Two projects of the University of Navarra, awarded in the VIII Razón Abierta Awards

The Core Curriculum Institute's Great Books Program, focusing on the great texts of thought and literature; and the publication The Polycentric Republic by the researcher at the Institute for Culture and Society ( Core Curriculum). Institute for Culture and Society (ICS) David Thunder, which proposes a policy based on free associations, have been recognized in the 8th edition of the Open Reason Awards, in the categories of teaching and research, respectively.

Promoted by the Francisco de Vitoria University and the Joseph Ratzinger Foundation, these international awards honor research and educational proposals that promote dialogue between science and Philosophy or theology.

José María Torralba, Full Professor of Philosophy and coordinator of the Great Books Program, explains that "this award confirms the value of the contribution that the Core Curriculum Institute makes to the training of students at the University. In addition, it introduces us to an international network of institutions that share the same educational purpose, with which we can share what we have learned over the years. 

Students who choose to take the Program's courses find aneducational model characterized by "direct knowledge of the cultural tradition, through the reading of the great works of thought and literature; an active methodology that puts the student at the center of their learning; and being part of groups of 25 students, guided by a professor, where there are spaces for reflection and dialogue," adds Torralba.

Institute for Culture and Society researcher David Thunder has published The Polycentric Republic: A Theory of Civil Order for Free and Diverse Societies. It is a proposal for a political order based on free and diverse associations, as an alternative to the sovereignty model of the modern state. The jury highlighted his interdisciplinary approach and his openness to an ethical and transcendent vision of society.

As Thunder explains, "the main contribution of this book is that it highlights a pluralist tradition of thinking about the authority of the state and the authority of non-state organizations. It attempts to show that the sovereignty of the modern state over social life can be challenged without descending into anarchy by proposing a polycentric or decentralized view of society and political life."

More than 400 applications from 63 universities

The Open Reason Awards have distinguished more than 30 projects from 15 countries, consolidating its position as an international benchmark in the promotion of dialogue between the sciences, Humanities and theology. In this edition, six works were selected from among more than 400 entries from 63 universities around the world.

With a total endowment of 100,000 euros, the Open Reason Awards seek to respond, with academic rigor, to the great questions about the human being, truth and goodness, inspired by Pope Benedict XVI's proposal for a "reason open" to dialogue among knowledge. The submission of the awards will take place on September 30 at the Vatican.