Oviedo (Spain). In Oviedo, capital of Asturias, the Miñor sanatorium has long welcomed patients for thermal treatments and also served as a maternity ward. It remains famous as the birthplace of Queen Letizia, and, further back in time, of Carmen Franco, daughter of the Spanish dictator. For almost thirty years, the building has housed the Gustavo Bueno Foundation, headed by his son, Gustavo Bueno Sánchez, and dedicated to promoting critical thinking. It is there that the philosopher who died in 2016 developed philosophical materialism, a method for analyzing reality and social structures, in a rigorous manner, far from abstract speculations.
From this foundation was born the Oviedo School of Philosophy, a unique center in Europe where researchers, teachers and students meet to reflect and disseminate critical thinking, in dialogue with contemporary issues. “The idea of the museum is almost a natural consequence of our activity”explains Gustavo Bueno Sánchez. Conferences, publications and digital content have gradually attracted an audience outside the academic circle, curious to discover the place where these reflections are born. The museum, scheduled to open in January 2027, is designed as a concrete extension of these intellectual activities, and wishes to offer the visitor a stimulating philosophical experience while remaining faithful to the critical spirit of the foundation.
Showing an intellectual construction
The museum will focus on conceptual work specific to philosophy, far from anything spectacular, but it will also present objects: old books, manuscripts and rare editions. The first exhibition will highlight 150 Spanish editions of Politics by Aristotle (4th century BC), some deliberately altered ideologically, to show how ideas are constructed and transmitted. “The goal is not to impress, but to give visitors the tools to understand the genesis of concepts,” specifies the director. Some of the content will also be accessible online, in order to reach an international audience and promote philosophy in Spanish beyond borders.
According to Gustavo Bueno Sánchez, “Philosophy is essential for any advanced society. Ignoring one’s education is dangerous for the intellectual health of a nation.”. The museum will also have an international vocation, linked to a future philosophical documentation center aimed at listing world philosophy in Spanish, and will gradually evolve thanks to contemporary technologies, in a spirit of rigor and critical reflection.
“We want everyone to leave with the desire to read, reflect and understand Spanish and universal thought,” enthuses Gustavo Bueno Sánchez.
