The third Bilkent PhilFest, Türkiye’s only large-scale philosophy festival, took place at Bilkent University on Saturday, September 28.
Organized by the Department of Philosophy, Bilkent Philosophical Society, Bilkent University Library, Psychological Counseling and Development Center and Teaching and Learning Support Center, the festival aims to bring together philosophy enthusiasts of all ages and to boost interactions between individuals interested in philosophy and publishing houses, associations and communities.
Visitors from all over Türkiye had the opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with philosophy associations and communities in the festival area as well as find discounted philosophy books at booths set up by prominent publishing houses. Additionally, they witnessed different aspects of philosophy and critical thinking in the exhibition area, which included interactive panels, philosophical posters and an exhibition of philosophical drawings by high school students. They also had the chance to engage in a conversation with Socrates in Agora using virtual reality headsets.
PhilFest’24 started with a speech by Rector Prof. Kürşat Aydoğan and was followed by discussions with leading philosophers on topics such as the philosophy of technology, violence and animal ethics. There was also a philosophical music performance featuring live renditions of works composed by Friedrich Nietzsche.
After a discussion by Ahmet Arslan on ancient philosophy there was a philosophical quiz with prizes, followed by a screening and awards ceremony for short films that ranked in the PhilFest Philosophy Short Film Competition.
