A New World, a new episteme: the epistemological change in the Natural and General History of the West Indies, by Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo.

Abstract

The conquest of the New World brought a fundamental change in the history of knowledge, revealing the fragility of much of the knowledge prevailing in Europe until then. The accounts of the early chroniclers of the discovery reflect empirical methods of systematization of knowledge, where different theoretical references are mixed. Thus, classical and medieval sources, scholastic and humanist philosophy, patriotic, religious discourses and even chivalry novels are combined, often in a disharmonious manner, according to the ideological perspectives of the authors. This article investigates the main work of Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo, the book Natural and General History of the West Indies, identifying the role he played in the solution of the epistemological crisis