Abstract

Our hypothesis is that, without neglecting the inherited conceptual baggage, Latin American philosophy has tried, from its origins, to build its own way of thinking, always motivated by the reality of oppression and in search of liberation. This new philosophy, and its numerous variants, has been being developed throughout Latin American history until today. Reference will be made to Bartolomé de las Casas’ postulates, who we consider to be the first antecedent of the philosophy for the Latin American liberation. We carry on with the comparative analysis of Hegelian’s statements on the native Americans as people without history and, thus, not contributing to the universal unfolding of the Spirit, with the beliefs of those people expressing the “other ideas” across the ocean. While Hegel exalted bourgeoisie in Europe, they strived for bringing dignity back to those who had been deprived of it. Bearing in mind that the beliefs of our history heroes are part of the received heritage, we then analyze the attempts to build a Latin American philosophy which, in spite of the various points of view on history itself, preserves a common denominator: the desire of emancipation as well as a deep sense of identity.