Of Reality: The Purposes of Philosophy

ISBN-13: 9780231166966 / Angielski / Twarda / 2016 / 248 str.

Gianni Vattimo; Robert T. Valgenti

Opis

We think it is wise to accept reality, rather than fight for something that does not exist or might never be. But in Of Reality, Gianni Vattimo condemns this complacency, with its implicit support of the status quo. Instead he urges us to never stop questioning, contrasting, or overcoming reality, which is not natural, inevitable, or objective. Reality is a construct, reflecting, among other things, our greed, biases, and tendencies toward violence.

It is no accident, Vattimo argues, that the call to embrace reality has emerged at a time when the inequalities of liberal capitalism are at their most extreme. Developed from his popular Gifford Lectures, this book advances a critical approach that recovers our interpretive powers and native skepticism toward normative claims. Though he recognizes his ideas invite charges of relativism, the philosopher counters with a discussion of truth, highlighting its longstanding ties to history and social circumstance. Truth is always contingent and provisional, and reason and reasonableness are bound to historical context. Truth is therefore never objective, and resistance to reality is our best hope to defeat the indifference that threatens the scope of freedom and democracy.

Recenzje

"Of Reality represents the fullness of Professor Vattimo's philosophical journey, which places him at the heart of contemporary European thought. Realistic in the face of our post-metaphysical age, Vattimo's philosophy is rooted in a theological and political vision that needs to be taken with the utmost seriousness." - David Jasper, Distinguished Overseas Professor, Renmin University of China

O autorze

Gianni Vattimo, geboren 1936 in Turin, studierte Philosophie in Turin sowie in Heidelberg bei Hans-Georg Gadamer und Karl Löwith. 1964 wurde er Professor für Ästhetik in Turin, 1982 übernahm er dort den Lehrstuhl für Theoretische Philosophie. Von 1999 bis 2004 war Gianni Vattimo linksdemokratischer Abgeordneter im Europäischen Parlament.