Meshico
Encyclopedia
Meshico is a term which began to be employed in the middle of the 20th century by a group of Mexican intellectuals connected to the influential magazine Meshico Grande in order to define a philosophical and sociological stance based on an authentic ontology
of the Mexican person, one that would serve, as well, as a means of confronting the dependancy of the official intelligentsia
on ways of thinking perceived as being too foreign to permit a true understanding of Mexican reality.
The group decided on the unusual spelling in order to differentiate itself from the official Europeanizing intelligentsia; they believed that the spelling "meshico" was historically more accurate as it reflected the original Nahuatl
pronunciation of the word, and, for this reason, would be an appropriate name for a group dedicated to a professedly authentic understanding of Mexican identity (Mexicanidad).
Among the many notable members of the group were Rosario María Gutiérrez Eskildsen
, Manuel Sánchez Mármol
, Francisco Javier Santamaría, and José Vasconcelos
. The Tabascan
Dr. Ricardo Alfonso Sarabia y Zorrilla was one of the group's more assiduous promoters and served for a time as director of Meshico Grande. He also contributed to a wider awareness of the group's goals and positions by writing, among other works, a paper entitled "Filosofía de la acción y reseña del pensamiento filosófico de Meshico" [Philosophy of Action and Review of the Philosophical Thinking of Meshico], which was originally published in the Proceedings of the 11th International Congress of Philosophy, Brussels
1953.
Sarabia y Zorrilla cites, in the aforementioned work, the definition of Truth
given by the obscure and retiring Mexican philosopher and mathematician Edmundo Cetina Velázquez: "[it is knowledge] which corresponds to the integral unity of being; the world of thought will always reveal to us an external world, sensible or abstract; but always unilateral. 'Truth,' which is reality, is the patrimony
of the totality of being." Sarabia y Zorrilla saw in such a statement a correct testimony of faith in an epistemological holism
functioning in opposition to the notion of knowledge as a goal obtainable only through a scientific vision which is essentially and necessarily ontic
and a posteriori
(compare the avowal made by Sarabia himself in the same text: "everything is related, coordinated, linked harmoniously and amorously").
José Gómez Robleda, a teacher, psychiatrist
and Subsecretary of Public Education during the Adolfo Ruiz Cortines
administration, published in 1947 a book titled Imagen del Mexicano (Image of the Mexican). Sarabia y Zorrilla describes the study as "the work which for the first time studies the way of being of the Mexican man," especially in his ethnopsychological
dimensions, and praises it for a vision of the human which, owing to its philosophical balance, succeeds in avoiding the worst rationalistic
tendencies of Comtian
Positivism
, without falling into the no less problematic cosmic
mysticism of José Vasconcelos (who Professor Sarabia once described, with no intended harshness, as a "philosopher-artist").
;
The Labyrinth of Solitude
;
La Raza Cósmica
;
Samuel Ramos
;
Leopoldo Zea Aguilar
Ontology
Ontology is the philosophical study of the nature of being, existence or reality as such, as well as the basic categories of being and their relations...
of the Mexican person, one that would serve, as well, as a means of confronting the dependancy of the official intelligentsia
Intelligentsia
The intelligentsia is a social class of people engaged in complex, mental and creative labor directed to the development and dissemination of culture, encompassing intellectuals and social groups close to them...
on ways of thinking perceived as being too foreign to permit a true understanding of Mexican reality.
The group decided on the unusual spelling in order to differentiate itself from the official Europeanizing intelligentsia; they believed that the spelling "meshico" was historically more accurate as it reflected the original Nahuatl
Nahuatl
Nahuatl is thought to mean "a good, clear sound" This language name has several spellings, among them náhuatl , Naoatl, Nauatl, Nahuatl, Nawatl. In a back formation from the name of the language, the ethnic group of Nahuatl speakers are called Nahua...
pronunciation of the word, and, for this reason, would be an appropriate name for a group dedicated to a professedly authentic understanding of Mexican identity (Mexicanidad).
Among the many notable members of the group were Rosario María Gutiérrez Eskildsen
Rosario María Gutiérrez Eskildsen
María del Rosario Gutiérrez Eskildsen was a Mexican lexicographer, linguist, educator, and poet who is remembered for her studies on the regional peculiarities of speech in her home state of Tabasco as well as for her pioneering work as a teacher and pedagogue in Tabasco and Mexico in general...
, Manuel Sánchez Mármol
Manuel Sánchez Mármol
Manuel Sánchez Mármol was a Mexican writer, journalist, lawyer, politician, and a member of the Mexican Academy of Language.-Biography:...
, Francisco Javier Santamaría, and José Vasconcelos
José Vasconcelos
José Vasconcelos Calderón was a Mexican writer, philosopher and politician. He is one of the most influential and controversial personalities in the development of modern Mexico. His philosophy of "indigenismo" affected all aspects of Mexican sociocultural, political, and economic...
. The Tabascan
Tabasco
Tabasco officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tabasco is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 17 municipalities and its capital city is Villahermosa....
Dr. Ricardo Alfonso Sarabia y Zorrilla was one of the group's more assiduous promoters and served for a time as director of Meshico Grande. He also contributed to a wider awareness of the group's goals and positions by writing, among other works, a paper entitled "Filosofía de la acción y reseña del pensamiento filosófico de Meshico" [Philosophy of Action and Review of the Philosophical Thinking of Meshico], which was originally published in the Proceedings of the 11th International Congress of Philosophy, Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
1953.
Sarabia y Zorrilla cites, in the aforementioned work, the definition of Truth
Truth
Truth has a variety of meanings, such as the state of being in accord with fact or reality. It can also mean having fidelity to an original or to a standard or ideal. In a common usage, it also means constancy or sincerity in action or character...
given by the obscure and retiring Mexican philosopher and mathematician Edmundo Cetina Velázquez: "[it is knowledge] which corresponds to the integral unity of being; the world of thought will always reveal to us an external world, sensible or abstract; but always unilateral. 'Truth,' which is reality, is the patrimony
Patrimony
Patrimony may refer to:* Property or other legal entitlements inherited from , one's father, especially if it has been handed down through generations in the same family, birthright...
of the totality of being." Sarabia y Zorrilla saw in such a statement a correct testimony of faith in an epistemological holism
Confirmation holism
Confirmation holism, also called epistemological holism is the claim that a single scientific theory cannot be tested in isolation; a test of one theory always depends on other theories and hypotheses....
functioning in opposition to the notion of knowledge as a goal obtainable only through a scientific vision which is essentially and necessarily ontic
Ontic
In philosophy, ontic is physical, real or factual existence."Ontic" describes what is there, as opposed to the nature or properties of that being...
and a posteriori
A Posteriori
Apart from the album, some additional remixes were released exclusively through the iTunes Store. They are:*"Eppur si muove" – 6:39*"Dreaming of Andromeda" Apart from the album, some additional remixes were released exclusively through the iTunes Store. They are:*"Eppur si muove" (Tocadisco...
(compare the avowal made by Sarabia himself in the same text: "everything is related, coordinated, linked harmoniously and amorously").
José Gómez Robleda, a teacher, psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
and Subsecretary of Public Education during the Adolfo Ruiz Cortines
Adolfo Ruiz Cortines
Adolfo Ruiz Cortines was President of Mexico from 1952 to 1958, representing the Institutional Revolutionary Party he was one of the oldest presidents of Mexico...
administration, published in 1947 a book titled Imagen del Mexicano (Image of the Mexican). Sarabia y Zorrilla describes the study as "the work which for the first time studies the way of being of the Mexican man," especially in his ethnopsychological
Psychological anthropology
Psychological anthropology is an interdisciplinary subfield of anthropology that studies the interaction of cultural and mental processes. The subfield tends to focus on ways in which humans' development and enculturation within a particular cultural group—with its own history, language, practices,...
dimensions, and praises it for a vision of the human which, owing to its philosophical balance, succeeds in avoiding the worst rationalistic
Rationalism
In epistemology and in its modern sense, rationalism is "any view appealing to reason as a source of knowledge or justification" . In more technical terms, it is a method or a theory "in which the criterion of the truth is not sensory but intellectual and deductive"...
tendencies of Comtian
Auguste Comte
Isidore Auguste Marie François Xavier Comte , better known as Auguste Comte , was a French philosopher, a founder of the discipline of sociology and of the doctrine of positivism...
Positivism
Positivism
Positivism is a a view of scientific methods and a philosophical approach, theory, or system based on the view that, in the social as well as natural sciences, sensory experiences and their logical and mathematical treatment are together the exclusive source of all worthwhile information....
, without falling into the no less problematic cosmic
Cosmos
In the general sense, a cosmos is an orderly or harmonious system. It originates from the Greek term κόσμος , meaning "order" or "ornament" and is antithetical to the concept of chaos. Today, the word is generally used as a synonym of the word Universe . The word cosmos originates from the same root...
mysticism of José Vasconcelos (who Professor Sarabia once described, with no intended harshness, as a "philosopher-artist").
See also
CientíficoCientífico
The Científicos were a circle of technocratic advisors to President of Mexico Porfirio Díaz....
;
The Labyrinth of Solitude
The Labyrinth of Solitude
The Labyrinth of Solitude , one of Octavio Paz’s most famous works, is a collection of nine essays: ‘The Pachuco and other extremes’, ‘Mexican Mask’, ‘The Day of the Dead’, ‘The Sons of La Malinche’, ‘The Conquest and Colonialism’, ‘From Independence to the Revolution’, ‘The Mexican Intelligence’,...
;
La Raza Cósmica
La Raza Cósmica
Published in 1925, La Raza Cósmica is an essay written by late Mexican philosopher, secretary of education, and 1929 presidential candidate, José Vasconcelos to express the ideology of a future "fifth race" in the Americas; an agglomeration of all the races in the world with no respect to color or...
;
Samuel Ramos
Samuel Ramos
Dr. Samuel Ramos was a Mexican philosopher and writer.Ramos was born in Zitácuaro, Michoacán, and in 1909 entered the Colegio de San Nicolás in Hidalgo. He published his first works in the school's student publication Flor de Loto...
;
Leopoldo Zea Aguilar
Leopoldo Zea Aguilar
Leopoldo Zea was a Mexican philosopher.One of the integral Latin Americanism thinkers in history, Zea became famous thanks to his master's thesis, El Positivismo en México , with which he applied and studied positivism in the context of his country and the world during the...
External links
- El Pensamiento Filosófico de Meshicohttp://books.google.com/books?id=qOAMAAAAIAAJ&q=meshico&dq=meshico&ei=XHSJR4O7H4XqiwGd-_j5DQ&pgis=1
- José Vasconcelos and His Worldhttp://books.google.com/books?id=T4E_AAAAIAAJ&q=%22sarabia+y+zorrilla%22&dq=%22sarabia+y+zorrilla%22&lr=&pgis=1
- Perspectivas docenteshttp://books.google.com/books?id=eY0QAAAAYAAJ&q=%22algunos+aspectos+de+la+relatividad%22&dq=%22algunos+aspectos+de+la+relatividad%22&lr=&pgis=1
- Où vont les philosophieshttp://books.google.com/books?id=p9cMAAAAIAAJ&dq=%22ou+vont+les+philosophies%22&q=%22ou+vont+les%22&pgis=1#search
- Meshico grande in WorldcatWorldCatWorldCat is a union catalog which itemizes the collections of 72,000 libraries in 170 countries and territories which participate in the Online Computer Library Center global cooperative...
: http://www.worldcat.org/wcpa/ow/6741439