Abstract

Even today there persist perceptions of the thought of António Sérgio (1883 – 1969) that confine this prominent philosopher, journalist, sociologist and essayist within rather narrow bounds of strictly classicist framing − in other words, immune to the influences of ‘sensibility’. The present study, however, endeavours to suggest that this is no more than a limited glimpse, a glimpse that in fact ignores the intricacy of a Sérgian manner of perceiving. What one confronts here is a cultural myth that calls for being deconstructed in order to demonstrate the substance of Sérgio’s humanist discourse. The study leverages, to this effect, both the philosophy of Jean- Jacques Rousseau (1712 – 1778) and the novel "A Cidade e as Serras" by Eça de Queiroz (1845 –1900).