addressing the controversy between Edward Said’s critical approach and other approaches that see Goethe was a model that transcended hegemony in favor of cultural dialogue.
The session concluded by emphasizing that rereading the history of philosophical interactions between the East and the West represents a gateway to understanding the present and building new intellectual visions that support civilizational dialogue and strengthen bridges of knowledge.
In the second session, which was entitled “Children’s Literature, Philosophy, and Pedagogy between the East and the West,” and was presented by Professor Dalia Tounsi, the position of the comic story was highlighted as an overlapping cognitive space that combines philosophical criticism. of childhood, theories of psychological education, and the transformations of modern pedagogy, in addition to its literary and philosophical dimension.
Tounsi showed that comic stories constitute a cognitive path in which criticism of the concept of childhood, as presented by the works of Berner and Kennedy, intersects with educational discussions about authority, empowerment, and the crisis of guidance within the home and school, in addition to their ability to generate confusion, paradox, and moral questioning, far from preaching or direct education.
She added that the real challenge does not lie in the child reader, but in the adult’s reading of texts, especially those that do not provide ready-made answers, which raises concerns for adults whose educational roles are supposed to be decisive and certain.
She provided an example with the story “Not Now, Bernard,” which reveals the turmoil of the adult world more than it reveals the turmoil of the child’s world, which makes it educationally confusing despite its intellectual value.
Children’s philosophical questions
The session touched on the criticism of the belief that deleting sensitive topics creates a safer educational experience, stressing that the child will continue to ask questions about death, fear, anger, and the body in any context, and that excluding these issues relegates them to spaces that are not pedagogically prepared.It also presented the model of the philosopher Matthew Lepman in constructing a philosophical text for the child, which employs “narrative clarification” to integrate proof with the story, in a way that enhances critical thinking without falling into abstraction or Preaching.
The session concluded by emphasizing that comic books are not just an educational tool, but rather a philosophical space that allows the child to ask fundamental questions, realize contradictions, and form a sense of contemplation that helps him build his cognitive world away from prior certainties.
