When persons from different cultural backgrounds meet to discuss philosophy, this raises, right from the outset, the issue of "cultural universals'. In this paper I reexamine the notion of cultural universals and then seek to identify what I wish to refer to as "cultural fundamentals' in philosophy and philosophical debate. Then, I assess the extent to which such fundamentals are obstacles not just to the fulfillment of a meaningful philosophical dialogue, but also to the "birth" of potential philosophers, however gifted.