Abstract
The aim of this article is to reflect on the ways natural history was mobilized to combat the illustrated materialistic doctrines in Portugal in the second half of the eighteenth century. We propose to analyze the ideas of three important Portuguese men of science who used natural theology to defend, by different means, the validity of Catholic doctrine: the Oratorian priest Teodoro de Almeida and the Franciscan friars Manuel do Cenáculo and José Mayne. We will argue that, in that context of the Enlightenment, such intellectuals saw the need to publicly oppose the “new philosophies of the century”, always seeking to substantiate the legitimacy of Catholic doctrine by its rationality.
Keywords:
Natural theology - natural history - Portuguese enlightenment - Oratorians - Franciscans