Knowledge and Freedom in the Work of Luis Villoro

Genuine philosophy is radical and disruptive." With this line begins Carlos Montemayor's important study of Latin American philosopher Luis Villoro. That this is the first comprehensive account of Villoro's work already establishes its importance. That the book provides a rich and compelling survey of the enormous breadth of Villoro's work makes it all the more interesting for philosophers from any variety of traditions. Montemayor shows us the stakes of Villoro's breadth of engagements with Continental philosophies like phenomenology, Anglophone methodologies like conceptual analysis and pragmatic inquiry, as well as his later philosophical engagements with the Zapatista movement. In providing an understanding of Villoro's pluralistic philosophical contributions, Montemayor offers the reader an inside view of the philosophical intimacy between ethics and epistemology that was central to Villoro's social epistemology. This book will be essential for students of Latin American philosophy, and will also be compelling and rewarding for philosophical pragmatists, phenomenologists, and analytic philosophers interested in the internal relations between ethics and epistemology. * Colin Koopman, University of Oregon, USA *
Insightful and beautifully argued, this study reveals the transformative power of attention, dialogue, and intellectual responsibility. By illuminating and extending Villoro’s thought, Montemayor offers a philosophically sophisticated account of responsible thinking under conditions of inequality and exclusion. It is indispensable reading for anyone concerned with the moral life of reason. * Georgi Gardiner, Associate Professor of Philosophy and GESS, Tulane University, USA *