Philosopher and university professor Diego Garrocho recently spoke at the 'CREA. The conscious generation' event, organised by the University of Navarra. During his address, Garrocho asserted that 'truths pale when not confronted with potential critiques'. He explained that even widely accepted beliefs tend to lose their validity if they are not continually examined in a changing context.
Garrocho participated in a roundtable discussion titled 'Truth and dialogue in the public space: How to jump the trench', where he highlighted the significance of dialogue and the necessity of being open to criticism, even when one is firmly convinced of an idea. 'Daring to doubt everything is quite uncomfortable,' he remarked, adding that 'those who do not dare to expose themselves are likely not very secure in their certainties.'
The philosopher identified two main enemies of critical thinking and the initiation of new projects: laziness and cowardice, emphasising the 'value of the attempt'. 'I do not know anyone who has tried to write a novel and hasn’t written it; we fail much less than we are led to believe.'
The event also featured a conversation between artist Javier Viver and Professor of Aesthetics Ricardo Piñero, who discussed beauty and transcendence, encouraging attendees to learn to observe and contemplate. 'Everything in front of us has glimmers. They are like flashes of paradise,' Viver explained.
The day concluded with a lecture by Pablo Castrillo, a professor at the Faculty of Communication, who delivered a talk titled 'Being conscious'. He proposed three attitudes for achieving consciousness: laying down arms, renouncing shortcuts, and stepping out of the trench. The inaugural edition of CREA brought together approximately 150 university students and professionals at the Madrid campus of the University of Navarra. Teresa Sádaba, the event's promoter, stated that 'the university is, or should be, a common place for the search for truth.' The event included various presentations and parallel sessions on cultural and social initiatives.
