ABSTRACT
The contributions of the Brazilian educator Paulo Freire have greatly challenged the modern educational model. The concept of dialogical education, the non essentialist nature of the educator and learner, and the intimate link between education and politics are all elements that contribute to the creation of new pedagogical visions. Paulo Freire was Catholic but he understood ideological and religious differences from the time he was born. His mother was Catholic and his father was a spiritualist, but Paulo's choice to embrace Catholicism was accepted. Freedom is a concept that is always present in Freire's work. It can be absent, something that is hoped for, an objective, a conflict. Gabriel Marcel's confession about his struggle to break free from the world that imprisoned him had an impact on Freire's work. Freire was accused by the traditional left of focusing too much on culture and of being idealistic, overly spontaneous, and paternalistic.
