The Responsibility of the Philosopher
Published on 19. June 2012
Book
Paperback/Softback
168 pages
978-0-231-15243-3 (ISBN)
Description
Over the course of his career, Gianni Vattimo has assumed a number of public and private identities and has pursued multiple intellectual paths. He seems to embody several contradictions, at once defending and questioning religion and critiquing and serving the state. Yet the diversity of his life and thought form the very essence of, as he sees it, the vocation and responsibility of the philosopher. In a world that desires quantifiable results and ideological expediency, the philosopher becomes the vital interpreter of the endlessly complex. As he outlines his ideas about the philosopher's role, Vattimo builds an important companion to his life's work. He confronts questions of science, religion, logic, literature, and truth, and passionately defends the power of hermeneutics to engage with life's conundrums. Vattimo conjures a clear vision of philosophy as something separate from the sciences and the humanities but also intimately connected to their processes, and he explicates a conception of truth that emphasizes fidelity and participation through dialogue.
Reviews / Votes
There is no better guide to Gianni Vattimo's philosophy than Franca D'Agostini's introduction to this book. One of Vattimo's most skilled students, D'Agostini manages to present both the logic behind weak thought and the novelty of this text, which reveals the Italian master's intuitions on crucial problems of contemporary philosophy. -- Santiago Zabala, author of The Remains of Being: Hermeneutic Ontology After MetaphysicsMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 178 mm
Width: 140 mm
Weight
198 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-231-15243-3 (9780231152433)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Gianni Vattimo | Franca D'Agostini
The Responsibility of the Philosopher
Book
08/2010
Columbia University Press
€76.82
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Persons
Gianni Vattimo is emeritus professor of philosophy at the University of Turin and a member of the European Parliament. His books with Columbia University Press include Hermeneutic Communism: From Heidegger to Marx; A Farewell to Truth; Christianity, Truth, and Weakening Faith: A Dialogue; Not Being God: A Collaborative Autobiography; Art's Claim to Truth; After the Death of God; Dialogue with Nietzsche; The Future of Religion (with Richard Rorty); Nihilism and Emancipation: Ethics, Politics, and the Law; and After Christianity.
Content
Introduction: The Strong Reasons for Weak Thought, by Franca D'Agostini Weakness French Nihilism and Italian Nihilism Nihilism and Difference Difference and Dialectic Nihilism, Hermeneutics, and Postmodernity Verwindung Argumentation and Provenance This Book Postscript (2009) 1. Philosophy and Science After Kant, After Hegel The Flash of the Ereignis The Story of a Comma Science and "Being-not beings" The Edification of Humanity Cumulative Knowledges 2. Philosophy, History, Literature Truth, Rhetoric, History Are History and Ontology Compatible? Mythization of the World Fugues Sciences of Nature and Sciences of the Spirit? 3. Logic in Philosophy Logic and the Logics Logic and the History of Being Philosophy of Logic and Logic of Philosophy Logic and Ontology 4. To Speak the Truth Redemisti nos Domine Deus veritatis The Endless Banquet Do Vampires Exist? 5. The Vocation to Philosophy and the Responsibility of Philosophy Writing for the Newspapers Writing in the First Person The Dive Into Politics Politics Philosopher-style Losing your Soul Filling in the Blanks The Construction of Universality is Political Notes Bibliography Index