Philosophy news in Portugal

In this second part of the conversation, philosopher, writer, and columnist Luísa Semedo reflects on empathy as a way to build a better future, discusses the current relationship that relaxes her, motherhood, solitude, friendships that withstand her disappearances and periods of reclusion, and the insomnia that has accompanied her for years. She also shares her concerns about the future of new generations, childhood memories in the Bairro da Serafina, and the small things that bring her the calm and peace she associates with happiness. And she reveals what she still believes in, despite everything: love, music, and the human capacity to keep fighting with joy.

expresso.pt17 Oct

Luísa Semedo (part 2): "I do not believe in religions, but I believe in love and music. If aliens came to Earth, I would show them Prince"

The freest of all men

📜 History 🎭 Culture#philosophy+1 more

It is impossible to believe in a Social Economy model and Cooperativism without acknowledging the enormous role and extraordinary influence of Agostinho da Silva. As we commemorate the 30th anniversary of the CPLP and the 120th anniversary of his birth, we are reminded of his radical commitment to freedom. Silva, a philosopher who defined himself as a medieval man in the 20th century, saw cooperativism as a natural, community-strengthening logic. The article reflects on his legacy, his time in Brazil, and the enduring importance of cooperative values in modern society, arguing that the pursuit of the common good remains a viable and necessary path.

dn.pt18 Sept

The metaphysics of Saudade - a tonality of Portuguese Culture

The dynamic connatural to saudade is not an opening to anguish, but to hope. We all feel the natural and nostalgic desire for this supernatural plenitude in the full harmony of matter and spirit.

observador.pt17 Sept

The metaphysics of Saudade - a tonality of Portuguese Culture

Portugal or the Ship of Theseus: the planks that change so that everything remains the same

🎭 Culture 📜 History#philosophy+2 more

An analysis of the Portuguese political and social landscape using the philosophical paradox of the Ship of Theseus to describe how the country evolves while maintaining its identity.

Observador10 Sept

Joaquim Cerqueira Gonçalves (1930-2026): philosopher and master

Always very reactive to any crystallisations, this freedom radiated from his deeply penetrating gaze and subsists in each of his words, which continue to challenge us. Opinion by António Rocha Martins

publico.pt31 Aug

Joaquim Cerqueira Gonçalves, our Leonardo Coimbra of the second half of the 20th century

Joaquim Cerqueira Gonçalves was essentially a master, someone who trained, in the second half of the 20th century, many of the greatest figures of contemporary Portuguese philosophy. Opinion by Renato Epifânio

publico.pt31 Aug

Joaquim Cerqueira Gonçalves: a major name in Philosophy

📜 History 🎭 Culture#philosophy+2 more

Together with his colleague Francisco da Gama Caeiro, he promoted for decades, at the Faculty of Arts, a philosophical coexistence against the schizophrenic split between discourse and life.

observador.pt24 Aug

Joaquim Cerqueira Gonçalves: a major name in Philosophy

The Lost Descartes

Descartes had something increasingly rare: time in which his mind was not being driven by external stimuli.

observador.pt12 Aug

A philosopher and a blind poet-psychologist: António de Castro Caeiro and Luís Fernandes discuss beauty

And about feelings, the mind, the body and its misconceptions, and boredom. António de Castro Caeiro and Luís Fernandes follow different paths (with intersections) to understand the human condition. We sat them down at the table.

publico.pt27 Jul

We live tired of human imperfection

🎭 Culture 💡 Technology#philosophy+2 more

A government consultant, Jesuit Afonso Seixas Nunes is one of the world's leading experts on AI and autonomous systems. In an interview, he says that humanity is facing a dilemma: be human or be efficient?

observador.pt26 Jul

From the stage to politics, to listen to on the way to the beach

Remember Luís Represas, discover innovative stories and conversations about philosophy and politics

expresso.pt23 Jul

From the stage to politics, to listen to on the way to the beach

Byung-Chul Han sees democracy at risk due to social media

One of the most prominent contemporary thinkers, the Korean Byung-Chul Han, believes that democracy is at risk due to social media and the way it fragments reality. The philosopher, based in Germany, was recently in Porto to participate in the Babell Literary Festival.

rtp.pt11 Jul

Byung-Chul Han sees democracy at risk due to social media

Agostinho da Silva and the Portugal idealised by Camões

🎭 Culture 📜 History#philosophy+2 more

The “great feat” of Portugal was, precisely, to have conquered and maintained, “through blood and fire”, within that peninsular “whole”, its “independence”.

observador.pt9 Jul

Agostinho da Silva and the Portugal idealised by Camões

Yuval Noah Harari in an interview: “Imagine that the richest person in the country is an AI”

🎭 Culture 💡 Technology#philosophy+1 more

“Artificial intelligence could lead to extreme imperialism,” warns the Israeli historian and philosopher in an interview with Expresso. Harari laments that human beings have “the most sophisticated information technology in history” yet are unable to communicate with one another. The author of “Sapiens”, “Homo Deus”, and “Nexus” explains how the transfer of decisions that define who (and what) we are to AI has become widespread.

expresso.pt8 Jul

Yuval Noah Harari in an interview: “Imagine that the richest person in the country is an AI”

Lysistrata has a plan: that all women abstain from sexual relations, forcing men to make peace

During the Espanto - International Philosophy Festival, where the theme under debate is desire, we could not fail to speak with João Constâncio, author of 'Three Discourses on Eros - Meditation on Plato's Phaedrus', and also translator and co-author of the introduction to Aristophanes' 'Lysistrata', a work we also discussed.

expresso.pt25 Jun

Lysistrata has a plan: that all women abstain from sexual relations, forcing men to make peace

“The people in my parents' circle worked in factories and voted for the left. Many are now in the far-right”: an interview with Didier Eribon

🎭 Culture 🏛️ Government#philosophy+2 more

On the eve of a lecture at the Espanto festival this Friday in Cascais, philosopher Didier Eribon spoke to Expresso about his most recent books published in Portugal — one written after his father's death, another about the figure of his mother.

expresso.pt24 Jun

“The people in my parents' circle worked in factories and voted for the left. Many are now in the far-right”: an interview with Didier Eribon

António Castro Caeiro: “The classics are full of future”

“A person alone does not live, they only survive. Living is a social event,” argues António Castro Caeiro, professor and philosopher, who defines “Philosophy” as a “compulsive obsession with transparency.”

observador.pt22 Jun

António Castro Caeiro: “The classics are full of future”

Kierkegaard for drummers

Is it still difficult to understand Kierkegaard? It is a likely sign that he was right. Without fear of ridicule, a drummer gets there calmly.

observador.pt14 Jun

Children are stoic (and we have unlearned it)!

🎭 Culture 🩺 Health#philosophy+1 more

Children achieve a stoic result — presence, acceptance, absence of rumination — without needing stoic training. And science describes well how.

observador.pt14 Jun

Children are stoic (and we have unlearned it)!

Thinking poorly can be more dangerous than thinking little

A fan of humour and power naps, philosopher and professor David Erlich speaks about the triple miracle of life: the fact of existing, being self-aware, and being a self-awareness that laughs at itself.

observador.pt5 Jun

Thinking poorly can be more dangerous than thinking little

For you, dear Edgar

A heartfelt tribute to the late philosopher Edgar Morin, reflecting on his intellectual legacy, his deep connection to Portugal, his personal warmth, and the profound impact of his friendship on the author.

dn.pt5 Jun

Edgar Morin saw in the Portuguese a unique combination of resilience and kindness, of courage and humility

A personal reflection on the life and legacy of philosopher Edgar Morin, highlighting his deep connection to Portugal, his humanistic spirit, his role in the French Resistance, and his enduring intellectual impact.

dn.pt3 Jun

Edgar Morin saw in the Portuguese a unique combination of resilience and kindness, of courage and humility

Edgar Morin and the splendour of his friendship with Portugal

🎭 Culture 📜 History#philosophy+2 more

A reflection on the intellectual and personal connection between the French philosopher Edgar Morin and the country of Portugal.

SAPO31 May

Edgar Morin and the splendour of his friendship with Portugal

Edgar Morin, a master of resistance

He lived through the tragedy of the 20th century, acting as a seismograph that acutely detected the trends of the era, functioning as an alarm that warns us of dangers. He was our contemporary.

publico.pt30 May

Edgar Morin, the philosopher who placed complexity at the centre of our planet

Soromenho-Marques, Rui Vilar and André Barata reflect on the legacy of the philosopher who resisted confining reality to a single explanation. “He was one of the thinkers who most influenced my generation.”

publico.pt30 May

Edgar Morin, a friend I do not forget...

📜 History 🎭 Culture#philosophy+2 more

Since the 1960s, Edgar Morin has been an attentive observer and an enthusiast of the Portuguese process of building democracy. Opinion by Guilherme d'Oliveira Martins

publico.pt30 May

Edgar Morin. Intermittencies of the heart