For a long time now I've been obsessed with Latin American culture, history, and philosophy. I've read Che Guevara's complete biography, read accounts of Hugo Chavez's 'Bolivarian Revolution' in Venezuela, contributed to the translation of a text by Mexican philosopher Jorge Portilla, visited the art exhibit of Frida Kahlo in San Francisco, and volunteered in both Ecuador and Honduras with both Peace Corps and Habitat for Humanity. This short essay explores a few aspects of 20th and 21st century Latin American Philosophy that particularly attract me. I believe that philosophy has a profound affect on the political and cultural development of a people, and so there are wide implications in the ideas I explore here.
Throughout the 20th century and into the 21st, Latin America's most famous intellectuals have been radical and Marxist, resisting imperialism and western dominance over their resources and their people. The feature of Marx's philosophy I admire the most is its emphasis on combining Theory with Praxis. Praxis is a Greek word meaning action. Theory, which strives for wisdom and knowledge, differs from praxis, which strives for doing. Karl Marx's philosophy emphasized the importance of putting theory into action while confronting problems. Radical Latin American thought has incorporated this project into its own intellectual tradition, which appeals greatly to me because it's always been important to me that my ideas remain consistent with my actions. Since the Spanish came to the Americas, the struggle in 'Latin America' has been one of dealing with a violent and dehumanizing impostor. This was not helped in the America's attaining independence from Spain and other imperialistic countries, as corporate interests stemming mostly from the United States has perpetuated a state in which most of the natural resources in Latin America are owned by foreign sources. As a result of US-led coups of democratically elected leadership such as Allende in Chile and Arbenz in Guatemala, US friendly dictatorships have been periodically established in Central and South America. Such dictatorships have been harmful to peasant workers and democracy, generally. These and other factors have contributed to an increasingly radical intellectual culture that had very real obstacles to rise up against. To be a theoretician was useless in the face of oppressive forces. Practice had to be combined with theory, to produce much needed change. The Cuban Revolution is not the result of ignorant or careless rebels. Che Guevara was a well educated doctor who made it a requirement of joining his revolution that his soldiers learned to read. He was a well-spoken, thoughtful philosopher who's Marxist theories required of him the taking up of arms against imperialistic opposition. Guevara met with Jean Paul Sartre and Simon de Beauvoir, and was declared by Sartre to be 'not only an intellectual but also the most complete human being of our age', a man who 'lived his words, spoke his actions and (whose) story and the story of the world ran parallel.' Such respect stems from Sartre's own emphasis on combining theory and praxis, all wrapped up in his own philosophical theories on authenticity. A guerilla fighter through and through, Guevara was also thoughtful and remarkably consistent.
The history of 20th century Latin American philosophical thought is bound up in this idea of Praxis. Intellectuals sought liberation and the extension of education and empowerment for the disenfranchised. While it's had mixed results (the Presidency of Hugo Chavez, it appears, is one built up on great philosophical notions of empowering the weak and realizing liberation from imperialistic powers, but lacks real authentic leadership - see 'The Silence and the Scorpion' to gain perspective on the Chavez Presidency), this philosophical tradition is both noteworthy and honorable. I am much more attracted to it than the sort of thinking that has no bearing on political realities. As we witness changes and developments in Latin America, we must consider this deep tradition of facing imperialism with a perspective leaning toward Marxist Theory and Praxis. The rise of socialist presidents such as Bolivia's Evo Morales (of indigenous descent) and Ecuador's Rafael Correa comes out of this deep intellectual tradition. If we are to take Marxist theory seriously, we will also have to note that theory does not come from nowhere, but from historical realities. The leftist presidencies being established in Latin America would be more friendly to capitalism if there had existed a more respectful historical relationship between United States business interests and the people of Latin America.
Marxism did not die with the Soviet Union, though Stalinism certainly did. While we may now be more suspicious of the results that would come out of an armed revolt against capitalist powers, we should still respect the Marxist notion that Capitalism carries with it the seed of its own destruction. While that is its own essay, we must also respect the Marxist notion that, in the face of imperialistic forces, historical conditions create demands that one fight for the disenfranchised. This fight will surface in many forms, not least of which in the liberally poignant academic settings, which is the story of Latin American philosophy. Whether such ideas translate well into budding political leadership remains to be seen, but one cannot help but find the ghost of Marx in Bolivia during the World Peoples' Summit on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth. Shortly after the 2009 Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change occurred, Bolivia held its own conference, in which a Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth was signed. While the Copenhagen meeting had selected delegates from invited country, Bolivia's meeting combined around 30,000 people migrating from over 100 countries to participate in this open event. One cannot help but find a trace of Marx in this, and it makes sense such a meeting would be held in Bolivia.
I believe there is a lot we can learn from Latin American philosophy, not least of which its emphasis on Praxis. There's a judiciousness in their philosophical tradition and their critiques of Capitalism. When I admire the amazing artwork of Diego Rivera, I can't help but think there's a deep truth being conveyed. In our struggle for universal health coverage and improvements in our educational system, desperately needed in the slums of our country, we should investigate the works of Ruben Dario, Jose Enrique Rodo, Victor Raul Haya de la Torre, and Jorge Portilla, among others. Philosophically rich, such thinkers could provide inspiration and a fresh perspective as the discrepancy between the rich and poor continually widens in the United States and we search for new ways of protecting the rights and liberties of the American people. We are perhaps in need of our own revolution, and Latin America Philosophy is rich in revolutionary theory.
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