"Privilege care for all, so that the weakest are not discarded."Silvia LibradaSociety is aging and will need more care".Grandparents and the elderly at the heart of the ChurchIn the context of a contemporary world marked to a large extent by individualism and anthropological crisis, the next academic proposal of the Faculty of Philosophy of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross - its XXVth Congress of Studies-will be dedicated to altruism.
This act, which is part of a three-year research project on the culture of care, aims to explore the role of altruism in human existence, beyond reductionist interpretations that link it to simple acts of charity or utilitarian calculations.
The activity, which will take place from March 6 to 8, will include contributions from philosophers, neuroscientists, physicians, sociologists and economists, and is intended to take place within the framework of the cultural and educational challenge to which Pope Francis has often referred, inviting a profound rethinking of the relationship between the individual and the community. In this framework, OMNES interviewed Prof. Francesco Russo, Professor of Anthropology of Culture and Society and member of the conference organizing committee.
Why was this topic chosen for the congress?
- Because philosophy is not alien to its sociocultural context and today everyone agrees that we live in a society sick with individualism. That is why it is important to reflect on altruism in order to understand its role in human existence.
Philosophical reflection is necessary because it cannot be reduced to a superficial gesture of charity, nor can it be framed in what is called "effective altruism," according to a vision that derives basically from utilitarianism or egocentrism in search of mere emotional well-being. Altruism is the essential link between the self and the you, and is an essential human trait, involving compassion and empathy.
Can you also explain this broader link to the so-called "culture of care" and how this can be a response to the anthropological crisis?
- The anthropological crisis to which you refer was pointed out in 2009 by Benedict XVI and recently highlighted on several occasions by Pope Francis. Faced with the problems to be confronted, political or sociological or economic solutions will not suffice if we do not realize that the identity and specificity of the human person are at stake. On Veritatis GaudiumPope Francis, in n. 6, invited scholars, in particular universities and ecclesiastical faculties, to become aware that "what is emerging before our eyes today is 'a great cultural, spiritual and educational challenge that will entail long processes of regeneration'".
For this reason, in the research project promoted by the Faculty of Philosophy of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, we have involved 14 researchers from ten European and American university institutions to help re-found the culture of care, which constitutes the deep vocation of the human person, as Pope Francis himself recalled in his Message for the 2021 World Day of Peace: the care of the human being and its flourishing in the different dimensions of existence (such as, for example, relationships, the environment, the common good, the artistic heritage, the sacred).
Is a dialogue between philosophy and the humanities on these issues possible?
- Dialogue is not only possible, but indispensable. Indeed, the conference will be attended not only by philosophers, but also by neuroscientists, physicians, sociologists, educationalists and economists. This interdisciplinarity is reflected not only in the main papers, but also in the forty or so communications that will be presented.
The human sciences, particularly neuroscience, are advancing considerably, but they do not capture the person in his or her corporeal-spiritual integrity: we are not just a biologically complex organism governed by a highly specialized brain. Otherwise, pain, freedom, compassion for others, dedication to others, the very search for the truth about our human condition and the meaning of our actions would remain without explanation or meaning. The rigor of science and the holistic vision of philosophical anthropology can and must confront and dialogue.
You mentioned compassion and empathy - is there still a place for these feelings in today's technologized society?
- As for the sentimental sphere, the omnipresence of technology accentuates illiteracy, because it does not help us to understand, express and recognize our own and other people's feelings. On the other hand, compassion and empathy do not only involve the emotional plane, in the sense that they go beyond a passing state of mind. On the contrary, they are two existential attitudes that imply an openness of heart to the needs of others, an awareness of our constitutive relationality and a willingness to seek the good of others.
I like to emphasize that, providentially, the conference coincides with the Jubilee of Volunteering; we only realized this once the dates were set and we saw in it a confirmation of what I have mentioned: altruism is inherent to human nature, even if individualistic culture blurs its features and scope.
