How does Sepúlveda feel about the natives?
History · Middle School · Mon Jan 18 2021
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- Juan Gines de Sepulveda, a Spanish philosopher and theologian from the Renaissance era, had controversial views about the indigenous people of the Americas. In the context of the Valladolid debate, which was a moral and theological debate about the colonization of the Americas, specifically the treatment of natives, and the justification of the Spanish conquest—Sepulveda argued that the natives were naturally inferior and barbaric, and therefore it was justified for the more enlightened Europeans to enslave and rule over them.
- He based his argument on a set of beliefs that were deeply rooted in Aristotelian thought, specifically the concept of "natural slavery" that Aristotle addressed in his works. According to Sepulveda, because the natives were uncivilized and incapable of self-governance in accordance with European Christian standards at the time, they needed to be governed by more sophisticated societies. He held the view that the Spanish were bringing civilization and Christianity to the indigenous peoples, which he saw as a beneficial process for them.
- Despite these beliefs, it is important to note that Sepúlveda's views were challenged by others, including Bartolomé de las Casas, a Dominican friar who advocated vociferously for the rights and dignity of the native peoples.