https://legal.excellentwiki.com/brazil/legal-philosophy/Recent content in Legal Philosophy on ExcellentWiki - Legal EncyclopediaHugoen-USTue, 07 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://legal.excellentwiki.com/brazil/legal-philosophy/brazil-legal-philosophy/Tue, 07 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://legal.excellentwiki.com/brazil/legal-philosophy/brazil-legal-philosophy/<h2 id="introduction">Introduction</h2> <p><strong>Legal philosophy</strong> in Brazil (<em>Filosofia do Direito</em>) has evolved from its colonial roots in Portuguese scholasticism to a vibrant and pluralistic field engaging with global jurisprudential currents. Brazilian legal philosophy has been shaped by Portuguese legal thought, German idealism, French sociological jurisprudence, and American pragmatism. The post-1988 constitutional period has seen a flourishing of <strong>neoconstitutionalism</strong> (<em>neoconstitucionalismo</em>) and a growing engagement with critical legal studies and analytical jurisprudence.</p> <h2 id="historical-development">Historical Development</h2> <h3 id="colonial-and-imperial-periods">Colonial and Imperial Periods</h3> <p>During the colonial period, Portuguese legal philosophy dominated Brazilian thought, particularly the <strong>scholastic tradition</strong> of Thomas Aquinas and the <strong>late scholasticism</strong> of Francisco Suárez and Luis de Molina. The 1824 Imperial Constitution and the Commercial Code of 1850 reflected the influence of <strong>liberal legal thought</strong> and the <strong>exegetical school</strong> of statutory interpretation.</p>