Josep Maria Terrecapras, the courageous and committed thinker and politician who determined the course of the country, has died.

04/16/2024 – 20:50

Updated: 04/16/2024 – 22:37

Philosopher Josep Maria Tericabras (Calella, Maresme, 1946-2024) died at the age of seventy-seven. He graduated in Philosophy and Arts from the University of Barcelona, and obtained a doctorate from this center and from the University of Münster (Germany). He conducted research at this German university, at St. John's College, Cambridge (UK) and at the University of California, Berkeley (USA). He was an activist in defense of language and linguistic rights and promoted the Girona Manifesto (2013) at PEN International, of which he was president. In the political sphere, he was a Member of the European Parliament for the ERC from 2014 to 2019 and became President of the European Free Alliance in the European Parliament.

Josep M. Tericabras: “Instead of giving colorful presentations, we might do effective presentations.”

Terrecapras joined the Institute of Catalan Studies and was currently Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Girona. In addition, he established the Ferrater Moura Chair in Contemporary Thought, which he directed until 2014.

His specialty was contemporary philosophy and, above all, the work of a philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein. It is an introduction to the Catalan Nations Philosophy Project 3/18 (Philosophy for Children). Among his books it stands out Dare to Think: The Benefit of Rigorous Thinking in Everyday Life (The Bell, 1998), Reasons and clichés: Catalanism and anti-Catalanism (La Campana, 2001) ed Mancunian (Editions 1984, 2018).

In an interview with VilaWeb in 2019, Tericabras explained that he left politics because “I have other interests in life. I like to read, I like to write, and I like – even if it is from Trascanton – the most academic thing. I have a granddaughter and my friends and relatives are dying. And this is very important, because It means that…” He concluded by saying that “people believe that they are immortal. no. “All this must be viewed calmly.”

International defender of linguistic rights, promoted the Girona Statement

In 2008, Josep María Terrecapras was appointed Chairman of the Translation and Linguistic Rights Committee of PEN International. During his tenure, the Girona Statement on Linguistic Rights was introduced, approved in 2013, which called for the use of an individual's language to be recognized and protected by the United Nations. Years ago, the Catalan PEN Club, in collaboration with CIEMEN and the Club of Friends of UNESCO, drafted and edited the Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights, published in 1996.

The statement contains the Ten Commandments that bring together and update the Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights. The first point states that “linguistic diversity is a heritage of humanity that must be valued and protected.” He continues: “Respect for all languages and cultures is essential in the process of building and maintaining dialogue and peace in the world.” He talks about the person and society: “Every person learns to speak in the heart of a community that gives him life, language, culture and identity” and “Diverse languages and different ways of speaking are not just ways of speaking” communicate; It is also the environment in which humans grow and cultures are built.

You can read Full statement.