Memory, identity, power. Francisco Bilbao and philosophies of history of the victors

Abstract

He figure of the Chilean author Francisco Bilbao as an American thinker and a critic of the Europe-centered histories of philosophy constitutes the central thread of this analysis. The author presents the key elements of Bilbao’s critic of the models of thought which promote a passive acceptance of the past and present as an intention of Providence or the good of Progress. The logics behind different versions of philosophy of history are revealed as theories justified by the view of the conquerors over the defeated, as well as of the hegemonic intentions of the central countries in regards to the newborn Latino American republics of the XIX century. The visionary and liberal character of Bilbao is emphasized by the author, especially as the  creator of an original critical theory based on American roots.