The government of the Spanish autonomous community Navarre has decided to award the philosopher Daniel Innerarity its Gold Medal in recognition of his contributions to the quality of democratic governance and his work on a democracy capable of meeting the challenges of the 21st century. The cabinet took the decision by decree on 11 November.
The award is due to be presented on 3 December 2026 as part of the celebrations for Day of Navarra The decision to award the medal has therefore already been made; the presentation is still to come. The Gold Medal is the regional community’s highest honour.
According to the government, the cabinet approved a proposal from a jury. Its members included officials from various areas of the regional administration. The first vice-president and government spokesperson Javier Remírez highlighted both Innerarity’s academic career and his ties to Navarra when announcing the award.
In its reasoning, the regional government points to Innerarity’s research into contemporary democracy, governance and dealing with uncertainty. It identifies as his most important contribution to political philosophy a theory of complex democracy. According to the decree, this concerns adapting the basic concepts of democratic politics to an increasingly complex society without abandoning their normative core.
The government also lists the consequences of artificial intelligence, the development of democratic freedom, disinformation and the rejection of scientific findings among the subjects of his more recent work. According to the government, Innerarity has written or contributed to more than 40 books and published numerous academic and journalistic pieces.
Daniel Innerarity was born in Bilbao in 1959 and, according to Remírez, moved to Navarra at the age of 15. He completed his doctorate in philosophy at the University of Navarra . He is a professor of political philosophy and conducts research at the University of the Basque Country. He also heads the Institute for Democratic Governance.
Innerarity had already received the Príncipe de Viana Culture Award in 2013 Príncipe de Viana. The government also points to his work with institutions and public forums in Navarra, including the Public University of Navarra and the Pamplona meetings. Alongside his academic work, it cites this connection to the region as grounds for the award.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).