By Liu Jun (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2007-10-12 19:29

Rhodes, Greece: In the spacious plaza of the torch-lit Castello Castle of the Rhodes Island, Greece, more than 700 guests from some 60 countries and regions gathered to look into the future of mankind on the night of October 10 at the 5th World Public Forum (www.dialogueofcivilizations.org).

What started as a mere dream in a casual conversation between Nicholas Papanicolaou of Greece and Vladimir Yakunin of Russia has become a world event, a major player in the "dialogue of civilizations".

Five years ago, when the idea of "dialogue of civilizations" first appeared, few politicians would embrace it. "Now it has become an ideal in international politics," says Yakunin. "It is only through dialogue that a civilization can acquire its own existence into world civilizations.”

Jagish Kapur of India, another co-founder of the forum, says he is a "very anxious person for the state of the world", as too much damage has already been done to the human system, and it is being backed by so much military power that this state of affairs cannot be transformed instantly.

Kapur stresses that it is crucial for people to get together "to create a new mankind which won't be dominated by anybody".

Professor Richard Sakwa with the University of Kent at Canterury, Britain, warns of the possibility of another Cold War. Since the collapse of the former Soviet Union, there has not been any serious thinking on diversified civilizations.

Among the many issues, there is no fundamental solution to integrate a rising new power into the international society. A good example of this is Japan after World War I, the failure of integrating the rising ambitious nation has led to its participation in the World War II.

"A new Cold War is possible, but not inevitable," says Sakwa, explaining that today's world faces imminent issues of tolerance and diversity which are quite similar with those after the WWII.

Professor Immanuel Wallerstein with the Yale University points out that geopolitically, the world is in an unprecedented, truly multilateral situation, with some six to ten strong powers coexisting such as Russia, China, India, South America and South Africa besides the United States, Western Europe and Japan.

"This is a complex situation, in which people make alliances and there are many uncertainties, which doesn't necessarily mean a more peaceful situation", hence rational and calm dialogues such as held at the World Public Forum are especially important, Wallerstein says.

Papanicolaou, president of the forum, quoted an American writer about the paradox of our times: While we have taller buildings, we have shorter tempers; while we live in bigger houses, we have smaller families; we have more knowledge, but less judgment; we have made a trip to the moon, but have trouble crossing the street; we clean up the air, but pollute the soul; we make a living, but not life…

Papanicolaou calls on people to respect one another and to be accountable to one another, for life "is not measured by the amount of breaths we have, but by the moments that take our breaths away".

Peimin Ni, professor of philosophy with the Grand Valley State University in Michigan, United States, attracted many scholars' attention with the idea of "holism" – an idea of inclusion that was first envisioned by Confucius thousands of years ago. "Harmony requires and depends on differences," Ni says.

For thousands of years, Chinese thought they were the center of the world. In the 19th century, challenges from Western powers forced many Chinese intellectuals to think that traditional Chinese culture should be replaced by Western ideas.

Ni stresses that China's economic growth has been so fast that "when Shanghai sneezes, New York can get a cold". It is high time to reassess the Chinese cultural resources and give serious critical analysis of its huge impact on globalization.

Ni is but one of more than 10 Chinese scholars attending the forum, which for the first time sets aside a special roundtable about the role of Chinese civilization to mankind. Issues like Confucianism with value pluralism, economy, literature, art and music will be discussed during the four-day event.

"Here in Greece, the source of Western civilization, we are to share ideas with international experts, who will provide us with new perspectives to look at our own culture, which is very important," Ni says.