An introduction to the philosophical thought of Manfredo Oliveira

Abstract

In this article I aim to present an introduction to the philosophical thought of Manfredo Oliveira, a Brazilian philosopher born in Limoeiro do Norte, Ceará, in 1941. I will try to do this based on two topics: the first presents some biographical and contextual components through which the initial foundations of his philosophical thought were built. The second presents a mapping of his central philosophical theses expressed in his books. My hypothesis is that Manfredian philosophy has two fundamental and dialectically inseparable paths: in ontological and metaphysical terms, the incessant search for Being as the horizon of meaning in life; and in ethical terms the commitment to the solidarity and liberating praxis of the poor and most oppressed. In my opinion, these paths are inseparable because the Being is present in the historicity of relationships, and the social being, in turn, finds the meaning of its existence in primordial Being.