Cristóbal Bellolio

Cristóbal Bellolio Badiola is a Chilean political theorist, lawyer and academic known for his work on liberalism, normative political theory, secularism and the relationship between science and democracy.
He serves as associate professor at the School of Government of Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez in Chile.
Beyond academia, Bellolio is a frequent commentator in Chilean media and an author of essays on politics, atheism, and contemporary liberalism. He has written for La Tercera, El Mostrador, and Diario Financiero, and was a candidate for the 2021 Chilean Constitutional Convention for District 11.

Early life and education

Bellolio studied law and political science at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, where he earned his law degree in 2007.

He later pursued graduate studies at University College London, obtaining an MA in Legal and Political Theory and a PhD in Political Philosophy.

Academic career

Bellolio is an associate professor at the School of Government at Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, where he teaches political theory and public ethics. His research explores liberalism and its relationship with populism, religion, climate change and the epistemic foundations of democracy. He has published in academic journals such as Politics, Res Publica, Social Epistemology, Law & Philosophy, and Religions.
In 2018, Bellolio received the Res Publica–Association for Social and Political Philosophy Postgraduate Essay Prize for his paper «Science as Public Reason: A Restatement».
In 2024, he served as a Tinker Visiting professor at the University of Chicago and led research funded by Chile's National Science and Technology Agency on «The Climate Challenge to Liberal Democracy».

Selected works

Ateos fuera del clóset Pinochet, Lagos y Nosotros: Ensayos sobre la cuestión constituyente Liberalismo. Una cartografía

''La era del pesimismo democrático''