Nicola Abbagnano
Encyclopedia
Nicola Abbagnano was an Italian
existential philosopher.
in the area. He studied in Naples
, and in November 1922 obtained a degree in philosophy
, his thesis that became the subject of his first book Le sorgenti irrazionali del pensiero (1923). His mentor was Antonio Aliotta
. In the following years he taught philosophy and history at the Liceo Umberto I°, in Naples, and from 1917 to 1936 he was the professor of philosophy and pedagogy
in the Istituto di Magistero Suor Orsola Benincasa. At the same time he actively contributed as secretary of editorial staff to the review Logos
, edited by his mentor Aliotta. From 1936 to 1976 he was a full professor of History of Philosophy, and then in 1939 he was appointed to a full time professorhsip at the Faculty of Letters and philosophy at the University of Turin
.
Immediately after World War II
he helped found the Centro di studi metodologici in Turin
. With his student, Franco Ferrarotti, Abbagnano founded in 1950 the Quaderni di sociologia, and in 1952 he was joint editor with Norberto Bobbio of the Rivista di filosofia. Then from 1952 to 1960 he inspired a group of scholars for a "New Enlightenment," and organized a series of conventions attended by the philosophers who were engaged in the construction of a "lay" philosophy and who were interested in the main trends of the foreign philosophical thought. In 1964 he began his contributions to the Turin newspaper La Stampa
. In 1972 he moved to Milan
and discontinued his contributions to La Stampa, but began writing for Indro Montanelli
's Giornale. In Milan he held the office of Town Councillo, elected from the lists of the Liberal Party
, and was also the Councillor of Culture. He died on 9 September 1990, and was buried in the cemetery of Santa Margherita Ligure
, the Riviera
town where he had spent his vacations for many years.
, which by this time was also the interest of the general Italian philosophical culture. He formulated an original version of existentialism in his widely recognized book, La struttura dell'esistenza (1939), which was followed by his Introduzione all'esistenzialismo (1942) and a set of essays collected in Filosofia religione scienza (1947) and by Esistenzialismo positivo (1948). In 1943 he played a very important part in the debate on existentialism that appeared in Primato, the review of the fascist opposition led by Giuseppe Bottai.
In the first years after the war, Abbagnano's interest turned to American pragmatism
, above all is the version offered by John Dewey
to the philosophy of science and to neopositivism. In existentialism, having freed himself from the negative implications he found in Heidegger, in Jaspers
, in Sartre, in Dewey's pragmatism
and in neopositivism, Abagnano saw the signs of a new philosophical trend, that he called a "New Enlightenment" in an article written in 1948. The development of this idea in the fifties was precisely characterized both by his interest in science, in particular, sociology, and by an attempt to define the program of a philosophy, that he first called a "New Enlightenment" and later a "methodological empirism". During this period essays were collected in Possibilità e libertà (1956) and in Problemi di sociologia (1959) but, one of his most important works is the Dizionario di filosofia (1961), a true "summa" meant to clarify the principal concepts of philosophy.
Besides the volumes and the essays on theoretical character, Nicola Abbagnano, since his youth he has published many historical monographs, including; Il nuovo idealismo inglese e americano (1927), La filosofia di E. Meyerson e la logica dell'identità (1929), Guglielmo d'Ockham (1933), La nozione del tempo secondo Aristotele (1933), Bernardino Telesio (1941). His major historiographic work is found in the Storia della filosofia published by UTET (1946–1950), which was preceded by the Compendio di storia della filosofia (1945–1947), which was closer to a textbook. A few years later the latter was followed by a collection entitled Storia delle scienze, which he coordinated for UTET (1962). Abbagnano's defined his philosophy as "positive existentialism". His "philosophy of possible" condemned other existentialists for either denying human possibility or exaggerating it. In his later work he tended to adopt a more naturalistic and scientific approach to philosophy. Some of his writings were translated into English in Critical Existentialism (ed. by Nino Langiulli, 1969).
His work in the last decades, starting from 1965 on, mainly consists of articles appearing in La Stampa and in Giornale that were later assembled in different collections, Per o contro l'uomo (1968), Fra il tutto e il nulla (1973), Questa pazza filosofia (1979), L'uomo progetto Duemila (1980), La saggezza della vita (1985), La saggezza della filosofia (1987). His last book, written a few months before his death, is the autobiographical text Ricordi di un filosofo (1990).
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
existential philosopher.
Life
Nicola Abbagnano was born in Salerno on 15 July 1901. He was the first born son of a middle-class professional family, his father was a practicing lawyerLawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
in the area. He studied in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, and in November 1922 obtained a degree in philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, his thesis that became the subject of his first book Le sorgenti irrazionali del pensiero (1923). His mentor was Antonio Aliotta
Antonio Aliotta
Antonio Aliotta was an Italian philosopher.He was born in Salerno and studied philosophy at the University of Florence, graduating in 1903. His initial work was in experimental psychology. In 1912 he won the Paladin prize for his work, La reazione idealistica contro la scienza...
. In the following years he taught philosophy and history at the Liceo Umberto I°, in Naples, and from 1917 to 1936 he was the professor of philosophy and pedagogy
Pedagogy
Pedagogy is the study of being a teacher or the process of teaching. The term generally refers to strategies of instruction, or a style of instruction....
in the Istituto di Magistero Suor Orsola Benincasa. At the same time he actively contributed as secretary of editorial staff to the review Logos
Logos
' is an important term in philosophy, psychology, rhetoric and religion. Originally a word meaning "a ground", "a plea", "an opinion", "an expectation", "word," "speech," "account," "reason," it became a technical term in philosophy, beginning with Heraclitus ' is an important term in...
, edited by his mentor Aliotta. From 1936 to 1976 he was a full professor of History of Philosophy, and then in 1939 he was appointed to a full time professorhsip at the Faculty of Letters and philosophy at the University of Turin
University of Turin
The University of Turin is a university in the city of Turin in the Piedmont region of north-western Italy...
.
Immediately after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he helped found the Centro di studi metodologici in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
. With his student, Franco Ferrarotti, Abbagnano founded in 1950 the Quaderni di sociologia, and in 1952 he was joint editor with Norberto Bobbio of the Rivista di filosofia. Then from 1952 to 1960 he inspired a group of scholars for a "New Enlightenment," and organized a series of conventions attended by the philosophers who were engaged in the construction of a "lay" philosophy and who were interested in the main trends of the foreign philosophical thought. In 1964 he began his contributions to the Turin newspaper La Stampa
La Stampa
La Stampa is one of the best-known, most influential and most widely sold Italian daily newspapers. Published in Turin, it is distributed in Italy and other European nations. The current owner is the Fiat Group.-History:...
. In 1972 he moved to Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
and discontinued his contributions to La Stampa, but began writing for Indro Montanelli
Indro Montanelli
Indro Montanelli was an Italian journalist and historian, known for his new approach to writing history in books such as History of the Greeks and History of Rome....
's Giornale. In Milan he held the office of Town Councillo, elected from the lists of the Liberal Party
Liberal Party (Italy)
The Liberal Party was a minor liberal political party in Italy.It was founded in 1994 by former members of the Italian Liberal Party who wanted to join the centre-right coalition led by Silvio Berlusconi. Most of its leading figures were also members of Forza Italia: Stefano De Luca, Carlo...
, and was also the Councillor of Culture. He died on 9 September 1990, and was buried in the cemetery of Santa Margherita Ligure
Santa Margherita Ligure
thumb|250px|Villa Durazzo.Santa Margherita Ligure is a comune in the province of Genoa in the Italian region Liguria, located about 35 km southeast of Genoa, in the Tigullio traditional area.left|220px|thumb|16th century castle....
, the Riviera
Riviera
Riviera is an Italian term originally from the Middle Ages for the coast of Liguria. The term is now more generally applied to any coastal area popular with tourists, particularly in warm areas...
town where he had spent his vacations for many years.
Works
During the Neapolitan period Abbagnano's theoretical work is represented by Le sorgenti irrazionali del pensiero (1923), as well as Il problema dell'arte (1925), La fisica nuova (1934) e Il principio della metafisica (1936). These works are all influenced by the teaching of Aliotta, who encouraged Abbagnano's interest in the methodological problems of science. Equally influential was the anti-idealist controversy that is particularly evident in his volume on art. After moving to Turin, Abbagnano turned to the study of existentialismExistentialism
Existentialism is a term applied to a school of 19th- and 20th-century philosophers who, despite profound doctrinal differences, shared the belief that philosophical thinking begins with the human subject—not merely the thinking subject, but the acting, feeling, living human individual...
, which by this time was also the interest of the general Italian philosophical culture. He formulated an original version of existentialism in his widely recognized book, La struttura dell'esistenza (1939), which was followed by his Introduzione all'esistenzialismo (1942) and a set of essays collected in Filosofia religione scienza (1947) and by Esistenzialismo positivo (1948). In 1943 he played a very important part in the debate on existentialism that appeared in Primato, the review of the fascist opposition led by Giuseppe Bottai.
In the first years after the war, Abbagnano's interest turned to American pragmatism
Pragmatism
Pragmatism is a philosophical tradition centered on the linking of practice and theory. It describes a process where theory is extracted from practice, and applied back to practice to form what is called intelligent practice...
, above all is the version offered by John Dewey
John Dewey
John Dewey was an American philosopher, psychologist and educational reformer whose ideas have been influential in education and social reform. Dewey was an important early developer of the philosophy of pragmatism and one of the founders of functional psychology...
to the philosophy of science and to neopositivism. In existentialism, having freed himself from the negative implications he found in Heidegger, in Jaspers
Jaspers
Jaspers can refer to* Dick Jaspers , a Dutch professional carom billiards* Karl Jaspers, German psychiatrist and philosopher* Jason Jaspers , a professional ice hockey centre from Canada...
, in Sartre, in Dewey's pragmatism
Pragmatism
Pragmatism is a philosophical tradition centered on the linking of practice and theory. It describes a process where theory is extracted from practice, and applied back to practice to form what is called intelligent practice...
and in neopositivism, Abagnano saw the signs of a new philosophical trend, that he called a "New Enlightenment" in an article written in 1948. The development of this idea in the fifties was precisely characterized both by his interest in science, in particular, sociology, and by an attempt to define the program of a philosophy, that he first called a "New Enlightenment" and later a "methodological empirism". During this period essays were collected in Possibilità e libertà (1956) and in Problemi di sociologia (1959) but, one of his most important works is the Dizionario di filosofia (1961), a true "summa" meant to clarify the principal concepts of philosophy.
Besides the volumes and the essays on theoretical character, Nicola Abbagnano, since his youth he has published many historical monographs, including; Il nuovo idealismo inglese e americano (1927), La filosofia di E. Meyerson e la logica dell'identità (1929), Guglielmo d'Ockham (1933), La nozione del tempo secondo Aristotele (1933), Bernardino Telesio (1941). His major historiographic work is found in the Storia della filosofia published by UTET (1946–1950), which was preceded by the Compendio di storia della filosofia (1945–1947), which was closer to a textbook. A few years later the latter was followed by a collection entitled Storia delle scienze, which he coordinated for UTET (1962). Abbagnano's defined his philosophy as "positive existentialism". His "philosophy of possible" condemned other existentialists for either denying human possibility or exaggerating it. In his later work he tended to adopt a more naturalistic and scientific approach to philosophy. Some of his writings were translated into English in Critical Existentialism (ed. by Nino Langiulli, 1969).
His work in the last decades, starting from 1965 on, mainly consists of articles appearing in La Stampa and in Giornale that were later assembled in different collections, Per o contro l'uomo (1968), Fra il tutto e il nulla (1973), Questa pazza filosofia (1979), L'uomo progetto Duemila (1980), La saggezza della vita (1985), La saggezza della filosofia (1987). His last book, written a few months before his death, is the autobiographical text Ricordi di un filosofo (1990).
Selected bibliography
- Le sorgenti irrazionali del pensiero, Napoli, 1923
- Il problema dell'arte, Napoli, 1925
- Il nuovo idealismo inglese e americano, Napoli, 1927
- La filosofia di E. Meyerson e la logica dell'identità, Napoli-Città di Castello, 1929
- Guglielmo di Ockham, Lanciano, 1931
- La nozione del tempo secondo Aristotele, Lanciano, 1933
- La fisica nuova. Fondamenti di una nuova teoria della scienza, Napoli, 1934
- Il principio della metafisica, Napoli, 1936
- La struttura dell'esistenza, Torino, 1939
- Bernardino Telesio e la filosofia del Rinascimento, Milano, 1941
- Introduzione all'esistenzialismo, Milano, 1942
- Filosofia religione scienza, Torino, 1947
- L'esistenzialismo positivo, Torino, 1948
- Possibilità e libertà, Torino, 1956
- Storia della filosofia, Torino, 1966
- Per o contro l'uomo, Milano, 1968
- Fra il tutto e il nulla, Milano, 1973
- Questa pazza filosofia ovvero l'Io prigioniero, Milano, 1979
- La saggezza della filosofia. I problemi della nostra vita, Milano, 1987
- Dizionario di filosofia, Torino, 1987
- Ricordi di un filosofo, Milano, 1990
- Scritti neoilluministici, Torino, 2001