Ser libres a través del conocimiento de la historia: una invitación de Pedro Laín Entralgo a la conciliación

Abstract

Pedro Laín Entralgo has been known for his personal interest in history, mainly that of medicine. However, what’s ultimately perceived is his concern for the real understanding of what we call History, with a capital H, as he himself used to spell it. Laín perceives history as closely interwoven with social events and the biosphere humans pertain to. Being time-constrained, it is impossible for humankind to efface reality. But historical realities must be understood as a pre-condition assumed within the confines of liberty and responsibility. What’s more, belonging to a social group makes humans realize the concept of generation, meaning: a group of closely-related people that in freedom partake some common features on their life projects; this projection is evidenced in their biography in such a way that when sharing closely the same space-time and same ideals such human group can be inscribed in the same sense of socio-historical responsibility. Laín does not efface this compromise and takes responsibility for guilt concerning the history of his homeland. Hence, his conciliatory exercise.