Domingo de Soto

Domingo de Soto (1494 – November 15, 1560) was a Dominican priest and theologian born in Segovia, Spain and died in Salamanca. He is best known as one of the major figures of the philosophical movement known as the School of Salamanca, together with Francisco de Vitoria.

Trained in Alcala, Spain and Paris, France before being made professor of Philosophy at Alcala in 1520.^[1] He left academia to join the Domicans and returned to take the chair of theology at Salamanca University in 1532, he is best known in economic theory and theological circles for his writings defending the price differential in usury as compatible with "just price" from the perspective of the Thomists.

He held powerful positions including Confessor of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and the emperor's representative at the Council of Trent. In the 20th century, he was credited by Pierre Duhem with important achievements in dynamics (Etudes sur Léonard de Vinci, t. 3, Hermann, 1913) and is viewed as a forerunner of modern mechanics. He died in Salamanca, aged 66.

Works

• Summulae, 1529.
• De ratione tegendi et detegendi secretum, 1541
• In dialecticam Aristotelis commentarii, 1544
• In VIII libros physicorum, 1545
• Deliberacion en la causa de los pobres, 1545
• De natura et gratia libri III, 1547
• Comment. in Ep. ad Romanos, 1550
• De justitia et jure, 1553.
• In IV sent. libros comment. 1555-6.
• De justitia et jure libri X, 1556

Notes

References

• Biography in the BBKL
• History of Economic Thought "Salamanca School"