Abstract

In this essay I seek to explore the nucleus of Vasco de Magalhaes-Vilhena’s tought, a predecessor of historical materialism in philosophy in Portugal. For that, I will begin by giving an historical contextualization of the philosopher, followed by the analyses of two of his works. The first corresponds to the book that the author wrote about Antonio Sergio’s philosophical thought, another contemporary thinker. In it, we find one of the main theses of Magalhaes-Vilhena’s critique of philosophical idealism, a distinctive element of Marxist philosophy. The second corresponds to Fragmentos Sobre Ideologia, a collection of texts written by the author while in his exile in France about the role of ideology in science and in society. In this collection we may find another of Magalhaes-Vilhena’s main theses concerning the unity of science. Lastly, I will make a few final considerations incorporating the historical analysis with both book analyses.