The Liberating Philosophy of Ignacio Ellacuria: Historical Reality, Humanism, and Praxis is the first systematic work on the philosophy of Ignacio Ellacuria to be published in English so far. The Spaniard-Salvadorian philosopher-murdered in Salvador in 1989 by the military-maintains that philosophy is a permanent task grounded in metaphysics as first philosophy, as developed within a historical reality and a preferential option for the poor. As explored by this collection edited by Luis Arturo Martinez Vasquez, Randall Carrera Umana, and Luis Ruben Diaz Cepeda, Ellacuria's theory is a critical and practical proposal immersed in the colonial history of Central America, but its explanatory and normative power extends to oppressed people all around the world. The contributors to this volume, coming from Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Salvador, and Costa Rica, analyze Ellacuria's philosophy of liberation in conjunction with radical realism and strength, describing it as "a philosophy created by people concerned with the problems and history of our land-such as our colonial past, systemic poverty and dependency-and... responding to these concerns can offer alternatives for a true liberation of all the dominated peoples of the world."
Luis Arturo Martinez Vasquez is professor and researcher at the Universidad de Costa Rica. Randall Carrera Umana is associate professor and researcher in the field of philosophy at the Faculty of General Studies at the Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR). Luis Ruben Diaz Cepeda is associate professor in the Department of Humanities at the University of Ciudad Juarez.
Introduction Section I: The Sources and Foundations of Ellacuria's Writings Chapter 1. Zubiri and Ignacio Ellacuria's Project of Philosophy of Liberation Hector Samour Canaan Chapter 2. History, Truth, and Praxis Randall Carrera Umana Chapter 3. The Idea of Philosophy Marcela Brito de Butter Section II: Critical Theory and Ignacio Ellacuria?s Philosophy Chapter 4. A Critical Theory for El Salvador: Negativity, Historization and Liberating Praxis Luis Alvarenga Chapter 5. Should the Critique of Ideologies Assume a Metaphysics?: On the Compatibility Between Metaphysics and Critique Of Ideologies Angel Alfonso Centeno Section III: Anthropology and Humanism from Ignacio Ellacuria Chapter 6. The Notion of Subject: Open Issues Octavio Lopez Lopez Chapter 7. Historical Reality as the Object of Philosophical Inquiry: Notes for an Emergent Our-American Humanism Adriana Maria Arpini Chapter 8. The Biological Grounding of a Liberation Anthropology Luis Arturo Martinez Vasquez Chapter 9. Anamnetic Justice from the Vanquished of the Historical Reality: Horizon of a Philosophy Of Memory Orlando Lima Rocha Section IV: The Common Good, Human Rights, and Utopia from Ignacio Ellacuria's Perspective Chapter 10. The Horizon of the Common Good of Humanity Juan Antonio Senent de Frutos Chapter 11. Critique of the Developmentalist Conception of Human Rights Alejandro Rosillo Martinez Chapter 12. Utopia and prophetism Roberto Sanchez Benitez
