(24 April 2009) Spanish philosopher and writer Fernando Savater will deliver the Eighth Raúl Prebisch Memorial Lecture on "The role of ethics in politics, in the context of humanity's future challenges".
The conference will take place on 29 April at 11 a.m. at the headquarters of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in Santiago, Chile (Av. Dag Hammarskjöld 3477, Vitacura).
The memorial lecture will be opened by ECLAC Executive Secretary Alicia Bárcena, who will present Savater, introduce the topic and offer the first pointers for a dialogue among several guests to take place after the main lecture. Partaking in this conversation will be philosopherMartín Hopenhayn, Director of ECLAC's Social Development Division, and Cristián Warnken,columnist, writer and Dean of the Faculty of Education and Humanities of the University of Development in Santiago.
Professor Savater is PhD of the University Complutense in Madrid. He has taught at this university, as well as at Madrid's Autonomous University, the National University of Distance Education (UNED), and the University of the Basque Nation. He also holds several honorary doctorates from Spain, Europe and the Americas.
He has written over 50 works, among them philosophical, political and literary essays, stories and theater. In 1982, Savater won Spain's National Literature Prize under the category of essay for "The task of a hero". His latest novel, "The brotherhood of good luck" won the Planet Award 2008. Among his most well-known publications are those dedicated to youths: "Ethics for Amador", "Politics for Amador" and "The questions of life", which have been translated to over 20 languages.
Savater is member of the Civic Platform "Basta Ya" ("Enough Already"), which combats terrorism and defends civic liberties threatened by ETA in the Basque Nation.
The Raúl Prebisch Memorial Lecture Series was created in 2001 to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of this Argentinean economist, who was Executive Secretary of ECLAC between1950-1963.
Past lecturers include Brazilian economist Celso Furtado (2001); Nobel Prize laureate in Economics Joseph Stiglitz (2002); the former President of Brazil Fernando Henrique Cardoso(2003); former UNCTAD General-Secretary Rubens Ricupero (2004); John F. Kennedy School of Government and Harvard University Professor of International Political Economy Dani Rodrik(2005); Ibero-American Secretary-General Enrique Iglesias (2006), and historian Tulio Halperin(2007).
The media and academic community are welcome to attend the Eighth Raúl Prebisch Memorial Lecture Series.
Two videos of professor Fernando Savater's presentation are available on ECLAC's webpage (see links above in this page).
For more information, contact ECLAC's Information Services. Email: dpisantiago cepal.org; telephones: (56-2) 210-2380/2149.
