Life is Power and the exercise of Power

José Eusebio Caro and his Personal Appropriation of Schopenhauer's Philosophy

Abstract

Despite being a prominent figure in 19th-century Colombia, the philosophy of José Eusebio Caro (1817-1853) has not been the subject of extensive academic research. Existing studies primarily focus on his political writings, his early work Mecánica social or his anthropology and influences. However, Andrade González's article (1967) stands out for suggesting, without evidence, that Caro was acquainted with Schopenhauer's philosophy during his exile in New York. This article aims to extend that suggestion by asserting that Caro not only could have been the first Colombian philosopher to personally appropriate Arthur Schopenhauer's philosophy (1788-1860) but also might have been the first to gain access to the German philosopher's works. Despite the absence of direct textual evidence, it is argued that numerous indirect and contextual textual clues support this assertion. The first part of this article analyzes these textual clues, focusing on the similarities and differences in the concept of "life" presented in Schopenhauer's The World as Will and Representation and Caro's Meditations on the Science of Good and Evil. The second part examines contextual evidence, considering Caro's likely access to the Westminster Review and American editions of Schopenhauer's works. The conclusion suggests that Caro's appropriation of Schopenhauer's philosophy has significant implications for the history of philosophy in Colombia, challenging several normalizing postulates that have shaped the narrative of said history.