Agostinho da Silva

Portuguese philosopher, essayist 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.