Latin American Thought: Philosophical Problems And Arguments

291 Pages·2001·21.58 MB·English

by  Susanna Nuccetelli

LATIN AMERICAN
THOUGHTP:H ILOSOPHICAL
PROBLEMS ARGUMENTS
AND
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LATIN AMERICAN
THOUGHTP:H ILOSOPHICAL
PROBLEMS ARGUMENTS
AND
Susana Nuccetelli
A Member of the Perseus Books Group
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Preface
I The Epistemic Practices of Latin American Indians:
A Puzzle for Philosophers
Why Should We Care About Native Cultures? z
Rational Prediction in the West, 3
Prediction Among the Mayans, 4
The Case of Mayan Astrology, 5
The Case of Mayan Prophecies, 8
What Sort of Rationality Is Mayan Rationality? q
An Argument for Strong Rationalism, io
The Principle of Charity Versus
Strong Rationalism, r z
A Further Objection to Strong Rationalism, r 3
The Bridgehead View, rq
First Objection to the Bridgehead View, t 6
Second Objection to the Bridgehead View, t 7
Weak Rationality and Critical Thinking, t g
Discussion Questions, zo
Suggestions for Further Reading, zr
Notes, 22
2 Could the Mayans Think? And What About Us? 25
The Weak Rationality Argument, 27
Human Rationality and Animal Rationality, z7
Table of Congents
A Metaphorical Interpretation of
Mayan Prediction,
"True for the Mayans," 30
Is Rationality Relative? 3 2
"True in the Context of Mayan Culture," 33
Ordinary Thinkers Versus Super Thinkers, 3 5
Cognitive Pluralism, 3 8
Super Thinkers Versus Animal Thinkers, j 8
Neither Super Thinkers nor Animal Thinkers, 40
Mayan Rationality Reconsidered, 42
Could the Natives of Latin America Think? 43
Why the Mayans' Massive Error Does Not
Amount to Irrationality, 4 5
Discussion Questions, 46
Suggestions for Further Reading, 48
Notes, 48
j Native Folk Cosmologies Versus
Western Philosophy and Science
Understanding the Natural World:
Latin America and the West, 50
Folk Cosmologies in Latin America, g I
Folk Cosmologies in the West, 53
Questions That Make Little Sense to Ask, 53
Are Folk Cosmologies Philosophy! 5 5
Did Ancient Latin American Civilizations
Have Any Philosophy? 56
What Bernardino de Sahaglin Saw in the Colonies, 57
Is Philosophy Universal? Latin Americans
Follow the West, 58
Antonio Caso on the Philosophical Character, g9
Josi. Vasconcelos' " Super-Criterion," 6 r
Argumentation as a Demarcation Criterion, 62
The Ancestors of Philosophy in the West, 62
The Ancestors of Philosophy in Latin America, hj
Philosophy Today in Latin America and the West, 64
Discussion Questions, 66
Suggestions for Further Reading, 67
Notes, 67
4 The Legacy of 1492: Pluralism, Relativism, and the
Clash of Cultures 69
What Would Santayana Say About Magic
Thought and Prayers? 7 r
Could Magic Really Help in Understanding the
Natural World? 73
Relativism Revisited: The Linguistic Argument, 74
A Contribution from Cultural Anthropology, 76
Avoiding Ethnocentrism, 77
Getting Tough-Minded, 78
Pluralism Without Cultural Relativism, 79
Completing the Analogy, 8 r
Philosophy, Science, and World Cultures, 82
Francisco Romero: Not All Cultures Are
Created Equal, 82
The "Species Chauvinism" Objection
Against Romero, 83
Is There a Natural Selection of Cultures! 85
Discussion Questions, 88
Suggestions for Further Reading, go
Notes, 3 r
5 Thornistic Philosophy and the Conquest:
Human Rights in the New World 93
Human Rights: A Moral Dilemma, 94
Conflict of Cultures and of Religions, Too, 98
Was the Conquest Morally Justified?
101
Were the Indians "Natural Slaves" ? I xozl
The Theory of Natural Slaves in Context, 107
Sepclveda Defeated by a Non-Scholastic
Alternative, r 08
Montaigne and the Relativist Alternative, r ro
Las Casask Scholastic Defense of the
Rights of the Indians, t t4