THE 20 MOST IMPORTANT LATIN AMERICAN PHILOSOPHERS - GEOGRAFÍA - 2025

There are prominent Latin American philosophers who have contributed significantly with their theories, reflections and knowledge to the world of philosophy. Among them are Andrés Bello, Justo Sierra, José Martí, Francisco Romero, among others.

Philosophical activity in Latin America has historically been characterized by tremendous diversity in its approach to study and practice. In general, Latin Americans have been attentive to philosophical developments in the rest of the world and, over the years, have adopted different philosophical positions: progressive and conservative, both pragmatic and idealistic, materialistic and spiritualist.

There are constantly interests and projects in Latin America due to the active and diverse practice of philosophy, popular interest, sometimes government encouragement, cultural awareness of what is happening in other continents, and widespread hope in education as the key to the development.

European philosophical influence was crucial during the 20th century, due in large part to the arrival of Spanish philosophers exiled after the fall of the Republic. The teachings of the Spanish philosopher Ortega y Gasset, for example, were an important element in the formation of Latin American philosophical reflections.

European philosophical currents adapted to the Latin American reality thanks to a process of self-examination (What condition of thought or being is unique to Latin America?).

Philosophical study areas such as cultural identity, feminist thought, liberation philosophy, and Marxism are closely connected with Latin American philosophical thought.

Who were and are the main Latin American philosophers?

1-Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (1651-1695)

Mexican thinker, representative of the humanist current and the first philosopher to question the condition of women within Latin American society.

2- Andrés Bello (1781-1865)

Venezuelan philosopher and politician, considered one of the most important humanists in Latin America. He was Simón Bolívar's teacher and took part in the process that would culminate in Venezuelan independence.

3- Juan Bautista Alberdi (1810-1884)

He was an Argentine intellectual, artist and philosopher. He is considered the intellectual author of the Argentine Constitution of 1853. Founder of the Generation of '37, intellectual current adhered to liberal democracy.

4- Justo Sierra (1848-1912)

Mexican intellectual, architect of the foundation of the National University of Mexico (current National Autonomous University of Mexico, UNAM).

Called the "Master of America", a title awarded by various Latin American universities. One of the most influential thinkers in the modern history of Mexico.

5- José Martí (1854-1895)

Cuban writer, thinker and philosopher who led the Cuban War of Independence. Its influence was modernist and liberal currents.

6- Francisco Romero (1891-1962)

The “generation of founders” began, which brought together active philosophers around 1910 and who were trained in positivism, to which they finally rebelled. He was born in Seville but emigrated to Argentina at an early age and it was there that he carried out his philosophical work.

In 1940, he proposed the term "philosophical normality" when naming the "exercise of philosophy as an ordinary function of culture" in Latin America.

7- Alexander Korn (1860-1936)

Argentine doctor, politician and philosopher. Considered the initiator of philosophical thought in Argentina and one of the "five wise men" of the city of La Plata. His reflections were oriented to the study of values ​​and freedom. Author of "Creative Freedom" in 1922.

8- José Vasconcelos (1882-1959)

Mexican lawyer, politician and philosopher. He served as the first Secretary of Public Education of his country. Awarded as Doctor Honoris Causa by the National University of Mexico, Chile and Guatemala. His philosophy encompasses the fields of metaphysics, aesthetics, and Mexican philosophy.

9- Antonio Caso (1883-1946)

Christian Mexican philosopher, founder together with Vasconcelos of the Ateneo de la Juventud, a humanist group in opposition to the positivism under which it was formed. Author of "The problem of Mexico and the national ideology" in 1924.

10- Carlos Astrada (1894-1970)

Argentine philosopher, academic of the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters of the University of Buenos Aires. A member of the Peronist movement, he went into exile during the dictatorship of Pedro Eugenio Aramburu.

11- Samuel Ramos (1897-1959)

Mexican philosopher and academic, member of the National College. His texts on the identity and psychology of the Mexican are referents in the philosophy of that country.

12- Alberto Wagner de Reyna (1915-2006)

Born in Peru, he dedicated his life to the service of Peruvian culture and foreign policy. He is one of the main representatives of Christian existentialism in Latin America. He was the Peruvian ambassador to Greece, Germany, Yugoslavia, Colombia and France.

13- Eduardo Nicol (1907-1990)

Mexican philosopher of Catalan origin, doctor in philosophy from the National Autonomous University of Mexico. He founded the Institute of Philosophical Research.

14- Francisco Miró Quesada (1918-)

He is a contemporary Peruvian philosopher and journalist. In his work, he discusses the belief in "human nature", warning that any collective assumption about it will be frustrating and with negative public results. He has always leaned toward "unorthodox logics" and coined the term "paraconsistent logic."

15- Luis Villoro (1922-2014)

Contemporary Mexican philosopher who explored the metaphysical understanding of otherness, the limits and scope of reason as well as the link between knowledge and power.

He carried out an important study on indigenism in Mexico, which he called "the revolution of Independence", starting with the uprising of the EZLN in 1994.

16- Fernando Salmerón (1925-1997)

Mexican philosopher and researcher, specialized in the ethics and philosophy of education as well as the history of philosophy. Member of the National College.

17- Alejandro Rossi (1932-2009)

Philosopher of Italian origin, of Mexican nationality. He was a close collaborator of Octavio Paz in his cultural enterprises.

18- Leopoldo Zea (1912-2004)

Philosopher born in Mexico who belonged to the group of promoters of Latin American identity. He promoted the integration of America, on the basis proposed by the liberators, but assigning it its own meaning by moving away from North American imperialism and the new colonialism.

19- Octavio Paz (1914-1998)

Mexican thinker, poet and diplomat, Nobel Prize in Literature in 1990. One of the most influential writers of the 20th century and among the greatest Hispanic poets in history.

20- Enrique Dussel (1934-)

Argentine academic, historian and philosopher. He is internationally recognized for his work in the field of ethics, political philosophy and Latin American philosophy. He is considered one of the most prestigious philosophical thinkers of the 20th century. He has defended the philosophical position called "decolonizing turn".

References

1. Boyd, A. Latin American philosophy in the twentieth century. Taken from rep.routledge.com.
2. Rojas Osorio, C. Latin America: one hundred years of philosophy, Volume 1.