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The MCC's new institution, the European Center for Political Philosophy, aims to put Europe back on the philosophical map of the world.
"Recently, like many other fields of science, political philosophy has become rather Anglo-Saxon-centric", said Zoltán Szalai in his welcome speech. The Director General of the MCC stressed that political philosophy's detachment from European traditions can easily become abstract, ignoring the truths of history and human nature. Zoltán Szalai added that the European Center for Political Philosophy aims to restore political philosophy to its rightful place.
After the speech, the European Center for Political Philosophy presented itself to the public with a professional event. It was said that the main aim of the organization is to host and stimulate the renewal of classical European political philosophy in Europe, while at the same time, for example, it aims to organize joint programs for Hungarian and foreign students that go beyond the educational practices of schools and universities. The panel discussion was attended by Prof. Zbigniew Janowski, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, Towson University; Prof. Dr. Andreas Kinneging, Professor of Philosophy of Law, Leiden University; Prof. András Lánczi, Director of the European Center for Political Philosophy, and Dr. William Peter Wood.
"Philosophy is no longer part of European culture," stressed András Lánczi. Andreas Kinneign noted that the cradle of political philosophy is Europe, including Ancient Greece. In his opinion, the European Center for Political Philosophy does not want to deal specifically with theories of the state, but to find answers to more philosophical questions. Zbigniew Janowski presented, among other things, Plato's theory of the state, showing that the ancient philosopher's statements are still relevant today.