João Ribeiro e a filosofia no Brasil : teoria e prática na produção de sentidos sobre a história universal (1892-1932)

Abstract

This paper analyzes the ideas and practices of the Brazilian historian João Ribeiro about his understanding of philosophy, history and philosophy of history. As basic sources are employed Articles "Philosophy in Brazil" (1917), the essay "The science in history" (1894) and the didactic writing "Universal History" in three versions, published respectively in 1918, 1924 and 1932 subjected to exegesis and hermeneutics strategies. The results indicate that João Ribeiro understands philosophy as metaphysical study focused on transcendence and history, as a science whose object is made up of social action and its scientific founded on universal laws. The analysis of World history shows that its didactic historiography narrates events that establish a philosophy of history. João Ribeiro adopts in his compendium line of succession civilization river (Nile, Euphrates)/Mediterranean civilization (Greek and Roman)/Atlantic civilization (modern people) and distinguishing the history of Eastern peoples as the oldest testimonies of civilization followed by the Greeks and the Romans and the modern people - fruits of fragmentation of Greco-Roman civilization, refers to the classical division of the German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel developed in his "History of Philosophy" (1837).