Francisco José Contreras Peláez (born 17 February 1964 in Seville, Spain) is a prominent Spanish legal philosopher and Catedrático of Philosophy of Law at the University of Seville, widely recognized for his work on legal history, political philosophy, and the intellectual foundations of law. He holds a Doctorate in Law from the University of Seville, where he has taught philosophy of law and related courses since the early 2000s and was appointed full professor in 2007. Wikipedia+1
Contreras’s academic work traverses the history of legal philosophy, the theory of justice, and political-legal thought, with particular attention to figures such as Immanuel Kant, Savigny, and Herder, as well as broader debates on liberalism, law and morality, and the role of law in society. He has authored more than a dozen individual books—including Savigny and Legal Historicism, Kant and War, Liberalism, Catholicism, and Natural Law, The Fragility of Liberty, and Against Soft Totalitarianism—and has coordinated collective volumes addressing fundamental themes such as natural law, freedom, and democracy. Universidad de Navarra+1
His scholarship is marked by a critical engagement with both historical and contemporary currents in legal thought, aiming to clarify how legal concepts are embedded in broader cultural and philosophical contexts. Contreras has also contributed articles and essays in academic and public forums on topics ranging from rights theory and constitutionalism to secularism and the public role of religion. Dialnet
In addition to his academic career, Contreras has participated in public intellectual life, including service as a Member of the Spanish Congress of Deputies during the XIV legislature, where he engaged in debates on constitutional, cultural, and social issues. Congreso
Contreras has delivered lectures internationally and is a frequent speaker on law, freedom, and culture. His work continues to influence discussions in Spanish legal philosophy and in broader conversations about the normative foundations of law and society, particularly where historical insight and philosophical rigor intersect. Wikipedia