{"id":179564,"date":"2026-01-29T12:43:57","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T12:43:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/raed.academy\/?p=179564"},"modified":"2026-01-29T12:43:57","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T12:43:57","slug":"torralba-and-his-anatomy-of-hope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/raed.academy\/en\/torralba-and-his-anatomy-of-hope\/","title":{"rendered":"Torralba and his anatomy of hope"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Francesc

Dr. Francesc Torralba<\/p><\/div>\n

Francesc Torralba<\/strong><\/a>, Director of the Ethos Chair of Applied Ethics<\/strong> at Ramon Llull University<\/strong> and of the Chair of Christian Thought of the Diocese of Urgell<\/strong>, a member of the Dicastery for Culture and Education<\/strong> of the Holy See, and a full member of the Royal European Academy of Doctors<\/strong> (READ), has been the subject of prominent features and interviews in leading Catalan media outlets after being awarded the Josep Pla Prize<\/strong> by the publishing house Destino<\/strong> for his work \u201cAnatomia de l\u2019esperan\u00e7a\u201d<\/strong> (Anatomy of Hope), during the traditional gala held on Epiphany in Barcelona. The book explores the mechanisms that sustain the human spirit when everything seems lost through philosophy, literature, and human experience, and delves further into themes addressed in his two previous publications, \u201cLa Paraula que em sost\u00e9\u201d<\/strong> and \u201cNo hi ha paraules\u201d. \u201cCom assumir la mort d\u2019un fill\u201d<\/strong> (There Are No Words: How to Come to Terms with the Death of a Child), in which he shares his grief over the tragic death of his 26-year-old son, Oriol<\/strong>, in a mountain accident during a trek on which Torralba was accompanying him.<\/p>\n

In La Vanguardia<\/strong>, journalist Francesc Bomb\u00ed<\/strong> highlights the author\u2019s exploration of the mechanisms that sustain the spirit when everything appears to be lost. \u201cIn a world that at times seems to be falling apart, the reasons for disenchantment are many, and Torralba does not deny them; he even offers reasons for despair, awakening the reader\u2019s conscience so that each may find their own reasons to remain standing and move forward.\u201d Meanwhile, in El Peri\u00f3dico, David Mor\u00e1n<\/strong> points to the path opened last year by biologist and neuroscientist David Bueno<\/strong> with \u201cL\u2019art de ser humans\u201d<\/strong>, the first work of scientific popularization to receive the prize, and notes that the Pla Prize maintains a prudent distance from narrative fiction. \u201cTorralba has devoted much of his career to reflecting on technology, freedom, and humanism, but the death of his son in a mountain accident in 2023 led him to delve more deeply into mourning and the relationship between faith and philosophy,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

In El Pa\u00eds, Mar Rocabert<\/strong> emphasizes the hopeful message of the author. \u201cWith deep yet clear prose, the philosopher shows how horizons can be built and meaning rediscovered in times of uncertainty. The jury has regarded it as an indispensable map for navigating uncertainty,\u201d she notes. In La Raz\u00f3n<\/strong>, V\u00edctor Fern\u00e1ndez<\/strong> highlights the figure of the author: \u201cTorralba is a renowned philosopher, theologian, essayist, and university professor. His work has focused on areas such as philosophy, ethics, philosophical anthropology, and religion, with particular interest in questions concerning the meaning of life, human values, and existence.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Ara, Jordi Nopca<\/strong> explains that, through three main axes\u2014philosophy, literature, and human experience\u2014the author explores the mechanisms that sustain the spirit when everything seems lost. \u201cIn the book, Torralba asks \u2018how we can make meaning be reborn, how horizons are constructed, and why we need that unbreakable trust that manages to keep us standing despite everything.\u2019 \u2018My discourse on hope is countercultural, because when we speak about the future it is usually in dystopian or apocalyptic terms. In the book I try to propose a different exercise from the usual ones, and I wanted to do so on solid intellectual foundations. For me, it has been a real challenge,\u2019\u201d the journalist explains, quoting the author. In Metr\u00f3poli<\/strong>, a section of the digital newspaper El Espa\u00f1ol<\/strong>, Joaquim Roglan<\/strong> analyzes the philosopher\u2019s personal and intellectual trajectory. \u201cThe recognition and award granted to Francesc Torralba represent acknowledgment of one of the most important philosophers in Catalonia, at a time when philosophy is disappearing from primary and secondary education curricula. Philosophy teaches us how to think\u2014something dangerous and unforgivable for the conspirators and those responsible for programmed mass idiocy,\u201d he asserts.<\/p>\n

Finally, the website of the radio network COPE<\/strong> reports on an interview Torralba gave on January 25 to the television channel Trece<\/strong>, in which, in addition to discussing his latest book, he reflects on the recent deaths in the railway accident in Adamuz, C\u00f3rdoba, as summarized on the network\u2019s website. \u201cAsked about the most common mistakes made when trying to comfort someone who has suffered a loss, Torralba points out that the main one is \u2018giving advice when it has not been requested.\u2019 To avoid this, he stresses that \u2018the primary attitude should be listening, allowing the person to release those emotions, that pain, that crying, those tears. It is about being there\u2014do not keep everything inside; the worst thing is to shut oneself away and try to get through it alone.\u2019 And \u2018mourning in community is more bearable; if another person supports you and offers help, it gives you the feeling that you are not alone in the world,\u2019\u201d the summary explains.<\/p>\n

A lecturer and popularizer of Christian humanism in major Catalan media outlets such as Catalunya R\u00e0dio<\/strong> and the newspapers La Vanguardia<\/strong> and El Punt Avui<\/strong>, Torralba is the author of notable books including El sentit de la vida<\/strong> (2008), No passeu de llarg<\/strong> (2010), El valor de tenir valors<\/strong> (2012), Un mar d\u2019emocions<\/strong> (2013), C\u00f3rrer per pensar i sentir<\/strong> (2015), Saber dir no<\/strong> (2016), and M\u00f3n vol\u00e0til<\/strong> (2018). During the pandemic, he published Humildad; Paraules de consol. En la mort d\u2019un \u00e9sser estimat; Formar personas. La teolog\u00eda de la educaci\u00f3n de Edith Stein; Vivir en lo esencial. Ideas y preguntas despu\u00e9s de la pandemia; and L\u2019\u00e8tica algor\u00edtmica,<\/strong> which was awarded the Bones Lletres Prize for Humanistic Essay<\/strong> by the Royal Academy of Good Letters<\/strong> and the publishing house Edicions62<\/strong>; La fa\u00e7ana de la Gl\u00f2ria de la Sagrada Fam\u00edlia. Fonts espirituals i teol\u00f2giques de l\u2019escatologia d\u2019Antoni Gaud\u00ed,<\/strong> the result of his fourth doctoral thesis; Cuando todo se desmorona. Meditar con Kierkegaard<\/strong> (2023); No hi ha paraules. Com assumir la mort d\u2019un fill<\/strong> (2024); and Benaurances per a agn\u00f2stics<\/strong> (2024). He was awarded the Ratzinger Prize 2023 by the Vatican Foundation Joseph Ratzinger\u2013Benedict XVI.<\/strong><\/p>\n