On June 9–10, the Second World Conference of Classics was held in Athens, Greece. A major gathering of classicists from around the world, this year’s conference took “Dialogue between Ancient and Modern: Contemporary Inspirations from Classical Wisdom” as its theme and convened four parallel forums: “Virtue and Paideia: A Modern Interpretation of Classical Education,” “Friendship and Community: The Ethical Community in the Transition from Ancient to Modern Times,” “Peace and Order: Civilizational Solutions to the Shifting Global Landscape,” and “Technology and Civilization: Humanism in the Age of Digital Intelligence.” Approximately 200 scholars from China and abroad, representing different civilizational traditions and academic backgrounds, discussed how classical wisdom might respond to the spiritual, ethical, political, and technological challenges of the modern world, opening new horizons for global classical studies through cross-civilizational dialogue.

Addressing fundamental modern concerns

Rather than treating classical studies as a closed intellectual genealogy, the conference situated classical wisdom within the broader context of the modern world. Gu Jiming, a professor from the School of Humanities at Tongji University, said the four parallel forums addressed four foundational dimensions of human civilization. Ethics and politics, he noted, define the transverse plane of human relations, while education concerns the transmission of civilization across time. Technology may seem remote from antiquity, but it is precisely technology that has brought the enduring concerns of classical thought back into focus.

“These four themes constitute a complete value structure—ranging from the internal to the external, and from the individual to the collective—directly responding to the most pressing spiritual predicaments of the contemporary era,” said Lin Zhimeng, a professor from the School of Philosophy at Zhejiang University.

Salvatore Monda, a professor of classical philology at Sapienza University of Rome in Italy, noted that the four themes, taken together, amount to a single proposition: The future of civilization depends on our capacity to reconsider, with the clarity offered by classical thought, the forms of relational life that make civilization possible.

Agis Marinis, an associate professor of ancient Greek philology and ancient theatre at the University of Patras in Greece, added that taken collectively, these themes remind us of one of the greatest challenges facing modern society: cultivating individuals capable of exercising power responsibly. In an age of social fragmentation, intensifying geopolitical tensions, and rapid digital transformation, the classical tradition invites a re-examination of the relationships among education, virtue, and the common good.

Virtue and education

Discussions of the modern relevance of classical studies ultimately returned to a fundamental question: How should one live? Across the traditions of ancient Greece, China, and other classical civilizations, education was concerned with the formation of character, the cultivation of virtue, and the assumption of public responsibility. Zhang Wentao, director of the Research Center for Classical Civilization and Political Philosophy at Chongqing University, argued that virtue and education occupy a central position in the classical civilizational order. From the perspective of civilizational construction and its ideal form, virtue and education—and the peace and happiness they make possible—constitute the shared goals of both individuals and society.

Margalit Finkelberg, professor emerita of classics at Tel Aviv University in Israel, identified what she described as a fundamental dilemma of modern civilization: Information, technology, and goods circulate globally, yet humanity still lacks a broadly shared set of moral and cultural values. The solution, she suggested, may lie in a modern interpretation of classical education.

“This is why it is important to arrive at a fuller understanding of the principles on which the society’s education system is based.” Finkelberg told CSST. “By studying the foundational principles of different systems of education we may not only develop a fruitful dialogue between cultures but also work together towards a global system of values which would cut across cultural differences between East and West.”

Friendship and community

If virtue and education concern the growth and perfection of the individual, friendship and community extend that inquiry to the ethical bonds between individuals, and between the individual and the group. In Lin’s view, friendship and community serve as the bridge connecting virtue to the broader social fabric. Both Plato and Aristotle held that true friendship is not founded on utility but on a shared pursuit of the good. Confucius’ famous remark—“Isn’t it a pleasure to have friends come from afar?”—expresses a similar idea: This joy, too, arises from the pursuit of a common ideal among kindred spirits.

Monda told CSST that the conference encouraged scholars to reflect on what, in the deepest sense, binds human beings together. In his view, “The theme of ‘Friendship and Community’ stands out as a conceptual hinge: It is friendship that mediates between education and community, between civic order and ethical responsibility, and even between humanism and the technological world we are constructing."

Liliana Carolina Sánchez Castro, an associate professor from the Department of Philosophy at the National University of Colombia, observed striking parallels between Chinese and Colombian classical scholarship. Both traditions, she said, prioritize the education of future generations and believe that classical values can play a vital role in this endeavor. Both emphasize community building, seeking to restore warm and stable ties among individuals, communities, and the state. Both also recognize the ethical relationship between humanity and the natural environment, and advocate for prudent reflection on technology—its progress, applications, and consequences.

Sánchez called for renewed attention to the Pre-Socratic philosophers, whose reflections on nature remind us today to reexamine the ethical relationships between self and others, between humanity and all living things, and between humanity and the environment.

Order and technology

Against the backdrop of conflict and uncertainty in a shifting global landscape, “Peace and Order” emerged as one of the conference’s central themes. Lin argued that peace and order represent the core concerns of any community. In a world where war persists and peace remains fragile, classical studies offer a higher standard of judgment: The true prosperity and order of a political community arise from the practice of political virtue, not from continuous outward expansion or aggression.

“Technology and Civilization” was among the conference’s most urgent topics. The rapid development of artificial intelligence and digital technologies is profoundly reshaping knowledge production, social interaction, and even humanity’s understanding of itself. In the view of Zhu Chengming, an associate professor from the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities and Social Sciences at Chongqing University, science is only one form of knowledge, and technology primarily addresses external problems. The essence of being human lies in self-actualization. Modern science and technology are only auxiliary means to that end; they can truly benefit humanity only when they are mastered and wielded by mature and wise individuals.

Quoting the Daoist sage Zhuangzi’s dictum that one should “master things without being mastered by them,” Scott Cook, Tan Chin Tuan Professor of Chinese Studies in the Department of Chinese Studies and History at the National University of Singapore, suggested that drawing on classical thought to address the challenges of the age may offer contemporary society a viable path toward recovering some of the humanity it has lost.