The Influence of Aristotle’s Political Philosophy on the Spanish Colonial Wars: Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda and His Just War Thought

This study aims to reveal the influence of Aristotle’s political philosophy on the Spanish colonial wars through the example of Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda (1490–1573) and his just war thought. The study argues that Aristotle’s political philosophy was not merely a political theory proposed at a particular moment in history and then forgotten; rather, nearly two thousand years later it was invoked as a political guide in legitimizing Spanish colonialism. This argument is grounded within the framework of Sepúlveda’s treatise called Democrates Secundus: On the Just Causes of War Against the Indians. The study first examines the four arguments of Sepulveda, which seeks to legitimize war, political domination, and slavery against the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. The most prominent critic of Sepúlveda was Bartolomé de Las Casas (1474–1566), whose objections to these four arguments will constitute the second focus of the study. The study arrives at three conclusions. Firstly, it becomes evident that in the early modern period, although Aristotle’s views on logic, cosmology etc. had been severely criticized and abandoned, his conception of just war thought found wide support. Secondly, the universalist rhetoric of power -laid bare in Sepúlveda’s thought and used to legitimize imperialism through appeals to universal values- continues today in the policies of the United States, seen clearly in George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump administrations. Finally, it is understood that the Sepulvedan mindset, which justified colonial violence by ontologically denying indigenous peoples’ full recognition as human beings, today can be seen in the actions of Israel’s occupation of Palestine which has intensified since October 7, 2023. Since this Sepulvedan mindset rests upon Aristotle, it is understood that Aristotle is not dead; his ghost still haunts the contemporary world.