From Shadows to Spirit: The Philosophy of History of Leopoldo Zea

This article seeks to highlight the originality and depth of the philosophical approach to Hispanic American reality developed by the Mexican thinker Leopoldo Zea. The central argument of my reading aims to demonstrate that the core of Zea's project lies in the production –through the figure of consciousness– of a threefold articulation between ontology, history, and politics. To substantiate this hypothesis, the article begins by highlighting certain aspects of Zea's interpretation of Mexican society and then proceeds to explore in detail the philosophy of history he developed in El pensamiento latinoamericano. In general terms, the proposed analysis is organized around a constant dialogue between the work of the Mexican philosopher and that of the German philosopher G. W. F. Hegel. Taken as a whole, the study critically examines the premises underlying Zea's philosophical practice, clearly conceptualizing both its strengths and its limitations.