The Philosophical Discourse on Freedom and Slavery in Domingo de Soto (1494-1560).

• Grant number: 24/23521-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2025
• End date: March 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - History - Modern and Contemporary History
• Principal Investigator: Carlos Alberto de Moura Ribeiro Zeron
• Grantee: Vitor de Lima Gallina
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

At the dawn of the Modern Era, a series of converging historical processes prompted an intellectual repositioning within various traditions of medieval thought. Among these, the Spanish Second Scholasticism sought to address many of the questions raised by historical developments, particularly those related to the construction of colonial societies. Within this context, Domingo de Soto (1494-1560) presented a distinctive argument regarding slavery within his legal philosophy, justifying the institution both through "law" and the "will" of individuals. While Soto's theological-political thought is grounded in a theory of natural law and a doctrine of dominion, it also represents an effort to philosophically systematize the Scholastic tradition. Our fundamental hypothesis is that if there is a philosophical system expressed in the theologian's work, slavery plays an essential role within it. In this sense, the research will investigate the explanatory nexus between Soto's thought on the notion of human freedom and the social processes linked to the rise of modern slavery. We hope that these issues can be clarified by establishing a reciprocal interpretive relationship between the fields of the History of Ideas and social history.