De Sepulveda/De las Casas

Questions for Study and Discussion:

de Sepulveda, "Democrates Alter; Or, on the Just Causes for War Against the Indians;"

de Las Casas, "Apologetic History of the Indies," "Thirty Very Juridical Propositions"

1) In "Democrates Alter," de Sepulveda makes a case for inherent Indian inferiority by contrasting the "cultural barbarian" to the "civilized man."  Explain and critically assess the categories of barbarian and civilized.  Do you think the racist discourse found in de Sepulveda's text is still prevalent today?

2) De Las Casas takes the opposite position of de Sepulveda, arguing for the full humanity of the indigenous populations.  On what grounds does de Las Casas base this claim?  Do you find racial undercurrents in Las Casas' texts, despite the fact that he constructs an argument against "natural" slavery?  Is the notion of Christianizing and educating Native Americans an imperialist one?

3) Both de Sepulveda and de Las Casas rely on Aristotle to make their claims.  De Sepulveda uses Aristotle to justify an idea of "natural slavery" and de las Casas reinterprets Aristotle to argue against this position.  Based on your understanding of our readings of Aristotle in class, which interpretation do you find more accurate?  Is de Las Casas an apologist for Aristotle?