On the contemporariness of Antonio Vieira’s Fifth Empire project

Abstract

To discuss over a specific thought is, inevitably, to discuss over its contemporariness. It is only possible to argue on a particular thinker to the extent of what he still has something to tell us, as well as on Antonio Vieira, on his thought, and his project: the Fifth Empire. The same works to Plato, Aristotle, Nietzsche or Hegel. If they do not have anything left to tell us, therefore it is impossible, or rather vain to talk about them. Just as entirely vain as to evaluate the importance of a particular thought in the strict horizon of its own time – if a thought has any value, it is insofar as it transcends its own time, in that it may reflect in present time… Hence, by discussing over Antonio Vieira’s Fifth-Empire project, we will mainly try to debate its current actuality