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Philosophy is a questioning, analytical, creative and rational activity of the mind. We also believe that philosophy is not a profession but a matter of passion. Unfortunately at present, a concern for an academic career in philosophy has to a great extent replaced the passion for philosophy. The problem is not the "academia" but the "career". Most of us do have academic titles and we use them, but we also believe that titles should not be an ends but only a means if at all; we believe that theories and what is written, said or thought in philosophy is more important then titles and positions. Our aim is simply to protect the basic and essential spirit of philosophy and philosophical creativity. We on the one hand avoid a populist and distorted understanding of philosophy which assumes that a philosophical mind is easly attainable by anyone, on the other hand refuse that philosophy is merely an object of an academic career. Furthermore, Philosophy in Assos (Assos Academy of Philosophy), an activity organized July in an international and in February in a national framework by the Association of Philosophy, Art and Science (www.philosophyartscience.org) based in İstanbul, is the first movement, which brought philosophy back to Assos after thousands of years when Aristotle taught philosophy here. The Philosophy in Assos meetings take place regularly every year since the year 2000. The aim of Philosophy in Assos (Assos Academy of Philosophy), a non-profit organization, is to gather philosophers and lovers of philosophy in Assos (Assos Academy of Philosophy) in order to create an interactive, a casual and informal atmosphere for talks, discussions and dialogues on philosophical problems. We would like to philosophize in a natural atmosphere as was the case in Ancient Greece; distanced from the cruelties of urban life, in harmony with the Aegean nature and culture. Assos, an unspoiled spot on the Aegean coast of Turkey, situated across from the Greek island of Lesbos and south of the ancient ruins of Troy, is an ideal place for achieving this aim; and of course the most interesting aspect of Assos for philosophers is that Aristotle spent several years of his life here. He taught philosophy, practised some of his research in Assos and married the niece of the ruler of the city. In addition, Assos is also the home town of Cleanthes, one of the leading figures of the Stoic movement in Ancient Greek thought. As a matter of fact Anatolia (Asia Minor) is one of the most significant places in the history of philosophy. Philosophy emerged during the 7th century B.C. in Miletus which is today in the province of Aydin. Thales, Anaximander, Anaximenes and Leucippus were from Miletus. Anaxagoras, who according to some scholars introduced philosophy to the Athenians, was from Clazomenae (Urla-İzmir). Among the most important ancient philosophers, Heraclitus was from Ephesus (Selcuk-Izmir), Aristotle lived for a while in Assos, Cleanthes was from Assos, Epicurus was born in Samos on the coast of Anatolia and lived for a while in Lampsacus (Lapseki-Canakkale), Phytagoras was from Samos, Chrysippus was from Soli-Pompeiopolis (Mezitli-Mersin), Diogenes was from Sinope (Sinop). Our hope is that philosophy's rich past in these lands will not remain just a page in history. Why not? | home | why? | info | photographs | Philosophy in Assos (Assos Academy of Philosophy) |