Guano and saltpeter exploitation
In the last decades of the 19th century, there are a diversity of historical events such as the war for guano and saltpeter, and the consequences were devastating in the social, economic and political sphere, very appeared to what had to belive in the fight for independence. After these events, great thinkers such as Manuel Gonzales Prada, Javier Prado, who argue that you can get out of the crisis through science and technology arise allowing the emergence of philosophy, being more specific the philosophical thinking of positivism. Positivism is a philosophical – scientific current that emerged and flourished in Europe in the second half of the nineteenth century, and became beyond a philosophical school, an intellectual phenomenon that presented relevance in the compression of social, natural, andcontributed to the formation of self-awareness of the society of the time. (Velasquez, 2006) Therefore, it is assumed that it also influenced the American continent and Peru. In this work, I intend to explain how positivism influenced Peruvian society after the Guano and Salitre war.
After the war the feudal class and the bourgeoisie obtained profits with the exploitation of guano and saltpeter, agricultural-export groups required by European transnationals had formed. This without a doubt would lead to the exploitation of the natives and on the other hand the laws favored the landowners. The impact of English and North American capitalism enters Peru with everything, not only in the economic field, but also in culture, education, philosophy and religion, which acute the situation of alienation in Peruvian society. Our country remained a country that is exploited by foreign capital companies and as a consequence all profits will go directly to their matrices and will not invest in the homeland. (Martinez, 2018)
Positivism will begin to influence and the first positivist thinkers were Comte and Spencer. Where a need for social development would arise under motto: order and progress, and that this is achieved with scientific, technological and industrial development. Peruvian thinkers soon captured the idea, and seek to get out of the crisis left by the war of the guano and saltpeter, and wanted to build our economy, and two positivist movements arise.
Non -university positivism is one that developed in media external to university classrooms such as: theaters, newspapers, where political situations were discussed. One of his greatest exponents was Manuel Gonzales Prada. Who criticizes social reality and seeks solutions to set aside chaotic situation of Peru. It gives ideas for the modernization of the country through social inclusion, referred to the active participation of women and indigenous people with equal conditions. From this you can rescue some of its texts whose thought is humanistic: Peru is a country of possibilities, but a patriotic feeling is necessary and for that we must not continue exploiting the indigenous, ninging it as if it were our enemy. Prada also said in his famous speech: only young people using science and patriotism are the ones that will regenerate Peru. (Gonzales, 1894)
While university positivism was developed in university classrooms many professors had traveled to Europe or read the texts of Comte and Spencer and infected the spirit of order and progress from Europe. A highlighted Peruvian philosopher was Javier Prado. It is the one that will base its social action in principles of practical rationality focuses philosophical and scientific knowledge (the world of observable and experienced phenomena). It establishes a hard criticism of metaphysics, noting that its influence on pernicious and subjective human sciences. Religion differentiates, that individual faith from feelings and desires, from positive philosophy is to say objective and verifiable.
In addition, it imposes three demands on all knowledge: perception, if there is science there is observation;the test, its elaboration subject to the scientific method;and the reduction defend the idea of truth by correspondence. And also points out three fundamental periods of the history of philosophical thought. The substantialist, that is, the moment of organization and systematization;The idealist, the moment of development and evolutionary, the moment of culmination. (Pablo, 2017)
On the other hand, he also said, that it is necessary to educate and through industrial work, being a better means of moralization. (Samuel, 2010) arguing that there is nothing better to raise the behavior of the human being than to educate to be critical and prudent and achieve wealth through our own efforts.
As a synthesis, it can be understood that positivism significantly influence. It is there where Peruvian thinkers of the time such as Manuel Gonzales Prada and Javier Prado, everyone in his style, copy the positivist thought that had been created in Europe to motivate youth and find the path of truth and prevalence in the hands of thescience and patriotism. He opted to follow the example of Comte and Spencer to improve our society with the motto of order and progress.
References
- Gonzales, m. (1894). Free pages. lime.
- Martinez, n. (03 of 2018). It happened in Peru (Tvperú)- War with Chile. Obtained from YouTube: https: // www.Youtube.com/watch?V = 3SSI5KTD2TM
- Pablo, c. (2017). Thought and action: Peruvian philosophy at the beginning of the 20th century. Lime.
- Samuel, v. (2010). God, homeland and king. Jose de la Riva-Agüero and Javier Prado (1904-1905). Araucaria. Ibero-American Magazine of Philosophy, Politics and Humanities, 12 (24), 218-238.
- Velasquez, c. (2006). Augusto Comte, founder of sociology. Element: Science and Culture, 27-31.
Leave feedback