El itinerario religioso de José Cadalsocreencia, filosofía y concepción utilitaria de la fe

Resumen

Research on the thought of José Cadalso (1741–82) constitutes a valuable instrument for identifying common characteristics of the ideology of the Spanish Enlightenment, given the importance of the author and his work among his contemporaries. In this sense, the evolution of his attitudes and ideas about religion are not only of interest in themselves; they also have the added value of representing what is probably the itinerary followed by an important number of peninsular writers in the second half of the eighteenth century. This article contributes to research on Cadalso by highlighting three aspects related to religion in his life and work. First, the change in his personal beliefs from initial Catholicism to a progressive distancing that culminated on the fringes of the Church. Second, as a consequence of this process, the deist approach present in much of his work. And finally, a utilitarian vision of religious belief that appears scattered in his writing.