What is there in the Protestant idea of freedom that for several centuries now has attracted and literally seduced Portuguese intellectuals? Why is it that over the last four centuries or so Portuguese intellectuals have so often protested against the lack of freedom in their country and always seemed ready to embrace and enjoy the Protestant idea of freedom, such as that of the British? Why is it, one may further ask, that Portuguese intellectuals never valued their own Catholic idea of freedom, if they ever took the care to notice it at all?These are the questions I shall attempt to answer in this post. First, it must be recalled that the Portuguese people - like all other Catholic peoples - are not known for their independence of thought (see posts below). Portuguese intellectuals are no exception. Being unable to think for themselves, they usually imitate what others think abroad. Their originality is in the imitation of foreign ideas, not in creating new ones. Thus, their enchantement with the foreign, Protestant idea of freedom should come as no surprise. It is no surprise either that, as a rule, they do not care to inquire if there is such a thing as their own, Catholic idea of freedom. And yet, there is one.
It is to these contrasting notions of freedom that I now turn. The idea of freedom is not absolute in either the Catholic or the Protestant traditions. Both of these traditions do impose restrictions on freedom. It is the restrictions imposed upon freedom that make people feel uncomfortable and unfree and ultimately lead them to try to remove such restrictions.
The major restriction on Catholic freedom can be enunciated in the following terms: "Do not talk in public against established authority". In other words, "Do not be an herectic" (latu sensu). The great restriction on Protestant freedom can be formulated as follows: "Do not act in public against established social rules". In other words, "Do not break the rules" (also latu sensu, to include laws, but not only laws, also social conventions)
It is now clear that what Catholic people miss is the ability to speak out in public against authority. This is the source of the irresistible seduction that Protestant freedom exerts on their minds. It probably never occured to them that Protestant people miss something too, namely, the ability to act in public against the rules.
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The greater freedom of expression in the Protestant tradition finds its counterpart in the greater freedom of action in the Catholic tradition. Which of these extra margins of freedom is preferable it is not easy to say as the answer to this question is likely to be a culturally-dependent one.
Two points must be stressed here. First, the enchantment by Portuguese intellectuals for the extra margin of freedom of expression in Protestant culture has only a parallel in the complete disregard they devote to the extra margin of freedom of action in their own Catholic culture. Second, their fascination with that greater freedom of expression of Protestant culture is a direct product of the Reformation, and this leads me to the last point.
What would Portuguese intellectuals - and, generally, Portuguese people - do if they were accorded that extra margin of Protestant freedom of expression which would essentially mean their ability to speak against established authority?
To answer this question it must be recalled how the agents of the Reformation became known among Catholic peoples. They were called Protestants. Thus, what Catholic peoples such as the Portuguese saw in Protestant peoples - something which Protestants did have but Catholics such as the Portuguese did not have -, was their ability to protest against authority. Thus, if we grant Catholic peoples, such as the Portuguese, the same freedom of expression as that prevailing in Protestant countries, what they are going to do with it is protesting.
Two points must be stressed here. First, the enchantment by Portuguese intellectuals for the extra margin of freedom of expression in Protestant culture has only a parallel in the complete disregard they devote to the extra margin of freedom of action in their own Catholic culture. Second, their fascination with that greater freedom of expression of Protestant culture is a direct product of the Reformation, and this leads me to the last point.
What would Portuguese intellectuals - and, generally, Portuguese people - do if they were accorded that extra margin of Protestant freedom of expression which would essentially mean their ability to speak against established authority?
To answer this question it must be recalled how the agents of the Reformation became known among Catholic peoples. They were called Protestants. Thus, what Catholic peoples such as the Portuguese saw in Protestant peoples - something which Protestants did have but Catholics such as the Portuguese did not have -, was their ability to protest against authority. Thus, if we grant Catholic peoples, such as the Portuguese, the same freedom of expression as that prevailing in Protestant countries, what they are going to do with it is protesting.
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Protesting against what? Against everything, for protesting is the very essence, the distinguishing feature, of the Protestant idea of freedom which they so much envy.
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