Latin-American Philosophy
Kenneth Taylor

26 September 2013

It'sNational Hispanic Heritage Month，这周的课程我们将探讨拉丁美洲哲学。我们所说的拉丁美洲是指美洲所有讲西班牙语和葡萄牙语的地区，包括墨西哥。当我们指的是美国和加拿大时，我们只会说美国哲学，并提前为有些傲慢的术语道歉。

美洲的所有哲学可以分为两部分:一是与哥伦布之前的美洲本土文化有关的，二是与16世纪之后发展起来的。关于前哥伦布时代的美洲大陆的每个方面都有很多重新思考:大陆的人口，以及文化的复杂性和复杂性。但我们将主要集中在后哥伦布时代。

和美国哲学一样，拉美哲学过去和现在都与欧洲思维紧密相连。欧洲哲学的各种思潮——实证主义、马克思主义、现象学、存在主义、分析哲学——都有各自的拥护者。当然，伊比利亚人的影响比美国更大。但当你看哲学的非政治方面，南北之间并没有那么大的差异。事实上，许多拉丁美洲的哲学家已经北上，并舒适地融入美国的主流学科。

For example, one of my heroes and friends was Hector-Neri Castañeda, a very influential thinker who spent most of his career at Indiana after being part of the famous Wayne State crowd. I'd describe him as sort of a Fregean of a very original sort. He was the most analytical of philosophers, but his accent and his passion for life and ideas seemed to be rooted in Guatemala.

So, speaking in a broad sweep, on the metaphysics and epistemology side of things, Latin American philosophy is basically the story of philosophers, who happen to be in Latin America. But when you move to social and political philosophy, there’s a very distinctive Latin American Philosophy. Again, speaking broadly, the American political philosopher is likely raised a Protestant, likes to read Locke and Hume and Mill, thinks about social contracts, and rights, maybe applying game theory or writing a monograph on Locke.

这位拉丁美洲的社会和政治哲学家更有可能是在天主教家庭长大的，喜欢阅读马克思和奥尔特加·加塞特(Ortega y Gasset)的著作，并思考——或许还参与了——反对欧洲暴政的长期斗争，争取土著权利的斗争。拉丁美洲是解放哲学的发源地，也是解放神学的发源地。在拉美哲学选集中，第一个提到的人通常是巴托洛梅·德·拉斯·卡萨斯，一个真正迷人的人物。我曾在大一的西方文化课上介绍过他。拉美社会和政治哲学的许多主题都始于他。

De las Cassas settled with his family in Hispaniola -- what’s now Haiti and the Dominican Republic -- in 1502, just ten years after Columbus’s first voyage. He grew up in the encomienda system -- that is, farms and plantations based on enslaving the native Americans. But as he grew up, he saw the injustice of this, became a priest, later a monk, and spent the last part of his life back in Spain trying to convince the Holy Roman Emperor and the Papal representatives to abolish slavery.

现在你可能听说过De las Cassas是非洲奴隶制的煽动者。那是一个劣质包装。在他早期的著作中，他确实提到非洲奴隶是替代美国本土奴隶的人类选择。但他否认了这一点，并随后道歉。就实际影响而言，学术界一致认为他的言论没有任何影响。在他写作的时候，非洲的奴隶贸易已经开始了。

But of course we’ve probably exhausted our knowledge of Latin American philosophy, so our guest, Joseph Orosco Professor of Philosophy at OSU in Corvallis, will help us continue the conversation and our education.

Comments(6)

Harold G. Neuman's picture

Harold G. Neuman

Wednesday, September 18, 2013 -- 5:00 PM

So, just which OSU are we

我们说的是哪所州立大学?你们在加州;俄克拉荷马州也有俄勒冈州立大学;我住在俄亥俄州……如果你指的是俄勒冈州，也许你应该这么说。如果没有，请启迪我们无知的中西部人。我不确定拉丁美洲人是否有独特的哲学。如果他们这样做，——嗯，很好。然而，归根结底，加拿大人也是如此。如果给他们一个专属的哲学月，也许他们会受到考虑? Oh, hell---let's designate a philosophy month for pygmies while we are at it. How quaint.

Guest's picture

Guest

Monday, September 30, 2013 -- 5:00 PM

I have spent some time in

I have spent some time in Latin America, and, I like their philosophy: 1) never do today that which can easily be done tomorrow, 2) if it is ordained that you get where you are going, it shall be so. therefore, take your time---roads are bad and mistakes may be permanent, 3) take a nap around 2:00 pm. it is hot and heat makes us irritable--even, cranky. Latin America is certainly a misnomer. Few (if any) "Latin Americans" speak that archaic language. Mass ought to be conducted in Spanish---but that is another matter. Like the declaration of papal sainthood, and so on...

Guest's picture

Guest

Tuesday, October 1, 2013 -- 5:00 PM

I do not disparage anyone who

I do not disparage anyone who truly wishes to improve their lot in life. However, I do have problems with some folks who cannot accept and adapt to change. One such group encountered is those I characterize as urban hillbillies. These folks, who believe themselves to be modern and enlightened are, in fact, stuck in the 1950s and 1960s. They are stuck in the vocal aphorisms, as in: do you know what I am saying (or: num'sayin?); do you know what I mean?; "I'm like..."; and, perhaps worst all: um. Equally archaic is the practice of not being ready when your ride comes by, thereby eliciting the horn honking from Leave it to Beaver, Father Knows Best, or any number of mundane TV series from that bygone era.
Flash forward (and this is more serious): people who walk, run, or ride bicycles, while tuning out the world with earphones, listening to their favorite music. Question: why are we obligated to look out for these irresponsible fools? All of the above nonsense is part of the urban hillbilly phenomenon. And it just makes me sick.

Guest's picture

Guest

Friday, October 4, 2013 -- 5:00 PM

Hey there Mr. Harold G.

Hey there Mr. Harold G. Neuman ...
You obviously have internet access, so instead of taking a cheap shot at this show and wasting the time of other commenters who'd like to discuss the subject in a more adult manner, you could have ...
Google searched for "OSU Corvallis" and found a bazillion correct answers to your question. But that probably wasn't your real agenda.

Guest's picture

Guest

Friday, October 4, 2013 -- 5:00 PM

Kudos to the Doctor. I have

Kudos to the Doctor. I have had discussions with friends concerning all of those issues raised above and more. If I may summarize: Our world condones personal irresponsibility and praises the refusal of accountability as being an expression of independent thought and action. Other current circumstances come to mind, but all of that is merely repetition.

Harold G. Neuman's picture

Harold G. Neuman

Tuesday, October 8, 2013 -- 5:00 PM

Oops! Cool your jets Willie,

Oops! Cool your jets Willie, my bad.