The Essay

Spain and Portugal have not had a strong tradition of philosophers. Essay writing, in any case, provides a fascinating showcase of how intellectuals faced the many problems created by historical evolution and isolation. Their awareness of the differences between Europe and Peninsular nations has plagued intellectual life for decades, and has provoked a solid tradition of reactions about the nature of the Peninsula’s specificity with regard to the continent. These reflections have informed aesthetics, political, and moral issues. Essay writing has even created a trend to explain, from a scholarly perspective, these differences.