Positivism in Argentina and its scope in Latin America

Abstract

In this paper the historical-epistemological statute of nineteenth-century European positivism is discussed to further develop its scope in the constitution of Science in general and in the conformation of the disciplines tied to the human behavior in the time of the creation of the nation’s institutions in Argentina. The ideological bias that this thinking legitimates in key moments of identity construction, such as the Centenary period, is analyzed. Finally, emphasis is made on the incidence of positivism in other countries in the region observing in every case the same ideological bias found in the Argentinean case, tinged by cultural and socio-political variables.

"Este artículo fue publicado por primera vez en Vertex, Revista Argentina de Psiquiatría 2011, XXII (98): 271-280. Se reproduce aquí su versión original revisada por el autor."