What do we mean
by Culture?

Culture is "a systematic and critical
"awareness of reality": it is the free
development of our human need and
capacity for knowing and interpreting
everything in reality. Knowledge is
a primary need of every person and not
"something" that belongs to the "experts".
Culture is an activity proper to every
person, exactly because nobody can live
without constantly developing and
communicating to others a certain
"awareness of reality". Human curiosity
is stirred by wonder because "out there"
things are, and life is given as a new and
unexpected event that awakens the desire
to know its meaning. Hence, the focus on
reality as event (and not on ideas)
determines the "style," method, and
priority of our center.

As in all his works, Giussani encourages young people to
be serious about their own existence and loyal to their
experience. The conversations reported here are fascinating
and insightful, providing support for a way of life that today
is frequently questioned, rejected, or censured.