Alejandro Llano's life has been full of paradoxes. Perhaps his unique analytical capacity prevented him from imagining a world of good or bad, of truth or lies, of beauty or ugliness. He was aware of the existence of a wide range of grays, which is hidden from those who are content with a tweet, a slogan or a headline.

Professor Llano detected two opposing psychological profiles: the unscrupulous -always unperturbed- and the pathetic, who are extremely affected by bad news. Although he was among the latter -he was certainly a long-suffering subject - in his years as a university governor he made courageous decisions without a trembling pulse.

He was both a thinker and a man of action. Books soon became inseparable companions, but he naturally assumed the position of President of the University of Navarra, and before that that of Dean of his School of Philosophy and Letters. The great devourer of novels, monographs, essays and articles also approved budgets and promoted projects that required substantial resources, such as the construction of the magnificent Library Services of the campus in Pamplona.

In political debates, it was not clear whether he supported socialist postulates or embraced the liberal creed. His heart was always close to the underprivileged; still, he understood that wealth creation needed the incentive of freedom. In this tension between the state and the market, he rejected both paralyzing planning and the greed of individuals and institutions without purpose.

Alejandro Llano was a staunch Catholic, a member of Opus Dei since his youth. However, he seemed particularly interested in conversing with those who did not think like him. He did not want to take refuge in an environment close to his ideas, perhaps because he preferred to learn from others. Undoubtedly, he also wanted to help those whom he saw as somewhat misguided.

The apparent contradictions end there. Because in other aspects, Llano did not negotiate with his convictions. The most evident was his eagerness to work conscientiously, which made him a writer as profound as he was prolific. Some of his texts, such as Fenómeno y trascendencia en Kant, Metafísica y Lenguaje or El enigma de la representación, emerged after years of patient research; others, such as La vida lograda, Humanismo Cívico, or La nueva sensibilidad, are the result of his efforts to make his intellectual discoveries more accessible; finally, his two books of memoirs -Olor a yerba seca and Segunda navegación- gather the most outstanding episodes of his life and show his exceptional narrative skills.

His attention was directed to the central problems of human existence. He was interested, above all, in understanding the human capacity for the knowledge of truth. He studied the classics, rethought his doubts, used analytical methodology to rigorously address the permanent metaphysical dilemmas. He firmly opposed cynicism and ideological stubbornness.

Alejandro Llano was a Full Professor dedicated to his students, to whom he offered his time with generosity: he listened to their concerns, suggested readings, asked questions with skill and did not impose his criteria. He said that the mission statement of professors was not to colonize the minds of students, to introduce them into a pre-established mold, but to help them discover the truth of their own lives. His interlocutors felt understood and encouraged to behave magnanimously. Perhaps for that reason he directed 89 doctoral thesis and many people in Europe and America consider him their teacher.

The cities in which he lived marked his personality: his roots are Asturian, but his cosmopolitan mentality took root in Madrid; Valencia influenced his open character and Bonn his reflective spirit; during his long stay in Washington he delved into the cultural fissures of capitalism; and from Navarra - the land where he spent the second half of his life - he absorbed frankness and loyalty.

In 2015 he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, which gradually deteriorated his cognitive ability. At first he only forgot names and dates, but the neurological disorder progressed mercilessly. Even so, when he could no longer reason, in a way he was still himself: he never ceased to behave with admirable sympathy and exquisite Education ; he was grateful for any financial aid; he prayed a lot, often clutching his rosary; and he maintained his ironic yet hopeful attitude until the end.