In this edition of the Philosophical Essay Prize of the Portuguese Philosophical Society (SPF), aimed at published essays, the jury, composed of Adriana Veríssimo Serrão, Alexandra Abranches, José Meirinhos, Luísa Couto Soares, Olivier Feron and Pedro Galvão, and the President of the SPF, André Barata, decided to award the prize to the essay “What is Philosophy?” by António Castro Caeiro, considering it a brilliant work that takes the reader to the heart of the questions that make up the timeless inventory of philosophical problems.
According to the jury, in “What is Philosophy?” NOVA FCSH Professor António Caeiro recovers the original vocation of foundational knowledge, which aims at the totality of reality, always rooted in the vital questions of man and carried out as a communal exercise and dialogue.
“In times of crisis, such as the present, we may need philosophy. Otherwise, life is difficult. Otherwise, we drag ourselves along with a slowness that could cost us centuries. Mankind has been where we are now. And it wasn’t so long ago. We know well what the horrors of desolation, disease and war are. Philosophy has always tried to anticipate and improve possibilities. In the face of difficulties, philosophy tries to find solutions, especially when in life we succumb to a total lack of understanding. But perhaps there is still time to find meaning if we work towards it together”, says António Caeiro, regarding this award.
An honourable mention was also given to the work Uncomposed Art: Stanley Cavell, Aesthetics and the Future of Philosophy, by Sofia Miguens.