Humanity’s moral evolution is not just lagging behind scientific and technological progress, but is, according to Franco-Lebanese author Amin Maalouf, “regressing” in significant ways.
Maalouf, speaking at the opening ceremony of the 39th International Book Fair (FIL) at Expo Guadalajara on November 29, cautioned against the widening gap between our technological advancements and moral growth.
Upon receiving the prestigious Prize for Literature in Romance Languages, Maalouf reflected on the role of literature in the modern era, emphasizing that it has become “more critical than ever.”
Amin Maalouf
The primary task of literature, he told a packed audience, is to “awaken us to the intricate nature of our world.”
One of the defining features of our time, Maalouf continued, is that while “science and technology advance ceaselessly … our moral evolution stumbles, veers off course, or even regresses.” He warned that, “Our mindsets, our ways of thinking, are now completely unable to keep up with that pace.”
Maalouf argued that the answer to rapid technological change is not resistance or denial, but rather to fully embrace it and steer it toward human benefit. The goal, he said, should be to harness progress as a tool for elevating human dignity and freedom, not for enabling oppression.
He added that literature has the unique ability to “mend the present and envision the future,” urging that it must persuade us that, despite our divisions and conflicts, our fate is now collective. “We either survive together, or we disappear together.”
Acclaimed works
Born in Beirut in 1949, Maalouf’s writing reflects his dual heritage, shaped by his upbringing in Lebanon and his later life in France. His novels often explore the complexities of the story of Tanios, a young man caught between traditional values and the forces of modernity. In his acclaimed nonfiction book, “The Crusades Through Arab Eyes” (1983), Maalouf examines the Crusades from the Arab perspective, offering a unique historical lens.
During the opening ceremony, Karla Planter, the first female rector of the University of Guadalajara (UdeG), which organizes the fair, continued the theme by stressing the importance of writing and reading for the development of critical thinking. She also praised the Book Fair as one of the most important global forums for the exchange of ideas.
Recognition
Meanwhile, the presence of Mexican Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard at the opening ceremony marked a shift in the federal government’s recent strained relationship with the fair.
No federal official had attended the event for the past six years after President Andres Manuel López Obrador fell out with its then-president, Raúl Padilla (now deceased). In 2023, AMLO had infamously described the FIL as a “right-wing conclave.” He later toned down his criticism, accusing the fair of having “a conservative tendency” in the viewpoints of many of its invited authors, commentators and politicians—a claim easily refuted by the FIL’s eclecticism.
In a sign that the political rift is healing, Ebrard presented Planter with a “Hecho en Mexico” certificate recognizing the fair’s trajectory, which has allowed it to establish itself as one of the “greatest references” for Ibero-American literature.
Barcelona
Also present at the opening was Jaume Collboni, the mayor of Barcelona, this year’s invited city at FIL.
He was later presented with the keys to Guadalajara by Mayor Veronica Delgadillo at the Municipal Palace. The two signed a memorandum de entendimiento (memorandum of understanding) to collaborate on a range of topics, including land-use planning, urban development, waste management, entrepreneurship, transportation and mobility and film production.