During theFrontiers of Thought, Israeli writer talked about curiosity as a precondition for intellectual work
Photo: Luiz Munhoz
“Equality does not mean everyone is the same. If we were all the same, civilization would come to an end. Equality implies everyone’s right to be different as each civilization, each gender, each group, each faith will have the right to be different.” The acclaimed Israeli writer, who has been translated to more than 40 languages, and political activist Amós Oz delivered a lecture for Frontiers of Thought on Wednesday, Jun 28. The event, which received cultural support from PUCRS, had professor of the Graduate Program in Communications, Jacques Wainberg, as one of the mediators, and highlighted Oz’s unique contribution for contemporary thought.
Before an aroused audience, Oz talked about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, his political views, the clash of civilizations, and reaffirmed the need to know how to coexist and the respect to each one’s right to be different. Additionally, after having received a round of applause, he addressed the fact that he was considered a traitor, his life as a writer, and mentioned curiosity as a precondition for intellectual work and as a means to understand the other. When he addressed fanaticism, Oz claims humor as one of the antidotes to fight extremism, racism and intolerance, “a syndrome that affects many countries”, and took advantage of that in order to have a moment of laugh with the audience.
As to the Israel- Palestinian conflict, Oz claimed there was no right or wrong, good or bad, but the right and the right. “Israel is such a small country, the only shelter for the Israeli and Palestinians as a nation”, says he. He went on to say that giving in is the only solution and stressed that people should not choose one side or the other, but peace instead. “I’ve never been radical, but evolutionist. I believe in compromising, which is synonymous with life. Its antagonists are not idealism or integrity, but fanaticism and death”, warns he.
Photo: Luiz Munhoz
Oz sees the establishment of sovereign and neighboring countries as a form of conflict resolution, under a political view that is based on éthos. He believes in pragmatic solutions, in peaceful coexistence and refutes the idea of a binational country. In an analogy, he believes that the solution is to split a house into two apartments. These neighbors will get along with time and ultimately have coffee at each other’s house. “Love is such a rare commodity. I don’t believe in universal love or universal brotherhood. We must find the other halfway through. I am well aware of that because I’ve been married for 55 years”, says he.
The more complex the problems are, the more people will seek the easiest solutions. For him, fanatics are giving this comprehensive response, blaming individuals as a form of “devilish seduction”. In his view, the antidotes to fight that are skepticism, curiosity and sense of humor. “I’ve never seen a fanatic with a good sense of humor. We must have the ability to laugh at ourselves, to see ourselves the way others see us. Each one of us, even those very serious people, has a ridiculous side, and if we could see that in ourselves, we may be immune to fanaticism”, claims he.
Photo: Luiz Munhoz
Oz claims that the gift of well-written literature is to take readers on a fascinating tour around the mind, soul and emotions of different people, generations, countries. “My propelling force is curiosity, the desire to put myself in other people’s shoes, not to become like them, but to have a better understanding of them and myself. If you want to do something valuable, you must be curious. A curious person will be the best father, best spouse, best brother, best neighbor, best driver”, ascertains he.
PUCRS and Marist Network professors and staff are entitled to 50% off on the ticket package. Students are entitled to receiving a 50% discount as per the existing laws. Admission for PUCRS’ Graduate students is at no charge. The University, the project’s cultural partner, is offering courtesies to anyone who takes part in the actions published on Facebook .
