“(…) Delfim Santos (1907–66), who started mentioning Kierkegaard regularly as early as 1933, i.e., before Casais Monteiro’s translation of The Sickness unto Death. In the essay “Dialéctica Totalista” (Presença, vol. 2, no. 39, 1933) Delfim Santos reviewed the theory of stages and the concept of liberty as action (see Obras Completas de Delfim Santos, vol. 1, Lisbon: Fundação Gulbenkian 1971, 31–38).
On the other hand, Delfim Santos’ influence was predominantly institutional; a professor at the University of Lisbon, he was, among (Leonardo) Coimbra’s disciples, the one who left an indelible presence in Philosophy and Pedagogy Studies until his death. Though he did not hold a Philosophy chair, he was the head of the Pedagogical Sciences Department for almost twenty years; this enabled him to influence various generations of graduate students who had to pass difficult entrance examinations to be admitted to teaching posts at public secondary schools. In an “In Memoriam” article, his role as professor and his philosophy (including the role of Kierkegaard in his thought) are acknowledged by eight representative personalities of his time (from editors to academy colleagues). See “Delfim Santos: um Destino Português”, O Tempo e o Modo, nos. 43–4, 1966, 1080–1101.
Delfim Santos read Kierkegaard in German, and his main philosophical interest and points of references were Heidegger and Nikolai Hartmann; he contributed regularly to general and philosophical publications and to the daily press, besides publishing four main works. From 1933 until one of his last articles in 1966, he made constant reference to Kierkegaard, though he focused especially on his role in the emergence of the philosophy of Heidegger and on his influence on existentialism. He always underscored the unique nature of Kierkegaard’s thought, accurately presenting the philosopher’s point of view on irony, subjectivity, anxiety, despair, among other key concepts, not forgetting to signal the first centenary of Kierkegaard’s death in the opening speech of the first Philosophy Congress in Portugal in 1955. Among other texts by Delfim Santos, see “The Value of Irony” (“O valor da Ironia,” 1943, in his Obras Completas, vol. 1, 349–353); “The Existential Meaning of Anxiety” (“Sentido Existencial da Angústia,” 1952, in his Obras Completas, vol. 2, 154–164); “Jaspers in Contemporary Philosophy” (“Jaspers na Filosofia Contemporânea,” in his Obras Completas, vol. 2, 268–279); “Philosophy as Fundamental Ontology” (“Filosofia como Ontologia Fundamental,” in his Obras Completas, vol. 2, 213–216)”.
Elisabete de Sousa
Texto completo aqui: ESousa_Kierkegaard_s_Intern_Reception_Southern_Central_and_Eastern_Europe