Of Reality
The Purposes of Philosophy GIANNI VATTIMO Translated by Robert T. Valgenti W H Y WE SHO ULD N EVER SET T LE FO R T HE STAT US Q UO.
We tell one another to accept reality, not to fight for something that doesn’t exist or might never be. Gianni Vattimo pushes back against this false wisdom, which lends tacit support to the status quo. Instead, Vattimo 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.
“Of Reality represents the fullness of Vattimo’s philosophical journey, which places him at the heart of contemporary European thought. His philosophy is rooted in a theological and political vision that needs to be taken with the utmost seriousness.” —David Jasper, Renmin University of China
“Of Reality exemplifies a mode of hermeneutical philosophy that is politically engaged without being ideological and that is inspired by the need to stand against enslavement, domination, and suffering. A powerful work by a major figure in contemporary philosophy.” —Jeff Malpas, University of Tasmania
Drawing on Nietzsche and Heidegger, Vattimo develops in this volume a philosophy to combat the newest enemy of freedom and democracy: complacency toward reality. 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. Vattimo’s critical approach revives the interpretative power of the individual and destabilizes the existing order. Though he recognizes that his position invites charges of relativism, Vattimo counters with a reminder of the historical dimensions of truth. Truth is always bound to societal circumstances. It is always contingent and provisional, and reason and reasonableness are tied to historical context. Truth is therefore never objective, and resistance to reality becomes our best hope for countering the ongoing indifference to our fate. GIANNI VATTIMO
is emeritus professor of philosophy at the
University of Turin and former member of the European Parliament. His most recent books include A Farewell to Truth; The Responsibility of the Philosopher; Hermeneutic Communism: From Heidegger to Marx (with Santiago Zabala), and Art’s Claim to Truth, all translated into several languages.
$35.00* / £24.00 cloth 978-0-231-16696-6 $34.99 / £24.00 e-book 978-0-231-53657-8 M A R C H 240 pages P H I LO S O P H Y
World English-language Rights: Columbia University Press; All Other Rights: Garzanti Libri
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