The 25th anniversary celebration of Elhuyar's scientific and technical outreach brought together numerous people. The event attracted the attention of numerous media outlets, and more than one of them, especially those responsible for this house, had to put it before microphones and television cameras. Representatives of the Basque industry, industry and university were also satisfied.
The Kursaal attendees followed with great attention everything presented at the event. Once the event ended, the renewed magazine Elhuyar, in which some tragedy was made and the dishes prepared by Martin Berasategi were tasted, was an opportunity to talk with old friends.
Andoni Egaña worked double. In an official public event, at a humor conference, there was talk of the damage that scientific advances and new technologies have caused to society. When people were quiet at the pintxos work, there they began to throw verses at anyone who saw Andoni. He did a short but full. The wireless microphone, technological progress, was used for both.
Do you see a big difference from Elhuyar magazine that has been presented today?
I see a lot of difference, but also equality. I mean that the difference in surface or exterior is great. The means there are now and the things that are done are very different, but the spirit behind is the same as desire. That's why I say I see both things the same.
And what is more inequality or equality?
If it were not that initial spirit, everything else would not be possible. Thanks to this, we started it when we started, fortunately it has been launched, and due to the scientific and technological changes that have occurred during these 25 years, it has reached the level that today has reached. Therefore, the difference is great, but equality is very great.
As the founder of Elhuyar, how do you see your baby, born 25 years ago?
If I have to tell the truth, I still write. Even though I had become one of the parents at the time, I still follow him. As it could not be otherwise, not even in the beginning the language, the Basque itself, in the field of science and technology was very simple, not even for simple concepts. Let us think that mathematical words, multiplication, etc., did not exist, many of the concepts that we model as well and that today we use with total normality, at least in oral expression, have been made through Elhuyar and others. That is why the change is enormous. I would say that what we see today fortunately quite normally, in large part I say in the field of science and technology, because
it will be thanks to Elhuyar.
What did you think of the Andoni Egaña conference?
On the one hand I found the talk interesting. However, the topics he has mentioned are symptoms. Science is not the motor of all these things, but the lack of criterion, of people's criterion for science. I think that in recent years science has grown very fast, faster than culture can grow or dominate man, then those misfits occur.
But I believe that eventually mobile phones will be used better, that microwaves will work better, and society will decide and include the existence of quality of life and that some things will be left naturally. As we have stopped smoking, people smoke less and less, people end up assimilating all these things, and take good things and leave bad. So far, at least, it was damaged with nuclear bombs, but now anti-war movements are very large, Greenpeace is anti-pollution and defense.
Therefore, society does not stand still to the advances of science, but sometimes reacts further back. But thanks to science my wife had a baby and the doctor helped us to have a baby, my father has Parkinson's disease and behaves like a child as if he had no disease, and we have better teeth, we live longer…
Egaña has mentioned ten reses, what are more achaques or benefits?
The benefits are great and the achaques, but I think the achaques will go little by little when the consequences are incorporated culturally. We have to live with that hope, if not, we have no remedy, because changes come.