Portal de Turismo de Castilla y León

Dates

October 16, 2026

When?

Soon

Link

To know more

We return to the University of Salamanca to explore its golden age, when the brilliant minds of the 16th century—intellectuals, philosophers, and legal scholars—founded the renowned School of Salamanca. This isn't just because Pope Leon XIV championed it during his recent visit to Spain, but because its principles have always remained relevant. In today's society, we increasingly need to turn our gaze back to humanism and natural law.

• Friday 16

The School of Salamanca 1526-2026.

This presentation will explain what the School of Salamanca was and the contributions its members made to international law, economics, moral philosophy, and human rights. It will include a general overview of some of its most prominent members, such as Francisco de Vitoria, Domingo de Soto, Melchor Cano, Tomás de Mercado, and Martín de Azpilcueta. It will also explain what we are commemorating in 2026 and the continued relevance of some of its doctrines.
Library auditorium, at 7:00 pm

• Saturday 17

Francisco de Vitoria, Founder of the School of Salamanca.

A biographical presentation of the Dominican friar and his academic career will be given. Two of his most important works will be analyzed: The First Lecture on the Indians and the Second Lecture on the Law of War.
Library auditorium, at 7:00 pm

• Sunday 18

Can a war ever be just?

We will address a moral and legal debate, one that the thinkers of the School of Salamanca themselves considered and that remains highly relevant today. The question is whether all wars are reprehensible or whether some (those initiated in self-defense against a prior attack) can be justified. We will demonstrate that the concepts used by the School of Salamanca 500 years ago are still valid in our present day.
Library auditorium, at 11:00 am

María Martín Gómez is a professor in the Philosophy area of ​​the Department of Philosophy, Logic and Aesthetics at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Salamanca.
Her lines of research are Spanish and Ibero-American Philosophy, the thought of the School of Salamanca, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, Humanism, the Protestant Reformation, Hermeneutics and the relationships between philosophy and motherhood.
She has served as Vice Dean of Teaching, Undergraduate Coordinator, and Secretary of the Journal of Philosophical Hispanic Studies: History of Ibero-American Thought. Since 2022, she has directed the Doctoral Program in Philosophy. Since 2025, she has been President of the Society of Medieval Philosophy (SOFIME) and Director of the Tatiana Foundation-School of Salamanca Chair. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Association of Philosophical Hispanic Studies and the Inter-University Society of Philosophy (SIFA).