UNESCO Public Lecture: Human and cultural diversities and the reconciliation of the self with the other

On the occasion of UNESCO World Philosophy Day 2025, Wageningen University will be hosting a public lecture by Professor Olatunji Oyeshile entitled ‘Human and cultural diversities and the reconciliation of the self with the other’. The public lecture will take place on November 20 from 10:30-12:00 at Wageningen University Campus, lecture hall C0222 (in Forum Building).

The fact of our race, colour, language, nationality, culture, task and preferences confer a lot of diversities on us as humans. Cultures also differ from one set of humans to the other. This naturally brings up the problem of identity, difference and diversity. This polarity of identity and difference created by human and cultural diversities necessarily implies the binary conception of ‘self and the other’. The ubiquitousness of conflict is therefore foregrounded by this relationship and conflict in thought and action therefore becomes inevitable. More often than not, the ensuing conflict among humans due to diversities can be very cataclysmic and catastrophic, leading to hate, alienation, racism, genocide, war and above all destruction of humans. Although humans have also been preoccupied at addressing this challenge, as ample literature in history has shown, from both the realms of ideas and praxis, conflicts at the destructive level still continue all over the world-among persons, groups, societies, states and international actors. There is therefore the need to present more alternatives and frameworks for bringing humans together to achieve the happy life which is a major part of the preoccupation of philosophers. It is therefore on this basis that I present the thesis of reconciliation of the self and the other at managing human and cultural diversities. The thesis of reconciling the self and other is founded mainly on ethical and ontological principles with implications for diverse disciplines in arts/humanities, social sciences, sciences and other practical endeavors. Managing our human and cultural diversities through the reconciliation of the self with the other allows for the reconciliation of various human and cultural interests for the good of humans in a global space in which joint survival is an inevitable imperative.

The lecture is co-organized with - and will be livestreamed to - the following partnering institutes: University of Ibadan, University of South Africa, Stellenbosch University, University of KwaZulu Natal, University of Ghana, the African Studies Centre Leiden, Adekunle Ajasin University, Ahmadu Bello University, Augustine University Ilara, Dominican University Samonda, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Lagos State University, Nigerian Academy of Letters, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Osun State University, Pan Atlantic University, Philosophers Association Nigeria, Seminary of SS Peter and Paul, Ajayi Crowther University, Western Delta University, University of Lagos, The Federal University of Technology.

Registration for online participation required. Kindly note that registration for online participation closes on November 14.