Our branch campus in Quito held a symposium on philosophy and theology organized by the university's philosophy undergraduate program. The aim of the symposium was to reflect on the sense of the human as a philosophical and theological construction in the global context, as well as rethink the epistemological and hermeneutical livelihoods of the philosophical and theological exercise to face the challenges of a globalized culture and thus understand the multiple ways of human action from these reflections in various cultural contexts. 

The opening ceremony began with a speech from UPS President Javier Herran who stated that human thought needs to regenerate from the right of life. Then, Darwin Reyes, professor and coordinator of the symposium, contextualized the meeting as a contribution to the academic reflection of the university.

The keynote speeches were: "Current problems of theological anthropology: some answers in the light of Raimon Panikkar's thinking", by José Luis Meza, from Colombia. " Tactile Hermeneutics " by Francisco Díez Fisher, from Argentina and "Ethics: perspective from the Christian Judeo narrative" by Jairo Henao, from Colombia.

In the afternoon, the participants attended talks on epistemology and hermeneutics, ethics and anthropology. Other speakers were Sara Madera, a graduate of UPS; Pedro Bravo from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland; from the Higher School of Philosophy in Munich, Germany; Fernando Vergara and Juan Ignacio Arias, both from the Silva Henríquez University of Chile; Emilio Cerezo, from UDLA - Ecuador, and others. Particpants also had the opportunity to visit the Abya Yala University Library and learned about the academic journal SOPHIA, whose editor is Floralba Aguilar.

For Klimer Sánchez, a Philosophy student, the symposium rescued the importance of Philosophy not as a science but as a life experience, which people translate into their own context. The symposium ended by awarding participants certificates; the vice president of our branch campus in Quito, José Juncosa announced they will organize a second symposium in 2021. Fr. Robert García, director of the Philosophy undergraduate program, thanked students and professors for attending this event.