With the aim of promoting a comprehensive education, these seminars seek to explore the essential issues of the human condition from different perspectives. “We want participants, both students and teachers, to develop their critical spirit and find a space for reflection on central issues of the human condition,” explains Andrea Rodríguez Prat, director of the CIP.
The programme is structured in two formats: seminars for teachers and for students. With presentations by renowned experts, the sessions are a unique opportunity for dialogue and in-depth discussions beyond the specific contents of each discipline.
Ricardo Piñero: truth and beauty as pillars of education
On 20 November, Ricardo Piñero, Professor of Aesthetics and Theory of the Arts at the University of Navarra, took part in these seminars, giving two sessions that captivated the audience at the Sant Cugat campus. For the teaching staff, he gave a seminar entitled Suscitar el amor a la verdad en los alumnos (Stirring up a love of truth in students), on the fundamental role of truth in university teaching.
“The university has a duty to remember that seeking the truth is a personal responsibility,” Piñero explained. According to the professor, this commitment is key to instilling in students the rigour and honesty needed for their all-round development as individuals. “Students can tell when what we teach is not merely happenstance, but the result of rigorous research,” he said.
For the students, the session ¿Puede la belleza salvarme de algo? (Can beauty save me from something?) opened an exciting debate about the value of beauty in the human experience. Piñero stressed that beauty is “an encounter with a reality”, an experience that transcends emotionality to connect us with objectivity and truth. “Beauty can save us from ignorance and unhappiness, educating us in the enjoyment and meaning of life," he concluded.
An Interdisciplinary vision for the vhallenges of the 21st century
The calendar of these seminars includes other outstanding lectures, such as Los retos de la Universidad del siglo XXI (The challenges of the University of the 21st century), by Dr Luís Romera, on 17 February 2025, and La tarea docente como servicio (The teaching task as a service), by Marcelo López, on 13 March 2025.
For the students, the sessions deal with universal themes such as “Desires of the human heart”, “Love, freedom and dependencies”, or “Thirst for infinity: God, meaning and spirituality”, offering an educational experience that goes beyond the usual classes.
CIP’s commitment to humanistic training
As part of its mission, the Culture and Thought Institute seeks to “train people and not just professionals”. To this end, it is committed to a liberal education inspired by the values of Christian humanism that promotes critical reflection, interdisciplinary dialogue and the search for truth.
In the words of Piñero, “these types of initiatives have great value because they help us to better understand others and enrich us as people”. Thus, CIP reaffirms itself as an academic reference in Catalonia, where humanistic training becomes an engine of personal and social transformation.
