ABSTRACT
If there was an intellectual who, in the second half of the twentieth century, gave a most decisive contribution to the understanding of Brazil, I would not hesitate in stating that this intellectual was Celso Furtado. He did not just offer economic explanations for our development and underdevelopment. More than that, he situated Brazil in a world context, analyzed its society and its politics, and offered solutions for the major problems it faced. In order to achieve this task, as ambitious as frustrating – because, ultimately, Brazil fell short of his great expectations – Furtado used method as well as passion. He was rigorous in his method, but this did not prevent him from viewing with passion the subject matter of his study, which has always been a republican project of life as well: the development of Brazil.
