Andrés López de Medrano

Andrés López de Medrano
Born	1780 Santiago de los Caballeros, Captaincy General of Santo Domingo
Died	May 6, 1856 (aged 76) Ponce, Puerto Rico
Nationality	Dominican
Education	The arts, medicine
Alma mater	Universidad Santo Tomás de Aquino and University of Santo Domingo
Occupation	Rector of the university of santo domingo • syndic procurator general • councilman • politician • lawyer • doctor • journalist • professor
Era	18th and 19th century
Institutions	University of Santa Rosa de Lima in Caracas
Thesis	"The Soul Considered as a Divine Creation"
Notable ideas	"Logic, Elements of Modern Philosophy" (1814)

Andrés López de Medrano (1780 – May 6, 1856) was a nobleman, educator, doctor, lawyer, journalist, poet, author, politician and the first enlightened philosopher of the Dominican Republic. Medrano served as rector of the University of Santo Domingo in 1821 and was a professor of Latin and Rhetoric. He was also appointed Syndic Procurator General and councilman of the Santo Domingo Cabildo. Born in Santiago de los Caballeros, he was a supporter of Dominican Independence and became one of the most important intellectual figures in the early 19th century.

Medrano is best known for writing one of the most important philosophical works of the 19th century, a treaty or guide entitled Logic, Elements of Modern Philosophy (1814), which became the first book of Dominican philosophy and the first book printed in the Dominican Republic. López de Medrano's other work Metaphysics or a Small Outline of Philosophy, was published in 1842 in Barcelona by the Widow and Daughter of Garriga and Aguasvivas.

Education

Don Andrés López de Medrano studied at the University of Santo Tomás de Aquino, later the University of Santo Domingo. In 1822, during the Haitian occupation of Santo Domingo, he emigrated to Venezuela, where he earned a bachelor's degree and graduated in the arts from the University of Santa Rosa de Lima in Caracas. He wrote a thesis titled "The Soul Considered as a Divine Creation." Later, he graduated as a Doctor of Philosophy in Medicine.

Career

Medrano worked as a substitute professor and examiner for awards in Latin and Arts. Upon his return to Santo Domingo, López de Medrano practiced medicine and was elected councilman of the Santo Domingo Cabildo. He was also a professor of Latin and Rhetoric at the Seminary College of Santo Domingo and was appointed Syndic Procurator General.

He enthusiastically swore and celebrated the Cádiz Constitution of 1812. His Public Manifesto was written for the 1820 elections for deputies to the Cortes.

Syndic Procurator General of Santo Domingo

López de Medrano was recognized as an advanced thinker for his time, advocating for freedom of thought, press, and the right to form political parties. As Syndic of Santo Domingo, Medrano appears to have been the first to create a political party inspired by the ideals of "one man, one vote," challenging aristocratic discriminatory ideas that excluded Africans and the poor from participation.

Rector of the University of Santo Domingo

In 1821 Medrano was elected rector of the University of Santo Domingo.

Dominican Independence

Creoles such as Manuel Caravajal and Andrés López de Medrano resented their minor positions within the colonial bureaucracy and felt abandoned by Spain. After three centuries of colonial rule under the Spanish Monarchy, independence came rather suddenly to most of Spanish America. On 1 December 1821, Medrano supported the independence of the Dominican Republic with José Núñez de Cáceres, however this led to his imprisonment in Puerto Rico, where he settled in Aguadilla. After declaring independence from Spain, they requested to unite the Dominican Republic with the Republic of Gran Colombia. However, they received no response from Bolívar, and in 1822 Haiti invaded Santo Domingo again.

Exile

Medrano went into exile in Puerto Rico and did not return, although in 1844, after the war of Independence against Haiti, the first Dominican Constitution was signed. In 1852 he helped create the newspaper El Ponceño.

Poet

Medrano wrote The third sonnet of Puerto Rican Poetry and Proloquios or Congratulations to the Puerto Ricans, praising Governor Miguel de la Torre. According to Cruz Monclova, his appointment as Governor caused:

"...great joy throughout the island, among friends, colleagues, and representatives, notably including a doctor from Santo Domingo named Andrés López de Medrano, who wrote very melodious prologues or congratulations to the Puerto Ricans for the appointment of His Excellency Governor and Captain General, Don Miguel de la Torre, in which among a hundred and more superfluous things, written in verbose and bombastic style."

Late career and death

He was elected syndic procurator of the Aguadilla Town Hall, inspector of public schools, and member of the Puerto Rico Health Council in 1837, and in 1847, he became a physician for the Ponce Health Board and director of the Public School. He died on May 6, 1856 in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico.

Family

Coat of arms of the House of Medrano (1568)

Born in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic during the reign of King Charles III of Spain, Andres López de Medrano was the son of Andrés López and Jacinta de Medrano. Through his mother Jacinta, Andrés is a member of the noble House of Medrano. The House of Medrano, from the Kingdom of Castile and Navarre, entered Santo Domingo in the 16th century and held high ranking positions in the city, operating within the first seat of the Spanish colonial rule in the New World, the Captaincy General of Santo Domingo.

Treaty of Logic, Elements of Modern Philosophy (1814)

Medrano's work "Logic, Elements of Modern Philosophy" was written in 1813 and published in 1814 at the printing house of the General Captaincy of Santo Domingo. It was temporarily lost until rediscovered by Friar Cipriano de Utrera in the General Archive of the Indies. Known as "Introduction to Logic, Elements of Modern Philosophy," its conceptual and theoretical support is seen as a contribution to the national spirit. In 1928, researcher Máximo Coiscou Henríquez brought the text from the General Archive of the Indies. While writing his "Introduction to Logic, Elements of Modern Philosophy for the Use of Dominican Youth," Don Andrés López de Medrano stated:

"Blessed is the country if it sees such children flourish, and very happy I am, distinguished with so much honor, sure of so much glory, I can teach and establish modern philosophy, supporting it with very solid experiments."

Medrano authored several works, the most notable was his work entitled "Introduction to Logic, Elements of Modern Philosophy for the Use of Dominican Youth" (1814). Thanks to his work Logic, the author and philosopher Don Andrés López de Medrano managed to significantly overcome the scholasticism in force during three centuries of colonial history. This book replaced Condillac's works as a primary textbook.

Logic, Elements of Modern Philosophy became the first book of Dominican philosophy and the first book printed in the Dominican Republic.

His work "Logic" was republished in 1956 in the Annals of the University of Santo Domingo, with a biographical note by historian Emilio Rodríguez Demorizi, who concludes by affirming that:

"López de Medrano was one of those illustrious Dominicans whom the vicissitudes of the homeland sent to other shores, where they continued the tradition of Spain."

Overview

Written in Latin, Logic, Elements of Modern Philosophy is the most important philosophical work of the 19th century at the national level. The Logic of Don Andrés López de Medrano became not only the first book of philosophy written in Santo Domingo but also the first on which philosophical ideas of a modern nature are sustained and promoted. Medrano's Treaty of Logic, written in 1813 and published in 1814, is a pioneering philosophical text in the Dominican Republic aimed at youth. Medrano demonstrates a mastery of both Aristotelian logic and the main epistemological schools of modernity: empiricism and rationalism. He frequently references John Locke and Étienne Bonnot de Condillac, showing a significant influence from these thinkers, and also mentions Descartes and Leibniz. His work reflects an eclectic approach, merging ideas from various philosophical systems and advocating for the freedom of criticism and thought while engaging with traditional scholasticism and traditional ideas.

Medrano's work is seen as a significant contribution to the development of modern philosophical thought in the Dominican Republic, blending empirical observation with logical deduction and rational analysis.

The work is structured into four main sections covering ideas, knowledge, reasoning, and methods of discussion, authority, and hermeneutics. Medrano's approach uses empirical and rationalist methodologies, categorizing philosophy into rational, natural, metaphysical, and ethical disciplines and delineates the operations of the mind into sensations, judgment, reasoning, and method.

Table of Contents

This work, written in 1813 and published in 1814, holds the distinction of being the first book on logic and the first philosophical text in the Dominican Republic. Initially lecture notes, this text is a guide to logic. Medrano has divided it into four main sections:

1. On Ideas and Words: Discusses the nature and relationship between ideas and words.

• Chapter 1: On Ideas
• Chapter 2: On Words

2. On Knowledge: Examines propositions, degrees, and impediments of knowledge, and the nature of truth.

• Chapter 1: On Propositions
• Chapter 2: On the Degrees and Impediments of Knowledge
• Chapter 3: On Truth and its Criteria

3. On Reasoning: Explores various forms of argumentation and logical fallacies.

• Chapter 1: On Argumentation
• Chapter 2: On Other Forms of Argumentation
• Chapter 3: On Sophisms

4. On Methods of Discussion, Authority, and Hermeneutics: Focuses on discussion methods, the role of authority, critical analysis, and interpretation techniques.

• Chapter 1: Method of Discussion
• Chapter 2: Authority and Critical Art
• Chapter 3: Art of Hermeneutics

Four operations of the mind

According to Medrano, The object of logic is to guide the mind in its operations. He distinguishes four operations of the mind, namely: sensations, judgment, reasoning, and method. Medrano emphasized the importance of method as the fourth operation of the mind, aiming to clear any confusion that might hinder understanding. He diverged from Condillac by placing method at the end of an epistemological process, which he believed should be addressed before constructing knowledge. Medrano stated, "it is better not to investigate anything than to undertake an investigation without method." Medrano writes that method is essential as the guiding path in our quest for knowledge.

Philosophy

Medrano introduces the concept of philosophy according to its etymological meaning. He writes:

"[Philosophy] is the science of human and divine things knowable by natural light."

The beginning of Aristotle's Metaphysics in an incunabulum decorated with hand-painted miniatures. Medrano wrote a book called Metaphysics or a Small Outline of Philosophy, published in Barcelona, 1842.

In his Logic, Medrano divides philosophy into four disciplines, according to the "diversity of their objects." The first discipline aims to "discover the truth and avoid errors," which he calls rational philosophy or logic. The second he calls natural philosophy, the third metaphysics, and the fourth ethical philosophy or axiology.

Ideas

In the first chapter of the book on Ideas, Medrano defines an idea as "a mere representation in the mind of some object." Medrano writes:

"... Ideas, although spiritual by their own nature, as they immediately affect the soul, nevertheless, arise from the senses, and we have no innate or infinite ideas, that is, imprinted on our souls by the hand of the creator since creation itself."

Medrano rejects innate ideas, aligning with the empiricist views of Locke and Condillac, and defines ideas as representations in the mind derived from sensations. He emphasizes the importance of method in philosophical inquiry. López de Medrano fundamentally divides ideas into simple and complex categories. He also divides ideas according to their mode into clear and obscure, distinct and confused. At the end of the first chapter, Medrano employs a series of Aristotelian and scholastic categories, such as substance, accidents, similarity, difference, genus, and species. He also presents the classic division by extension of concepts and judgments into simple, particular, and universal.

Words

In the second chapter of the book on words, Medrano begins by defining words as "signs of ideas." He immediately proceeds to define it as something that "in addition to itself excites the idea of another thing." Medrano says the following about words: "Articulated sound emitted by man with the intention of signifying something... they signify what the mind conceives."

Medrano describes humans that express emotions through "cries of passions" and physical gestures ("contortions and violent agitations"), which represent the "language of action." according to Medrano, this primitive form of communication was crucial for survival and expression. Medrano explained that over time, articulated language (spoken words) developed and existed alongside these natural cries. He says that eventually, spoken language became predominant because it was easier to use and understand, leading to the dominance of articulated sounds in human communication.

Truth

Medrano presents a rule for discerning truth from falsehood. The main criterion of truth for the Dominican philosopher is empirical evidence. He explicitly follows Leibniz's triple criterion of truth, which includes the evidence of reason, sense, and authority.

Universals

Medrano says that "only individuals exist, whose similarity causes universal ideas ... in reality, no universal exists."

Medrano's rules for critical art

Medrano viewed critical art as a systematic tool. He believed it was essential for determining the authenticity and originality of books, historical artifacts, historians, and witnesses of events within specific historical contexts. To judge and determine the levels of credibility and authenticity of historians, Medrano assumed the following rules of critical art:

"First, that their knowledge and probity be examined, demonstrated by their life, their books, and the congruence of the events they narrate. Second rule: those who let themselves be guided by their own concerns (or prejudices) or by those of the crowd, or who are indulgent with some of the parties, are not worthy of trust. Third rule: contemporary authors should be preferred over foreign and ancient ones, and the more distant they are from that time, the less faith should be placed in them. Fourth rule: the writer who adulterates the truth loses all credibility, and the same applies to those who are passionate about what they narrate and those who are overly concerned with style (attached to and worried about form). Fifth rule: to give assent to any historical account, we must take into account the quality and difficulty of the historical fact, the prudence of the witnesses, the age, the time, the distance of the places where it was written, and the conformity of all the circumstances; having observed all these things, judgment should be given or issued where the balance inclines, and this is the mathematical rule to appreciate things according to human faith (testimony of men)."

Medrano had strong faith in these rules of critical art, finding them very useful for evaluating historians' theoretical and practical approaches to the past. He believed these rules were ideal for identifying the bad intentions of irresponsible historians who aim to obscure the truth. Additionally, he thought these rules clarified the objectivity of those who strive to make the past understandable, viewing them as positive and accurate for historical investigation. He believed that creatively applying these rules helps discern the morality and commitment of historians to truth and ethics.

Legacy

Medrano led an exemplary social and political life, applying his philosophy practically within his society. He was both a modern philosopher and an enlightened politician who supported the emancipatory ideals of his era. According to Dr. Julio Genaro Campillo Pérez, President of the Dominican Academy of History:

Santo Domingo held a "tribute to the virtually unknown merit of a multifaceted man who was a philosopher, educator, doctor, journalist, politician, writer, and poet."

The Dominican Association of Philosophy (ADOFIL), the Salesian Antillean Library (BAS), and the Institute for Peace and Cooperation Studies (IEPC) initiated a committee to celebrate the Bicentennial of Medrano's Treaty of Logic in Santo Domingo. This commission rallied support from various Dominican state institutions, scientific, academic, and cultural organizations, as well as personalities from philosophical, historical, political, literary, and medical fields, culminating in a celebration platform with presidential backing.

2014

On April 25, 2014 the Dominican Republic and the Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (INTEC) celebrated the 200th bicentennial anniversary of the first Dominican philosophy book, "Logic. Elements of Modern Philosophy," written by Medrano. The event featured a panel discussion with speakers Luís O. Brea Franco, Jorge Ramón Tena Reyes, and Julio Minaya, among others. The celebration commemorated Medrano's significant contribution to overcoming colonial scholasticism and promoting modern philosophical ideas in the Dominican Republic. The event took place in the Osvaldo García de la Concha Auditorium.

The President of the Dominican Republic Danilo Medina tasked the Ministry of Culture, represented by Dr. Luis O. Brea Franco, to lead and support this national celebration. Events in the Dominican Republic included a dedicated pavilion, the publication of Medrano's "Logic", and a series of conferences from April 28 to May 2, culminating in a congress in November coinciding with Philosophy Day.

In Spain the Institute for Peace and Cooperation Studies and the Asturian Society of Philosophy organized an exhibition and lectures featuring works inspired by Medrano. These included lectures by Román García Fernández, Iván Vélez Cipriano, and Carmen Adams Fernández. The exhibition opened on 9 May 2014 at the Correos Exhibition Hall, with subsequent lectures on May 15, 22, and 29.

2017

Following the presentation of the book "Andrés López de Medrano: Image, Time, and Reality" on June 16, 2017, at ARTMACÉN – Contemporary Painting, an exhibition continued until December 31. This exhibition evolved by incorporating discussions and references related to the exhibited works. Initially held in 2014 at the Principal Post Office Hall in Oviedo, it commemorated the Bicentennial of Medrano's "Treaty of Logic," the first book printed in Santo Domingo. The exhibition aimed to honor Medrano's contributions as a philosopher, educator, doctor, journalist, politician, writer, and poet.

Julio Genaro Campillo Pérez

The jurist, historiographer, and president of the Dominican Academy of History Julio Genaro Campillo Pérez is the author of Dr. Andrés López de Medrano and His Humanist Legacy. The book is being introduced in Puerto Rico, where Medrano lived from 1822 until his death. Pérez's findings on Medrano's ideologies reveal a sophisticated blend of traditional and modern philosophical thoughts.

See also

• El Ponceño
• José Núñez de Cáceres
• Juan Pablo Duarte

Bibliography

• López de Medrano, Don Andrés (1814), Logic. Elements of Modern Philosophy for the Use of Dominican Youth, Santo Domingo: Imprenta de la Capitanía General de Santo Domingo.
• Campillo Pérez, Julio Genaro (1999), Dr. Andrés López de Medrano and His Humanist Legacy, Santo Domingo: Academia Dominicana de la Historia.
• Roman Garcia Fernandez; Ada Perez; Carmen Adams Fernandez; Luis Feas Costilla; Jesus Hernandez. (2017) Andrés López de Medrano: Image, Time, and Reality
• Cassá, Roberto. “La difícil emergencia de la modernidad dominicana: el pensamiento de Andrés López de Medrano”. Separata de Vetas, año VIII, No. 58, septiembre de 2001.
• Coiscou Henríquez, Máximo. Documents for the history of Santo Domingo. 2 vols. Madrid, 1973.
• Cordero, Armando. The philosophy in Santo Domingo. Santo Domingo, 1973.