From love of knowledge to love of life

Ethical and philosophical reflections based on contemporary indigenous thought

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.34024/prometeica.2025.32.20281

Keywords:

indigenous thought, ethics of care, cosmovision, ancestral ontologies, sustainability

Abstract

This article discusses the crisis of the hegemonic model of development and the dissociation between knowledge and life in the context of the planetary climate crisis. The aim is to show that contemporary indigenous thought, with its integrative and relational vision, offers an ethical and philosophical path that is necessary to face current challenges. To this end, the study explores three dimensions: love as a response, the places of the word in indigenous thought and the recognition of the human person as a being for life. The research shows that the indigenous cosmovision promotes an ethic of care, based on the interdependence between human beings and nature, which contrasts with the Western anthropocentric vision. Indigenous thought thus demands a place of speech that challenges Western hegemony, emphasizing ancestry, reciprocity and the connection with nature. This ancestral wisdom emerges as a path towards a more sustainable coexistence, highlighting the urgent need to adopt a new paradigm of life-oriented knowledge.

Author Biographies

  • Ricardo Valim, Federal Institute of Rondônia

    Doutorando em Filosofia na Linha de Pesquisa Ontologia e Epistemologia pela Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná/PUC-PR. Mestre em Filosofia na Linha de Pesquisa em Ética e Filosofia Política Contemporânea pela Fundação Universidade Federal de Rondônia/UNIR. Participante do GT Pensamento Filosófico Brasileiro da ANPOF - Associação Nacional de Pós-Graduação em Filosofia.

  • Guillermo Meza Salcedo, Corporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios

    Degree in Pastoral Theology from the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana de Medellín (Colombia). Master's Degree in Latin American Philosophy from Santo Tomás University, Colombia. Research professor of the Degree in Early Childhood Education at the Corporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios, Reitoria Centro Sur. She currently leads the Infancias y Saberes research group at the same institution. Junior researcher according to the Minciencias measurement call.

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Prometeica v.32

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Published

2025-11-09

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Vol. 32 (2025): Prometeica - v 32 (03/2025 - 12/2025)

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Copyright (c) 2025 Ricardo Valim, Guillermo Meza Salcedo

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Received 2025-03-18
Accepted 2025-09-01
Published 2025-11-09

How to Cite

Valim, R., & Meza Salcedo, G. (2025). From love of knowledge to love of life: Ethical and philosophical reflections based on contemporary indigenous thought. Prometeica - Journal of Philosophy and Science, 32, e20281 (1-13). https://doi.org/10.34024/prometeica.2025.32.20281