I believe we all felt this was a highly successful and productive symposium. The presentations were very interesting, and each was followed both by a set of questions from a commentator and an open Q&A session. The commentators were well prepared and came up with a rather intensive list of detailed and challenging questions, which, together with the questions from the audience, developed into very interesting discussions. In fact, the only comment I could make is that I wish we had more time to pursue those discussions further. On a personal note, I felt that I could not do justice to the questions I’ve been asked, since there were many questions and only several minutes of response time.

Another point I think is worth mentioning, and which contributed to the success of the event, is the thematic continuity between the presentations. Although each talk dealt with different authors and theoretical perspectives, the majority of them were in the broad area of moral and political philosophy in the so-called continental tradition. The result was that many of the questions that followed one presentation were also relevant to others. Thus, several themes seemed to “echo” throughout the day, thereby creating interesting links between the different talks.

We all received a very generous welcome to the Academia Sinica, and the entire day took place in an atmosphere of intellectual friendship and hospitality. I believe I speak on behalf of all the participants when I say that we look forward to an opportunity to continue this conversation and to welcome our gracious hosts to Tokyo University.

Naveh Frumer
Tokyo, April 2009