Prince of Asturias Awards 1981–2014. Speeches

6 O viedo | C ampoamor T heatre | José Ramón Narro, on behalf of the National Autonomous University of Mexico — Prince of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities 2009 Knowledge has always been important for human beings, but it is now fundamental. There is no sphere of life which is not influenced by knowledge. That is why the lack of interest of some in these matters is so worrying, as is also the fact that it is not a priority in many places or that resources are not made available for its generation and transmission. Without a science of its own, without a vigorous, quality higher education system, a society is condemned to “ la maquila” , the in-bond assembly shop, to the half-way point in development. That is why it is essential to demand the right to education. That is why it is necessary to insist, and to insist again. Education is the path to human self-improvement, on both an individual and collective level. Conceiving of it as a fundamental right is one of the major ethical advances in history. As a public and social good, higher education must be accessible to everyone in accordance with criteria of quality and equity. That is why it is so distressing that in today’s world, with its great developments, there are almost 900 million people who do not even know how to read and write. It might appear to some that to speak of values or of humanism is a matter of the past, of the Renaissance or of the 19th century. They are wrong. It is also a matter of here and now and of the future. The best antidote against illusory success, selfishness, corruption and indifference are the enduring lay values of yesteryear. That is why the crisis the world’s population is facing requires a profound review of the values which we transmit to the younger generations. This must be done in view of the fact that inequality and backwardness affect thousands of millions of people worldwide. Modernity must translate as better conditions for those who have always been ostracized. True knowledge is not neutral; it must be steeped in social commitment. Let us make the most of the opportunity offered by the failure of the financial system to propose new schemes for development that allow young people to recover hope for a more encouraging future. The great challenge consists in achieving progress in which the human and social aspects constitute what is important. In 2007, José Ramón Narro was Rector of unam . — Excerpt from the speech given on the occasion of receiving the Prince of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities on 23/10/2009. 23 rd O ctober 2009