Ideas y Valores ISSN: 0120-0062
[email protected] Universidad Nacional de Colombia Colombia Valenzuela-Vermehren, Luis The Origin and Nature of the State in Francisco de Vitoria’s Moral Philosophy Ideas y Valores, vol. LXII, núm. 151, enero-abril, 2013, pp. 81-103 Universidad Nacional de Colombia Bogotá, Colombia Available in: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=80928827004 How to cite Complete issue Scientific Information System More information about this article Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Journal's homepage in redalyc.org Non-profit academic project, developed under the open access initiative The Origin and Nature of the State in Francisco de Vitoria’s Moral Philosophy El origen y la naturaleza del Estado en la filosofía moral de Francisco de Vitoria 1Luis Valenzuela-Vermehren* Universidad Católica de Temuco - Chile Abstract Sixteenth-century Spanish thought is constitutive of an established, though insuf- ficiently studied, tradition of European political theorizing. As against the politics of Machiavellism, the Spanish tradition argued in favor of an ethical perspective on statecraft. As an introduction to the subject, this article addresses key concepts set forth by the Dominican theologian-jurist Francisco de Vitoria regarding the natural foundations and teleology of the state and its coercive power. Terms such as “natural law”, “dominium”, and “perfect community” describe the Thomistic basis of his political philosophy and illustrate the moral significance and legitimate basis of political society in early modern Spanish politico-theological thought. Keywords: F. de Vitoria, catholic theology, natural law, political theory, spanish political philosophy, Thomism. Resumen El pensamiento español del siglo XVI constituye una tradición establecida de teori- zación política europea poco estudiada en los círculos académicos angloparlantes.