Thanks to the alliance between Filbo and the Italian Institute of Culture, another illustrious person who was present at the Bogotá International Book Fair had an outstanding intervention in which he highlighted the importance of books based on the praise written by Cristoforo Moro, humanist and Venetian philosopher, where his fundamental action as builders of civilization is described.

Using quotes from classic texts, Nuccio Ordine, author of essays such as 'The utility of the useless' or 'Men are not islands' called on all governments to fight ignorance with determination, highlighting that especially social networks are threatening democracy by turning young people into ‘ignorant beings.’

Ordine pointed out during his speech at Filbo 2023:

The first enemy to fight is ignorance, because ignorance is a fortress without a drawbridge. States must hire more teachers and fewer bodyguards.

Classics Reading

Highlighting how Ordine is one of the globally authorized voices on the Renaissance era, Filbo points out that thanks to the speech delivered by the historian and philosopher, in which the value of culture and education was insistently defended, reading the classics was the topic of conversation at the international literary event.

“Books contain the words of the wise, the examples of the ancients, the customs, the laws and the religion. They live, they reason, they talk to us, they teach us and comfort us, they make them present to us by placing before our eyes things that are remote from our memory. So great is their dignity, their majesty and, ultimately, their holiness, that if they did not exist we would all be rude and ignorant,” quoted Ordine.

Criticism of Education

Highlighting throughout his intervention the importance of reading, especially in today's world, Ordine rescued a text by Spanish poet Federico García Lorca in which books are shown as food for the spirit.

El ensayista italiano NUCCIO ORDINE @nuccioordinefan hoy, sábado 29 de abril a las 4:00p.m. "Elogio de los clásicos y la solidaridad humana"@IICBogota @acantiladoeditorial #nuccioordine #amorporloslibros #ensayos #elogio #literatura #leerclasicos #italiaencolombia pic.twitter.com/3JvZwGKYNu

— Grupo Penta (@grupopenta) April 29, 2023

The Italian underlined the importance of written documents for the construction of human beings, noting that within the words of García Lorca a prophetic and poetic assertion emerges, since he draws attention to the importance of culture and education as instruments essential for the formation of good citizens.

“The parameters of teaching are increasingly conditioned by the guidelines of public and private agencies. The efficiency of teaching is no longer measured by the knowledge that must be shared with students, but by the skills and abilities that students must acquire, with a view to their future insertion in the labor market,” said Ordine, criticizing the educational system that is governed by commercial rules.

For his part, Ordine, who clarified that he is not against technology, also seriously questioned the use that is being given to social networks, which, he pointed out, are affecting the new generations by generating a spreading addiction that is getting out of hand.

“Educating young people to become dependent on smartphones and social networks is very dangerous for the future of democracy. Technology creates the inclusion of dialogue, accustoming us to cultivating with poor language and a rationality devoid of all argumentative rigor,” Ordine concluded.