The reception of Idéologie at the University of Buenos Aires: The case of Juan Manuel Fernández de Agüero (1821-1827)

Abstract

This article analyses the appropriation of the discourse of Idéologie, specifi cally Desttut de Tracy's ideas, by Juan Manuel Fernández de Agüero during his tenure as professor of philosophy at the University of Buenos Aires between 1822 and 1827. It identifi es the patterns of knowledge that shaped that discourse, especially regarding new moral and metaphysical questions raised as a result of changes in scholastic training in the teaching of philosophy, a scholastic imprint which was more in evidence than the discourse of the Enlightenment. It also presents the connections between this school of thought and the reformist intention of Rivadavia's government to form a new ruling elite based on republican values. Finally, it examines the process whereby these ideas spread through public opinion and the controversies which took place during Rivadavia's administration.