Five students from the Canary Islands will be representing the islands in the national final of the 11th Philosophical Olympiad, set to take place in Bilbao on the 19th and 20th of April, after excelling in the regional phase held at the Aula Magna of the Guajara Building at the University of La Laguna.
Erik Yanes Nordström, representing the Cabrera Pinto High School (Tenerife), and Yasmina El Achem Mohamed Ramdhane, from the Cairasco de Figueroa High School (Gran Canaria), in philosophical dissertation; Celia Yuee Borrego Santana, from Heidelberg School (Gran Canaria), in moral dilemma; Leire Ramos Cáceres, from Valle Guerra High School (Tenerife), in the philosophical use of photography; and Petra Romero García, from Agustín Espinosa High School (Lanzarote), in video, are the students who will compete in the national final for each of the four categories included in the competition.
The regional final saw the participation of around 20 students from 3rd and 4th year of Compulsory Secondary Education (ESO) and Baccalaureate from Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote. Throughout the day, participants faced various challenges and the judgment of the juries.
The 11th Philosophical Olympiad, aimed at fostering a critical and reflective attitude in students towards the issues of today’s society, is an event made possible through the collaboration between the University of La Laguna, the Canary Islands Department of Education, Vocational Training, Physical Activity and Sports, facilitated by the Vice Ministry of Education, and the Philosophical Olympiad Association of Canarias.
Five students will represent the Canary Islands in the national final of the XI Philosophical Olympiad. / LP/DLP
Champions
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In the category of philosophical dissertation, aimed at Baccalaureate students, the highest-scoring exercise was by Erik Yanes Nordström, who will accompany Yasmina El Hachem Mohamed Ramdhame in representing the Canary Islands in the national final. The task involved writing an essay, in under 90 minutes, on a question related to the competition theme. 32 schools from Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote participated with a total of 54 dissertations.
Celia Yuee Borrego Santana has qualified for the national competition by excelling in the moral dilemma category. Participants in this challenge had to provide a written analysis and a reasoned conclusion to a dilemma posed by the organizers. Fourteen dilemmas from seven schools in Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, and Tenerife were part of this contest.
In the category of philosophical use of photography, the work of student Leire Ramos Cáceres received the highest score. Twenty-five out of 51 submissions were selected for this final stage.
Lastly, the piece ‘Who Knows’, by Petra Romero García, secured the top position in the video category, with thirteen proposals from eight island schools.
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The 11th Philosophical Olympiad was coordinated by the Philosophical Olympiad Association of the Canary Islands, which is part of the Spanish Philosophy Network (REF).
