José Manuel Santos was a professor at UBI from 1994 to 2019, developing his teaching and research activities in contemporary philosophy, particularly in phenomenology, ethics, and political thought. In addition to being responsible for introducing the field of philosophy at UBI and its various degree programs, he founded the Institute of Practical Philosophy in 2003, a research unit recognized and funded by the FCT, which he coordinated until 2015.

The ceremony will also feature the launch of the work "Practical Philosophy: A Tribute to José Manuel Santos," published by Documenta. This tribute volume includes twenty-seven texts from individuals whose intellectual biographies intersected with that of José Manuel Santos, whether as colleagues, students, or mentees.

The event will be broadcast online.

Biographical Note

Born in Lisbon in 1952, José Manuel Santos moved to Paris in 1972, where he studied philosophy (undergraduate and master's degrees) and obtained his doctorate from the University of Paris I-Panthéon-Sorbonne in 1982, with a thesis on E. Husserl's "Logical Investigations." He moved to Germany in 1980 to prepare for his doctorate at the Husserl Archives of the University of Cologne and later pursued postdoctoral studies at the University of Wuppertal. It was at this university that he began his teaching career as a philosophy professor.

He returned to Portugal in 1994. From that year until his retirement in 2019, he developed his teaching and research activities at UBI, where he was an Associate Professor of philosophy, teaching contemporary philosophy, particularly phenomenology, ethics, and political thought.

In 2002, he co-founded the AFFEN, the Portuguese Association of Phenomenological Philosophy, with João Paisana and Pedro Alves. In 2003, he established the Institute of Practical Philosophy at UBI, a research unit recognized and funded by the FCT, which he coordinated until 2015. He has numerous publications in the mentioned research areas, notably his "Manual of Ethics," which has become a reference beyond the specific domain of philosophy.