Preident Rouhani lauds role of humanities on reforming society

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani inaugurated the 8th Farabi International Award with a focus on promoting Islamic Humanities at Iran International Conference Center in Tehran on Sunday.

4,100 works were submitted to the Award, 32 of which were selected by juries as winners. Among the selected works, seven foreign winners from Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Lebanon, the Nethrelands and Russia attended the event.

Speaking to attendants, President Rouhani commended the duty of science not just for teaching and change, but also to guide and transcend individuals and society, “just as a doctor does not merely seek to diagnose the disease but makes efforts to restore full balance and health to the patient,” he added.

Noting that literature and language can open windows to the true culture of nations, Rouhani called for applying humanities to people’s lives.

He deemed culture the most important factor for nations’ progress, adding “even if we move past revolutionizing our banking system which is a major problem in our country, to look at issues that can be solely solved through science, we still need to consider the highly effective role of humanities on society.”

“Our environmental issues, water problems and dust pollution in the eastern and western parts of the country, air pollution, excessive energy consumption and problems in our industries cannot be solved without first making a change in the culture and lifestyle of the society,” he stressed.

President Rouhani maintained that if the rules of the game are not observed in a society and the intellectuals cannot convey the right ideas to the people, this will lead to a situation as currently witnessed in the US.

“In America, people are now asking themselves how all these universities, propaganda mechanisms and well-educated and knowledgeable scholars have been unable to convince the public’s general opinion,” he added.

The President went on call for the application of Islamic humanities as the basis for other sciences in line with bringing positive changes in society.

Farabi International Award is held by the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology on an annual basis. The Award receives the highest amount of support from research and educational organizations active in the field of Humanities. The Award receives, reviews, and chooses the selected works at the two young (under 35 years) and adult levels from both Iranian and foreign researchers.