"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."""
Introduction Section I: The Sources and Foundations of Ellacuría's Writings Chapter 1. Zubiri and Ignacio Ellacuría's Project of Philosophy of Liberation Héctor Samour Canaán Chapter 2. History, Truth, and Praxis Randall Carrera Umaña Chapter 3. The Idea of Philosophy Marcela Brito de Butter Section II: Critical Theory and Ignacio Ellacuría´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 Ángel Alfonso Centeno Section III: Anthropology and Humanism from Ignacio Ellacuría Chapter 6. The Notion of Subject: Open Issues Octavio López López Chapter 7. Historical Reality as the Object of Philosophical Inquiry: Notes for an Emergent Our-American Humanism Adriana María Arpini Chapter 8. The Biological Grounding of a Liberation Anthropology Luis Arturo Martínez Vásquez 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 Ellacuría'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 Martínez Chapter 12. Utopia and prophetism Roberto Sánchez Benítez
Luis Arturo Martínez Vásquez is professor and researcher at the Universidad de Costa Rica. Randall Carrera Umaña is associate professor and researcher in the field of philosophy at the Faculty of General Studies at the Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR). Luis Rubén Díaz Cepeda is associate professor in the Department of Humanities at the University of Ciudad Juárez.
