Classical Wisdom Versus Chaos: Athens Dialogue of Civilizations Adopts an Initiative for the Future
Classics offer insights into governance, ethics, social development and international relations. Greece and China launch a Global Visiting Scholars Program. Greece's Culture Minister: "Humanity draws knowledge, inspiration and guidance from the classics."
As reported by CCTV+, the Second World Conference on Classical Studies concluded on Wednesday in Athens, Greece. Participants called for deeper dialogue among civilizations and stressed the enduring value of classical wisdom in addressing contemporary global challenges.
The two day conference brought together more than 200 scholars, researchers, and cultural figures from Asia, Europe, Africa and North America. This year's meeting highlighted the relevance of classical civilizations today, exploring how ideas from ancient traditions can provide insights into governance, ethics, social development and international relations amid evolving global challenges.
Timothy Burns, professor of political science at Baylor University in the United States, told China Media Group (CMG): "The significance is to bring together scholars from around the world, but especially from Greece and China, to study the classics of these two civilizations in an attempt to really revive the wisdom of the ancients." Commitment to Greek Chinese exchanges has taken concrete shape with the launch of the Global Visiting Scholars Program by the Chinese School of Classical Studies in Athens. Announced at the conference, the program aims to promote long term academic exchange and joint research in classical and intercivilizational studies.
Giorgio Piras, professor of classical philology at Sapienza University of Rome in Italy, said: "It is very important to preserve and protect the memory of the past, and the classics are an exemplary example of the past, of the memory of people and of different civilizations." Greece's Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni noted in her address that interest in classical studies is growing in academic institutions worldwide as their ability to foster intercivilizational exchange becomes evident: "The study of the great ancient civilizations concerns not only their successors but the entire international community and indeed all of humanity, because humanity to this day draws knowledge, inspiration and guidance from the classics."
One of the main outcomes of the conference was the adoption of a joint initiative titled "Illuminating Humanity's Future with Classical Wisdom." The document states that classical civilizations continue to offer valuable intellectual resources for understanding human societies and contemporary global processes. The initiative calls for strengthening moral values through engagement with classical traditions, promoting social cohesion and mutual support, encouraging fairness and mutual respect in international relations, and ensuring that technological development is grounded in people centered values.
The World Conference on Classical Studies was established in 2024 and is jointly organized by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, China's Ministry of Education, China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Academy of Athens, and Greece's Ministry of Culture.
Classical antiquity is not about dusty books — it is a living conversation across millennia. When scholars from Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas gather in Athens to discuss Plato and Confucius, they are not just searching for historical truth.
They are looking for answers to how we should live today. Wars, mistrust, the climate crisis — perhaps the wisdom of the ancients can illuminate a path we have lost in the noise of the news. The initiative "Illuminating Humanity's Future with Classical Wisdom" sounds not like a slogan, but a reminder: without the memory of the past, the future has no foundation.
