Presentation

The coexistence with people, traditions and institutions of other cultures presents itself today as an irreversible fact. Speeded up in the last decades of the last century, it faces individuals and governments with new situations and challenges; without returning to serious reflection on some basic social concepts, these challenges will hardly be resolved. The voluntary or forced migration, the oblivion of the factors defining the cultural identity, the multiplicities of religions concentrated in the same territory, effect of lay attitudes growing in some parts of the planet, religious fundamentalism in others, the need of relearning to talk and tolerate, the perplexity in face different ways of perceiving solidarity, are situations that are raising issues not only in Europe but in many other parts of the world.

Fortunately, the Catalan nation produced a thinker who fought a lifetime to resolve similar conflicts. Ramon Llull, recognized as the patriarch of inter-religious dialogue, was in his time, the only writer in the West who directed more than half of his work for an Arab-Muslim public. At the same time, he introduced into the European traditions arguments and customs that were already common in the Arab world, such as to write in vernacular on philosophical and theological topics. He suggested the creation of a League of Nations, and was aware of the right of self-determination of nations. He is considered amongst the most in-depth knowers of Islam Western culture has ever had. Also the Globe magazine considered Ramon Llull one of the founders of Europe.