Philosophy must play a leading role in guiding mindset in the new era
During a working session with the Institute of Philosophy under the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences on the afternoon of 6 January, Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Hung affirmed that philosophy must play a leading role in guiding mindset in the new era. The Minister also suggested that the Institute of Philosophy focus on researching issues of the digital age, such as: data philosophy, artificial intelligence ethics, power and governance in a digital society.
Reporting at the session, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Tai Dong, Director of the Institute of Philosophy, stated that the Institute originated as the Philosophy Group established in August 1959 under the State Science Commission.
The Institute has 39 staff members, including 3 Associate Professors (8%), 16 Doctors (40%), 17 Masters (44%), and 3 Bachelor's degree holders (8%).
During the 2021-2025 period, the Institute of Philosophy published 49 prestigious international papers (27 WoS, 11 Scopus, 11 other international); 308 domestic papers (60 papers/year); and 38 book titles, though the proportion of monographs decreased from 80% (2021) to 25% (2024).
At the meeting, Minister Nguyen Manh Hung listened, discussed, and provided timely instructions to strengthen financial capacity and assigned several specific research tasks to the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences in general and the Institute of Philosophy in particular.
Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Hung emphasized that Vietnam is entering a new stage of development with profound transformations brought about by artificial intelligence, data, and digital society.
These transformations are not merely technological issues; at their core, they are matters of humans, values, ethics, and the meaning of development—areas that belong to philosophy. Therefore, philosophy cannot remain on the sidelines but must play a leading role in guiding mindset in the new era.
Minister Nguyen Manh Hung stated that philosophy needs to shift from primarily explaining the world to actively participating in creating the future, accompanying the State in building a long-term development vision.
Philosophy must participate right from the stage of correctly defining problems, creating a cognitive foundation for the policy-making process, especially policies on science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation.
Accordingly, Minister Nguyen Manh Hung requested the Institute of Philosophy to focus on researching philosophical issues of the digital age such as: data philosophy, artificial intelligence ethics, power and governance in a digital society, the protection of human dignity, social equity, and data privacy.
On that basis, the Institute should contribute to clarifying and promoting values imbued with Vietnamese cultural identity, serving the construction of a Vietnamese value system in the 21st century that is modern, humane, and preserves national identity.
Minister Nguyen Manh Hung also suggested the formation of strategic thinking groups and the establishment of a philosophical consultation mechanism for major national policies; gradually developing the Institute of Philosophy into a center for ideological dialogue, connecting philosophy with science, technology, education, and state governance.
The Institute of Philosophy is not only an academic research facility but also an address for strategic thinking, contributing to guiding awareness and directing national development in the new phase./.
Copyright belongs to the Vietnam Journal of Science and Technology (VJST-MOST).