Gonzalo Anaya Santos was born in Burgos in 1915. In 1933 grauated in the School of Teacher Training in Burgos.
He took part in the activities of the Federation of Teaching Workers (FETE) of the General Worker's Union (UGT). Due to his trade union link, he was imprisones during the Franco regime and took the occasion to study the degree of Philosophy and Literature by the University of Zaragoza and the speciality of Philosophy by the University of Madrid. Between 1948 and 1950 he worked as Greek lecturer in Valencia. In 1953 he was awarded with professorship of Philosophy in the School of Teacher Training in Santiago de Compostela and was appointed professor of Philosophy by the "Rosalía de Castro" Women Institute of the Galician capital.

In 1961 he received a Diploma in Psychology and Psychotechnic by the University of Madrid and and in 1967 receives a doctorate by the University of Madrid, with a thesis on L’essència del cinema. Teoria de les estructures.
He publishes several works, such as: La depresión cultural gallega; El COU, análisis de una experiencia; Luis Bello. Viaje por la escuela de Galicia. In 1973 obtains the chair of Philosophy by the School of Teacher Training of Valencia and integrates in the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology.

In 1985 is appointed fellow emerit of the University of Valencia. He publishes works such as: Una ruptura en la enseñanza and Qué otra escuela. He has represented the MEC in international meetings of the OCDE-CERI and has collaborated in the researches of the INCIE.