Liberating Philosophy of Ignacio Ellacuría : Historical Reality, Humanism, and Praxis

This collection explores the core concepts of Ignacio Ellacuría’s liberating philosophy; his critique of ideologies and continuity with critical theory; his philosophical anthropology and humanism; and the implications that praxis has for philosophical thought.

The Liberating Philosophy of Ignacio Ellacuría: Historical Reality, Humanism, and Praxis is the first systematic work on the philosophy of Ignacio Ellacuría 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 Martínez Vásquez, Randall Carrera Umaña, and Luis Rubén Díaz Cepeda, Ellacuría''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 Ellacuría''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."