Two students from the School of Philosophy and Letters participate as speakers at the annual congress organized by the PPE Society in London.

Maria Alejandra Martinez Gavidia and Maria Paulina Mollinedo, students of the Degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE)participated as speakers at The PPE Society London's First Annual Meeting, one of the main international academic networks in the field of Philosophy, Politics and Economics. From July 16 to 18, King's College London hosted researchers and experts from some of the most prestigious universities in the world -Oxford, Yale, Harvard, LSE, Princeton or Cambridge, among others-, in an event that, for the first time, and thanks to the intervention of our students, had representation from the University of Navarra. At the meeting, they were accompanied by the dean of the School of Philosophy and Letters, Julia Pavón, who also acted as moderator in several of the sessions.

"The opportunity arose thanks to the professors of the Political Science and Sociology department at the School," explains María Alejandra. "We sent four discussion paper proposals, thinking that maybe they would accept one or two, but finally they accepted all of them. This allowed us to actively participate in the congress during the two days it lasted". The sessions presented addressed contemporary phenomena from a critical and interdisciplinary perspective. In one of them, entitled "Pop Culture as an Effective Medium for Philosophical and Political Inquiry in the 21st Century," our students analyzed films such as Barbie, The Lego Movie and Wicked, connecting their plots with philosophical ideas. "We wanted to show that current phenomena such as movies, pop stars, networks or cancellation are loaded with political and philosophical implications. Somehow, to open the eyes of those who consider these topics as something minor and show that there are Structures, ideas and background theories that deserve to be analyzed. If we can get more people interested in these debates, whether from Philosophy or politics, we will have fulfilled an important purpose ," says Martínez Gavidia.

In the second joint session, "Cancel Culture and PPE: Navigating Free Speech, Critical Thinking, and Social Accountability", our students explored the phenomenon of cancellation culture in the context of free speech, critical thinking and social responsibility. In addition, each one presented an individual discussion paper : María Alejandra analyzed social networks as emerging forms of digital community with her work "Can social average be considered a society? María Paulina presented "In the name of common good", a reflection on current welfare states based on the thinking of Tocqueville and Locke.

"Although we were nervous about the other speakers, we were confident that the PPE Society had selected us because we were up to the task," admits Mollinedo. "In some moments before the lecture, I suffered a bit from impostor syndrome, especially at the thought of having to defend a paper on Locke and Tocqueville in front of professors and lecturers from Ivy League and Golden Triangle universities. However, to our relief, his feedback was very positive and constructive, which makes it clear that the University of Navarra, and the preparation it provides, is more than a match for the best universities in the world. An opinion shared by María Alejandra: "This experience has made me see that we have nothing to envy to students from other universities. I have felt a great staff and academic validation.

In addition to the knowledge acquired and the contacts they have been able to establish with academics from other institutions, they say that their participation in the congress has left a deep impression on their staff. "I think the most valuable thing I take away with me is the confidence of having thrown myself into something that at first seemed too big," says María Alejandra. For her part, María Paulina hopes that this is "only the beginning of our academic future".