Gianni Vattimo (1936–2023)

Nihilizmi dhe emancipimi na jep një panoramë të shkëlqyer të punës së kohëve të fundit të Vattimo-s, të sfidave të tij interesante dhe origjinale ndaj atyre ideve filozofike që shpesh quhen të sigurta. Edhe ata që nuk janë dakord me përfundimin e argumentit të Vattimo-s, do të përfitojnë duke u thelluar në ritrajtimin e tij joshës e plot imagjinatë të peisazhit filozofik.

I just read the short book "Belief" that Vattimo published in 1995 about his mainly emotional return to his Catholic faith (although you have to take that with a grain of salt). The book left me very unsatisfied, but perhaps that was because I didn't know Vattimo very well. This book makes up for that. It is a kind of autobiography in the form of a long conversation with a (fictitious?) friend.
Like any autobiography, this book is highly apologetic and also illustrates the petty-human, vain show more aspects of Vattimo. But he is not afraid to also talk about the uncertainties in his very erratic life course, even about rather intimate matters; for example his personal struggle with his homosexuality is openly discussed.
On the basis of this book it is perfectly possible to reconstruct an intellectual biography of Vattimo: his proletarian origin and the militant Catholic commitment in his youth and years of study, in the 1950s; his steep academic career as a philosopher, coupled with a strong left-wing commitment, ranging from Maoism to classical communism to libertarian anarchism. As mentioned in "Belief", the postmodernism of René Girard in particular brought him back into Christian water, although that seems more like a return to the warm security of his former environment. Not only philosophical musings (his concept of "soft thinking"), but also the loss of some loved ones played a role in this.
And that brings us to the vulnerable Vattimo, who, with his postmodern relativism, has a keen eye for the uncertainties of existence and an aversion to scientism and fundamentalism (both religious and rationalistic). In this way, this book provides a good view of the fragile existence of a man who, despite his very public role (also in politics), consciously opted for "not being God". show less

Vattimo takes up Nietzsche's proclamation that God is dead, connects it with Heidegger's end of metaphysics, and claims both as critical contributions to the resurgence of religion in postmodernity. In Vattimo's view, the death of God makes a space in which philosophy can seriously engage religion in a pluralistic world. If God is dead, there is no need (and no justification) for philosophical atheism, which, as Vattimo notes, paradoxically affirms God in the act of denial. In fact, there is show more no need (and no justification) for dogmatic proclamation of any absolute-and this is entirely consistent with a Christianity centered on love (as in Augustine's "love, and do what you will"). This Christianity "takes the shape of hospitality" and "must limit itself almost entirely to listening, ...thus giving voice to the guests." In a xenophobic time marked by dizzying proliferation of violent conflicts, it is refreshing to see a politically engaged philosopher (Vattimo is a member of the European Parliament) articulate a philosophy embodied in hospitality. It is a bit jarring when this translates into the museum as a "symbolic model of democracy" (102). But one can hope that Vattimo's readers will be prompted to rethink both museums and democracy in transformation "from universality to hospitality." show less

4.5. Vattimo has a very interesting means of bringing Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Christian scriptures/tradition into dialogue-- a conversation which, although I find pretty satisfying, still seems to be based upon a certain sort of metaphysics-- just what the author is trying to get away from. Well worth the read.