Learning to Philosophize From the Peripheries. Poland and Latin America

Abstract

The article is devoted to the issue of peripheral universalism. In the introduction, we present briefly the development of Latin American studies in Poland, with the emphasis on centers and investigators interested in reciprocal learning and interregional dialogue. In the next step, we introduce the figure of Eugeniusz Górski, a Polish thinker and historian of ideas. We develop the theme of the parallels between the Eastern European and Latin American regions, understood as peripheral regions. On the basis of these theses we raise the theme of peripheral thought. By studying Górski's work, we arrive to peripheral universalism, as a culmination of philosophy born from the peripheral position. To address this theme, we introduce another Polish thinker: Bronisław Ferdynand Trentowski. The article is a dialogue between the Latin American and Eastern European philosophical tradition. We look for bridges and meeting points in order to achieve rapprochement between two currents of thought.