Abstract

This dissertation analyzes the concept of freedom in the thought of Paulo Freire, a Brazilian philosopher. The six chapters of this work are divided in three principal parts: ;The first part discusses the method applied throughout the dissertation and the circumstances that affect Freire as a Latin American philosopher. The first chapter explains the dialectical method in three different contexts: that of European philosophy , Latin American philosophy , and that used in this work. The second chapter discusses the historical, socio-economic, educational, and ideological context of Latin America and Brazil. It examines the way in which this reality determines Freire's thought. This chapter also introduces Freire's life and work. ;The second part discusses Freire's thought in three chapters. The first analyzes Freire's philosophical thought as a social world-view, as a philosophy of praxis, and as a philosophical anthropology. The second chapter explores Freire's philosophy of education which has its starting-point in the anthropological foundations of culture. The traditional education finds its fundamental need in its own reconceptualization of its principles. The task of education must be the creation of a critical consciousness in order to fight for freedom. The third chapter discusses the concepts of freedom and liberation: freedom as a concept in the midst of its limitations, freedom as liberation to overcome its limitations, and freedom as a permanent humanizing agent of political life. ;The third part includes a critical evaluation of Freire's thought as well as the final conclusions. The critical evaluation is carried out from the perspective of the European philosophical influences and also from the perspective of a social philosophy of education. Freire's philosophy of praxis and his philosophy of education construct a philosophy of freedom. The practical implications of these principles are an education for freedom. ;In conclusion, Freire proposes a dynamic concept of freedom against oppression. This freedom is a constant struggle of liberation which, even in its success, is an ongoing creation of a political mode of life