Abstract

Does a Latin American Philosophy that is more than a copy of European thought exist? This question determines the historical-systematic presentation of important philosophical approaches in the 20th century in the Spanish speaking part of Latin America. José Martí’s essay, “Our America”, offers the essential topics of Latin American philosophy. These topics are paradigmatically outlined by means of the portraits of pioneering poets, philosophers, and traditions of Latin America. The most convincing approach of the present seeks for an intercultural formatting and performance of philosophical issues, which includes a sensibility for the hybrid character of many Latin American realities and the attempt to identify universal insights in local traditions. Latin American intercultural philosophy avoids relativism and relies on discovering and developing communal ethical standards which link cultures.