[EXTENDED] N. 59 - The essay on the frontiers of philosophy

Submissions are now open for issue 59 of the journal O que nos faz pensar, published by the Philosophy Department at PUC-Rio, in a special issue entitled “The essay at the frontiers of philosophy.”

The dossier will be organized by Manuela Fantinato (UNIRIO) and Tomaz de Tassis (PUC-Rio).

Summary of the proposal: At the beginning of his famous “Essay as Form,” Theodor Adorno argues that the academic community only tolerates as philosophy that which is clothed in the dignity of the universal, and that it is only concerned with a particular work when it can be used to exemplify universal categories. Essay writing, on the contrary, rejects the rules of science, distancing itself from absolute ideas and eternalizing the transitory by elevating experience to the status of knowledge. Its rebellious and anti-systematic nature links it to modern freedom of spirit, while the affirmation of its material nature as writing brings it closer to literature. From the essayistic prose of Sérgio Buarque de Holanda or Octavio Paz to the critical and aesthetic considerations of Georg Lukacs, Walter Benjamin, or Max Bense, the essay opens paths to multiple forms of knowledge, configuring itself as a comprehensive way of dialoguing with social, cultural, and spiritual reality, allowing the exploration of boundaries between philosophy and other human sciences in an exercise that is both poetic and hermeneutic. We invite researchers to focus on the essay as a formal expression and “way of life,” emphasizing its importance for the constitution of reflections on contemporary philosophy and, particularly, Latin American humanities.

The journal O que nos faz pensar is rated Qualis A1 in the new CAPES classification.

The deadline for submissions has been extended to May 23, 2026.

Issue 59 is scheduled for publication in December 2026.