Luis Villoro Toranzo (3 November 1922 – 5 March 2014) was a Spanish–

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

philosopher, researcher, university professor, diplomat, academic and writer. He published more than ten books between 1950 and 2007. Villoro was born in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

on 3 November 1922 to a Spanish father and a Mexican mother. Between 1983 and 1987, he was a delegate for Mexico in

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

. He was named an honorary member of the

Academia Mexicana de la Lengua The Academia Mexicana de la Lengua (variously translated as the Mexican Academy of Language, the Mexican Academy of the Language, the Mexican Academy of Letters, or glossed as the Mexican Academy of the Spanish Language; acronym AML) is the corr ...

in 2007. Luis Villoro received the Premio Nacional de Ciencias y Artes in 1986, for his effort in the field of history, social sciences, and philosophy. In 2004 he received an honorary doctorate from the

Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana The Metropolitan Autonomous University (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana'') also known as UAM, is a Mexican public university. Founded in 1974 with the support of then-President Luis Echeverria Alvarez, the institut ...

, Villoro died from

respiratory failure Respiratory failure results from inadequate gas exchange by the respiratory system, meaning that the arterial oxygen, carbon dioxide, or both cannot be kept at normal levels. A drop in the oxygen carried in the blood is known as hypoxemia; a rise ...

on 5 March 2014 in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

. He was 91 years old.

Thought

The main themes of the philosophy of Luis Villoro are the following:

metaphysical Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of conscio ...

understanding of otherness, the limits and scope of

reason Reason is the capacity of consciously applying logic by drawing conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. It is closely associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, science, ...

, the link between

knowledge Knowledge can be defined as awareness of facts or as practical skills, and may also refer to familiarity with objects or situations. Knowledge of facts, also called propositional knowledge, is often defined as true belief that is distinc ...

and

power Power most often refers to: * Power (physics), meaning "rate of doing work" ** Engine power, the power put out by an engine ** Electric power * Power (social and political), the ability to influence people or events ** Abusive power Power may a ...

, the search for communion with others, ethical reflection on

injustice Injustice is a quality relating to unfairness or undeserved outcomes. The term may be applied in reference to a particular event or situation, or to a larger status quo. In Western philosophy and jurisprudence, injustice is very commonly—but n ...

, the defense of respect for

cultural differences Cultural diversity is the quality of diverse or different cultures, as opposed to monoculture, the global monoculture, or a homogenization of cultures, akin to cultural evolution. The term "cultural diversity" can also refer to having different cu ...

, and the critical dimension of philosophical thinking. His long intellectual career can be divided into three stages: a first stage of the particular or of the historical philosophy, a second stage of the universal or

theoretical philosophy The modern division of philosophy into theoretical philosophy and practical philosophyImmanuel Kant, ''Lectures on Ethics'', Cambridge University Press, 2001, p. 41 ("On Universal Practical Philosophy"). Original text: Immanuel Kant, ''Kant’s Ges ...

, and "synthesis” or

practical philosophy The modern division of philosophy into theoretical philosophy and practical philosophyImmanuel Kant, ''Lectures on Ethics'', Cambridge University Press, 2001, p. 41 ("On Universal Practical Philosophy"). Original text: Immanuel Kant, ''Kant’s Gesa ...

. Among the topics Villoro studied were

Indigenous American philosophy Indigenous American philosophy is the philosophy of the Indigenous people of the Americas. An Indigenous philosopher is an Indigenous person who practices philosophy and has a vast knowledge of Indigenous history, culture, language, and traditions ...

, the thought of

Ludwig Wittgenstein Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein ( ; ; 26 April 1889 – 29 April 1951) was an Austrian-British philosopher who worked primarily in logic, the philosophy of mathematics, the philosophy of mind, and the philosophy of language. He is considere ...

and of

René Descartes René Descartes ( or ; ; Latinized: Renatus Cartesius; 31 March 1596 – 11 February 1650) was a French philosopher, scientist, and mathematician, widely considered a seminal figure in the emergence of modern philosophy and science. Mathem ...

, he also dedicated important texts to reflection about

silence Silence is the absence of ambient audible sound, the emission of sounds of such low intensity that they do not draw attention to themselves, or the state of having ceased to produce sounds; this latter sense can be extended to apply to the ce ...

. He conducted an important study on movements related to native culture in Mexico, what he called "the independence revolution," in line with the

multicultural The term multiculturalism has a range of meanings within the contexts of sociology, political philosophy, and colloquial use. In sociology and in everyday usage, it is a synonym for "Pluralism (political theory), ethnic pluralism", with the tw ...

nature of Mexico, and a reflection on the need to think of an expanded democracy following the uprising of the

EZLN The Zapatista Army of National Liberation (, EZLN), often referred to as the Zapatistas (Mexican ), is a far-left political and militant group that controls a substantial amount of territory in Chiapas, the southernmost state of Mexico. Since ...

in 1994.

Bibliography

* ''Los grandes momentos del indigenismo en México'', México: El Colegio de México, 1950. * ''El proceso ideológico de la revolución de independencia'', México: UNAM, 1953. * ''Páginas filosóficas'', Jalapa: Universidad Veracruzana, 1962. * ''La idea y el ente en la filosofía de Descartes'', México: FCE, 1965. * ''Signos políticos'', México: Grijalbo, 1974. * ''Estudios sobre Husserl'', México: UNAM, 1975. * ''Creer, saber, conocer'', México: Siglo XXI, 1982. * ''El concepto de ideología y otros ensayos'', México: FCE, 1985. * ''El pensamiento moderno. Filosofía del renacimiento'', México: FCE / El Colegio Nacional, 1992. * ''En México, entre libros. Pensadores del siglo XX'', México: FCE, 1995. * ''El poder y el valor. Fundamentos de una ética política'', México: FCE / El Colegio Nacional, 1997. * ''Estado plural, pluralidad de culturas'', México: Paidós / UNAM, 1998. * ''De la libertad a la comunidad'', México: Ariel / ITESM, 2001. * ''Los retos de la sociedad por venir'', México: FCE, 2007.

References

External links

Luis Villoro
at th
Instituto de Investigaciones Filosóficas
1922 births 2014 deaths 20th-century Spanish philosophers 21st-century Spanish philosophers Deaths from respiratory failure Mexican educators Mexican male writers Mexican philosophers People from Barcelona Political philosophers Writers from Barcelona Permanent Delegates of Mexico to UNESCO 20th-century Mexican educators 21st-century Mexican educators Spanish emigrants to Mexico {{Philosopher-stub