Agustín Andreu, a distinguished Valencian philosopher and theologian, passed away this Saturday, May 23rd, at the age of 97. Andreu, born in Paterna on September 30, 1928, dedicated his life to the study of philosophy, theology, and European humanist tradition, developing a spiritual and critical vision of thought far removed from dominant academic trends.

For nearly two decades, he served as a professor at the Faculty of Theology in Valencia, and also taught Ethics and Anthropology at the Polytechnic University of Valencia. His work extended to collaboration with the Institute of Philosophy of the CSIC. Andreu was honorary president of the Spanish Leibniz Society and a pioneer in introducing authors such as Jakob Böhme, Lessing, Leibniz, and Shaftesbury to Spain through translations, essays, and prologues that promoted what he termed “the other Enlightenment”.

Among his most significant works are El cristianismo metafísico de Antonio Machado, El Logos alejandrino, and several volumes of Sideraciones. His figure was closely linked to that of María Zambrano, a relationship captured in Cartas de La Pièce (2002).

The Spanish Civil War, which he experienced at the age of seven in Paterna, profoundly marked his life and work. Andreu recalled in a 2017 interview: “I am a child of the War.” The experiences of the conflict, including the sounds of executions near his home, shaped his material for thinking and living. In that same conversation, he warned of a future of “great catastrophes,” but qualified it with long-term optimism: “I am pessimistic in the short term. Optimistic in the very long term.” Until the end, he maintained a reflective outlook on the human condition, history, and spirituality, stating that “man has not been able to kill the point of good that lies deep within him.”

In an earlier interview in 2006, Andreu had already reflected on the crisis of religion and spirituality in Europe, anticipating a “Christianity of hermitages” and small groups in contrast to the decline of “cathedral Christianity.” Critical of the historical union between religion and political power, he advocated for a faith more rooted in human experience and warned of the dangers of a future without a “very serious method,” which could lead to “at least half a century of ridicule.”