Agostinho da Silva
Encyclopedia
George Agostinho Baptista da Silva, GCSE (ɐɡuʃˈtiɲu dɐ ˈsiɫvɐ; Porto, February 13, 1906 – Lisbon, April 3, 1994) was a Portuguese
philosopher, essay
ist and writer
. His thought combines elements of pantheism
and millenarism, an ethic of renunciation (like in Buddhism
or Franciscanism), and a belief in freedom as the most important feature of man. Anti-dogmatic, he asserts that truth is only found in the sum of all conflicting hypothesis (in paradox
). He may be considered a practical philosopher, living and working for a change in society, according to his beliefs.
He is part of a tradition of visionary
thought that includes Father António Vieira
and the poets Luís de Camões
and Fernando Pessoa
. Like Joachim de Fiore, he speaks of the coming of one (last?) age in History, the Age of the Holy Spirit
, in which mankind and society attain perfection. To Agostinho da Silva, this means the absence of economy, brought about by technological evolution, and the absence of government. It also means that the nature of mankind and the nature of God will become the same. In this sense his philosophy is both an eschatology
and an utopy.
George Agostinho Baptista da Silva was born in Oporto on 1906, and later in the same year moved to Barca D’Alva (Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo
), where he lived until about 6 years old. From 1924 to 1928 he takes Classical Philology
at the Faculdade de Letras of Universidade do Porto. After graduation he starts writing in the Seara Nova magazine (a collaboration that will continue until 1938).
By 1931, as a scholarship student, he attends Sorbonne
and Collége de France
(Paris). Since 1933 he works as a teacher in the Aveiro high school but in 1935 is discharged for refusing to sign a statement (then mandatory to all civil servants) declaring no participation in secret (thus subversive...) organizations.
He creates the Núcleo Pedagógico Antero de Quental in 1939 and in 1940 starts publishing Iniciação: cadernos de informação cultural. Arrested by the secret police in 1943, leaves the country the following year.
He lived in Brazil
, from 1947 to 1969, due to his opposition to the authoritarian regime of the Estado Novo (New State) led by Salazar
. In 1948 he starts working at Instituto Oswaldo Cruz
in Rio de Janeiro
studying entomology
, teaches at Faculdade Fluminense de Filosofia and collaborates with Jaime Cortesão in a research about Alexandre de Gusmão
(18th century Brazilian diplomat). From 1952 to 1954, he teaches at Universidade de Paraíba (João Pessoa) and also in Pernambuco
.
In 1954, again with Jaime Cortesão, he helps organize the 4th Centennial Exhibition of São Paulo
. He was one of the founders of Universidade de Santa Catarina, created the Centro de Estudos Afro-Orientais (Afro-Oriental Studies Center), taught Theater Philosophy at Universidade da Bahia, and, in 1961, became an external policy adviser to the Brazilian president Jânio Quadros
. He helped to create the Universidade de Brasília and its Centro de Estudos Portugueses (Portuguese Studies Center), in 1962, and, two years later, he creates the Casa Paulo Dias Adorno in Cachoeira
and idealizes the Museu do Atlântico Sul in Salvador.
He comes back to Portugal in 1969, after Salazar
's illness and replacement by Marcello Caetano, which originated some political and cultural opening in the regime. From then on he, among many other things, continued to write, teach at Portuguese universities, direct the Centro de Estudos Latino-americanos (Latin-American Studies Center) at Universidade Técnica de Lisboa, and acted as a consultant to Instituto de Cultura e Língua Portuguesa (ICALP, Portuguese Culture and Language Institute).
In 1990, the Portuguese public television channel, RTP1 broadcast a series of thirteen interviews with him, called Conversas Vadias. He died, at the São Francisco de Xavier Hospital, in Lisbon
, in 1994.
A documentary, named Agostinho da Silva: Um Pensamento Vivo, directed by João Rodrigues Mattos, was released by Alfândega Filmes, in 2004. There is an unreleased interview, by António Escudeiro, called Agostinho por Si Próprio, in which he talks about the worship of the Holy Spirit
.
He's revered as one of the leading Portuguese intellectual personalities of the 20th century. Among the books he wrote, there are biographies of Michelangelo
, Pasteur
and St. Francis of Assisi
, and his most influential book is, probably, Sete Cartas a Um Jovem Filósofo (Seven Letters to a Young Philosopher).
He was a vegetarian.
a) "... that each man is different from myself and unique in the universe; that I am not the one, consequently, that must reflect instead of him, [...] that knows what is best for him, [...] that must point his way. Towards him I have only one right: helping him to be himself; as my essential duty to myself is being who I am, as uncomfortable as that may be [...]"
b) "... loving others and wanting their good has been the reason of much oppression and much death [...]; essentially, you must not love in others anything but freedom, theirs and yours. They must, for love, cease being slaves, as must we, for love, cease being slave owners."
c) "And it is the child the one that must be considered the noble savage
, spoiling her, mis-shaping her [...] the least we possibly can [...]"
d) "Believing, thus, that man is born good, which means on my regard that he is born a brother to the world, not its owner and destroyer, I think that education [...] has not been much else than the system through which this fraternity is transformed in domination."
According to Agostinho da Silva, some of the most relevant aspects that shaped the nature of the Portuguese people and influenced the culture of Portuguese-speaking nations are: its popular religiousness, with strong elements of millenarism and mysticism
; a tradition of participatory democracy and autonomy based on small local communities; a tendency towards cultural miscegenation and cosmopolitanism
in balance with a nostalgia for the homeland and its cultural heritage; a slow and difficult adaptation to modernity
, namely to illuminist ideas and capitalist
economy.
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
philosopher, essay
Essay
An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...
ist and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
. His thought combines elements of pantheism
Pantheism
Pantheism is the view that the Universe and God are identical. Pantheists thus do not believe in a personal, anthropomorphic or creator god. The word derives from the Greek meaning "all" and the Greek meaning "God". As such, Pantheism denotes the idea that "God" is best seen as a process of...
and millenarism, an ethic of renunciation (like in Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
or Franciscanism), and a belief in freedom as the most important feature of man. Anti-dogmatic, he asserts that truth is only found in the sum of all conflicting hypothesis (in paradox
Paradox
Similar to Circular reasoning, A paradox is a seemingly true statement or group of statements that lead to a contradiction or a situation which seems to defy logic or intuition...
). He may be considered a practical philosopher, living and working for a change in society, according to his beliefs.
He is part of a tradition of visionary
Visionary
Defined broadly, a visionary, is one who can envision the future. For some groups this can involve the supernatural or drugs.The visionary state is achieved via meditation, drugs, lucid dreams, daydreams, or art. One example is Hildegard of Bingen, a 12th century artist/visionary and Catholic saint...
thought that includes Father António Vieira
António Vieira
Father António Vieira was a Portuguese Jesuit and writer, the "prince" of Catholic pulpit-orators of his time.-Life:Vieira was born in Lisbon to Cristóvão Vieira Ravasco, the son of a mulatto woman, and Maria de Azevedo. Accompanying his parents to Brazil in 1614, he received his education at the...
and the poets Luís de Camões
Luís de Camões
Luís Vaz de Camões is considered Portugal's and the Portuguese language's greatest poet. His mastery of verse has been compared to that of Shakespeare, Vondel, Homer, Virgil and Dante. He wrote a considerable amount of lyrical poetry and drama but is best remembered for his epic work Os Lusíadas...
and Fernando Pessoa
Fernando Pessoa
Fernando Pessoa, born Fernando António Nogueira de Seabra Pessoa , was a Portuguese poet, writer, literary critic and translator described as one of the most significant literary figures of the 20th century and one of the greatest poets in the Portuguese language.-Early years in Durban:On 13 July...
. Like Joachim de Fiore, he speaks of the coming of one (last?) age in History, the Age of the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
, in which mankind and society attain perfection. To Agostinho da Silva, this means the absence of economy, brought about by technological evolution, and the absence of government. It also means that the nature of mankind and the nature of God will become the same. In this sense his philosophy is both an eschatology
Eschatology
Eschatology is a part of theology, philosophy, and futurology concerned with what are believed to be the final events in history, or the ultimate destiny of humanity, commonly referred to as the end of the world or the World to Come...
and an utopy.
Biography
(translated and adapted from: Romana Brázio Valente, "Agostinho da Silva: Síntese Biográfica")George Agostinho Baptista da Silva was born in Oporto on 1906, and later in the same year moved to Barca D’Alva (Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo
Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo
Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 508.6 km² and a total population of 6,884 inhabitants.Located in the Riba Coa , just like other municipalities around Riba Coa, such as Almeida, Meda, Pinhel and Sabugal...
), where he lived until about 6 years old. From 1924 to 1928 he takes Classical Philology
Classical philology
Classical philology is the study of ancient Greek and classical Latin. Classical philology has been defined as "the careful study of the literary and philosophical texts of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds." Greek and Latin literature and civilization have traditionally been considered...
at the Faculdade de Letras of Universidade do Porto. After graduation he starts writing in the Seara Nova magazine (a collaboration that will continue until 1938).
By 1931, as a scholarship student, he attends Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
and Collége de France
Collège de France
The Collège de France is a higher education and research establishment located in Paris, France, in the 5th arrondissement, or Latin Quarter, across the street from the historical campus of La Sorbonne at the intersection of Rue Saint-Jacques and Rue des Écoles...
(Paris). Since 1933 he works as a teacher in the Aveiro high school but in 1935 is discharged for refusing to sign a statement (then mandatory to all civil servants) declaring no participation in secret (thus subversive...) organizations.
He creates the Núcleo Pedagógico Antero de Quental in 1939 and in 1940 starts publishing Iniciação: cadernos de informação cultural. Arrested by the secret police in 1943, leaves the country the following year.
He lived in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, from 1947 to 1969, due to his opposition to the authoritarian regime of the Estado Novo (New State) led by Salazar
António de Oliveira Salazar
António de Oliveira Salazar, GColIH, GCTE, GCSE served as the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1932 to 1968. He also served as acting President of the Republic briefly in 1951. He founded and led the Estado Novo , the authoritarian, right-wing government that presided over and controlled Portugal...
. In 1948 he starts working at Instituto Oswaldo Cruz
Instituto Oswaldo Cruz
The Oswaldo Cruz Foundation is a scientific institution for research and development in biomedical sciences located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, it is considered one of the world's main public health research institutions. It was founded by Dr...
in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
studying entomology
Entomology
Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology...
, teaches at Faculdade Fluminense de Filosofia and collaborates with Jaime Cortesão in a research about Alexandre de Gusmão
Alexandre de Gusmão
----Alexandre de Gusmão is regarded as one of the pioneers of Brazilian Diplomacy, chiefly for his role in negotiating the Treaty of Madrid in 1750 , when Portugal and Spain were attempting to delimit their territorial possessions in South America and Asia...
(18th century Brazilian diplomat). From 1952 to 1954, he teaches at Universidade de Paraíba (João Pessoa) and also in Pernambuco
Pernambuco
Pernambuco is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. To the north are the states of Paraíba and Ceará, to the west is Piauí, to the south are Alagoas and Bahia, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean. There are about of beaches, some of the most beautiful in the...
.
In 1954, again with Jaime Cortesão, he helps organize the 4th Centennial Exhibition of São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
. He was one of the founders of Universidade de Santa Catarina, created the Centro de Estudos Afro-Orientais (Afro-Oriental Studies Center), taught Theater Philosophy at Universidade da Bahia, and, in 1961, became an external policy adviser to the Brazilian president Jânio Quadros
Jânio Quadros
Jânio da Silva Quadros , , was a Brazilian politician who served as President of Brazil for only 7 months in 1961.-Career:...
. He helped to create the Universidade de Brasília and its Centro de Estudos Portugueses (Portuguese Studies Center), in 1962, and, two years later, he creates the Casa Paulo Dias Adorno in Cachoeira
Cachoeira
Cachoeira , is an inland town of Bahia, Brazil, on the Paraguaçu River. The town exports sugar, cotton and tobacco and is a thriving commercial and industrial centre....
and idealizes the Museu do Atlântico Sul in Salvador.
He comes back to Portugal in 1969, after Salazar
António de Oliveira Salazar
António de Oliveira Salazar, GColIH, GCTE, GCSE served as the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1932 to 1968. He also served as acting President of the Republic briefly in 1951. He founded and led the Estado Novo , the authoritarian, right-wing government that presided over and controlled Portugal...
's illness and replacement by Marcello Caetano, which originated some political and cultural opening in the regime. From then on he, among many other things, continued to write, teach at Portuguese universities, direct the Centro de Estudos Latino-americanos (Latin-American Studies Center) at Universidade Técnica de Lisboa, and acted as a consultant to Instituto de Cultura e Língua Portuguesa (ICALP, Portuguese Culture and Language Institute).
In 1990, the Portuguese public television channel, RTP1 broadcast a series of thirteen interviews with him, called Conversas Vadias. He died, at the São Francisco de Xavier Hospital, in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, in 1994.
A documentary, named Agostinho da Silva: Um Pensamento Vivo, directed by João Rodrigues Mattos, was released by Alfândega Filmes, in 2004. There is an unreleased interview, by António Escudeiro, called Agostinho por Si Próprio, in which he talks about the worship of the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
.
He's revered as one of the leading Portuguese intellectual personalities of the 20th century. Among the books he wrote, there are biographies of Michelangelo
Michelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni , commonly known as Michelangelo, was an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer who exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art...
, Pasteur
Pasteur
Pasteur could refer to* Louis Pasteur , French chemist and microbiologist who invented:**Pasteurization**The pasteur pipette, both named after him-Things and places named after Louis Pasteur:* Pasteur Institute* Pasteur point, level of oxygen...
and St. Francis of Assisi
Francis of Assisi
Saint Francis of Assisi was an Italian Catholic friar and preacher. He founded the men's Franciscan Order, the women’s Order of St. Clare, and the lay Third Order of Saint Francis. St...
, and his most influential book is, probably, Sete Cartas a Um Jovem Filósofo (Seven Letters to a Young Philosopher).
He was a vegetarian.
His Own Words
(translated from: Silva, Agostinho da, Educação de Portugal. Lisboa: Ulmeiro, 1989. ISBN 972-706-213-X)a) "... that each man is different from myself and unique in the universe; that I am not the one, consequently, that must reflect instead of him, [...] that knows what is best for him, [...] that must point his way. Towards him I have only one right: helping him to be himself; as my essential duty to myself is being who I am, as uncomfortable as that may be [...]"
b) "... loving others and wanting their good has been the reason of much oppression and much death [...]; essentially, you must not love in others anything but freedom, theirs and yours. They must, for love, cease being slaves, as must we, for love, cease being slave owners."
c) "And it is the child the one that must be considered the noble savage
Noble savage
The term noble savage , expresses the concept an idealized indigene, outsider , and refers to the literary stock character of the same...
, spoiling her, mis-shaping her [...] the least we possibly can [...]"
d) "Believing, thus, that man is born good, which means on my regard that he is born a brother to the world, not its owner and destroyer, I think that education [...] has not been much else than the system through which this fraternity is transformed in domination."
According to Agostinho da Silva, some of the most relevant aspects that shaped the nature of the Portuguese people and influenced the culture of Portuguese-speaking nations are: its popular religiousness, with strong elements of millenarism and mysticism
Mysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
; a tradition of participatory democracy and autonomy based on small local communities; a tendency towards cultural miscegenation and cosmopolitanism
Cosmopolitanism
Cosmopolitanism is the ideology that all human ethnic groups belong to a single community based on a shared morality. This is contrasted with communitarian and particularistic theories, especially the ideas of patriotism and nationalism...
in balance with a nostalgia for the homeland and its cultural heritage; a slow and difficult adaptation to modernity
Modernity
Modernity typically refers to a post-traditional, post-medieval historical period, one marked by the move from feudalism toward capitalism, industrialization, secularization, rationalization, the nation-state and its constituent institutions and forms of surveillance...
, namely to illuminist ideas and capitalist
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
economy.