Gianni Vattimo - by Thomas Jared Farmer

About the Book

"Gianni Vattimo (1936-2023) was an Italian philosopher, social critic, and former member of the European Parliament. A controversial figure both at home and abroad, he has described himself paradoxically as "gay, communist, catholic." Nonetheless, Vattimo is indisputably among the most significant Italian philosophers of the last century. Former Emeritus Professor at the University of Turin, where he taught for over 40 years, he has received numerous awards, including the Max Planck Award for Humanities Sciences, The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, and the Hannah Arendt Prize for Political Thinking. Vattimo has delivered the prestigious Cardinal Mercier Chair Lectures at Leuven and the Gifford Lectures at the University of Glasgow. In 2016 an archive and center for Vattimo studies was established at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona. In this book Thomas Jared Farmer examines the unique contributions that Vattimo has made to postmodern thought, as well as to recent debates in political philosophy and religion. His signature concept, "weak thought" (pensiero debole), draws on Heidegger, Marx, and Nietzsche to construct a nonabsolutist approach to the persistent problems of ideology, violence, and social division that have faced our globalized world after the so-called "end of metaphysics." A frequent interlocutor of Derrida, Lyotard, Rorty, Girard, Nancy, John Caputo, and Charles Taylor, his many important and influential books were central to the "return to religion" in continental philosophy"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

Gianni Vattimo (1936-2023) was among the most significant Italian philosophers of the last fifty years. A controversial figure both at home and abroad, he sometimes described himself paradoxically as a "nihilist" and as a "communist Catholic." Despite his provocations--and unusually for an academic philosopher--he served two terms in the European Parliament. For decades, Vattimo was at the forefront of developments in continental philosophy, spanning hermeneutics, postmodernity, and the "return to religion." Drawing on the work of figures such as Heidegger, Marx, Nietzsche, Gadamer, Rorty, and Kuhn, Vattimo constructed his signature concept of "weak thought," a way of approaching the persistent problems of ideology, violence, and social division after the so-called end of metaphysics.

In this book, Thomas Jared Farmer provides a groundbreaking examination of Vattimo's life and work. He considers the distinctive contributions that Vattimo made to postmodern thought as well as to recent debates in political philosophy and religion. This book provides an accessible introduction to Vattimo's overall philosophical project while also contextualizing it through discussions of important intellectual figures, key events in Italian history, and details about his personal trajectory. Authoritative and comprehensive, it is an indispensable companion to the works of one of the most original thinkers to emerge in the second half of the twentieth century.

Review Quotes

After Gianni Vattimo's sparkling "collaborative autobiography," Not Being God, his thought comes alive a second time thanks to Thomas Jared Farmer's carefully researched and lucidly written study. The role of Catholicism in Vattimo's intellectual biography and the place of religion in his philosophy receive particular attention. To my mind, however, the crucial point is this: "weak thought" (pensiero debole), which Vattimo pioneered, should not be forgotten because today its theoretical practice is more necessary than ever before.--Michael Marder, coeditor (with Gianni Vattimo) of Deconstructing Zionism and author of Metamophoses Reimagined

Thomas Jared Farmer's excellent biography of Gianni Vattimo gives an account of his prestigious academic career and turbulent political life, introduces his important theoretical contributions, and reveals their formative effect on twentieth-century postmetaphysical philosophy, religion, and politics. Indispensable.--Santiago Zabala, author of Signs from the Future: A Philosophy of Warnings

Gianni Vattimo's thought continues to inform some of the most important discussions of contemporary philosophy and religion. With this groundbreaking intellectual biography, Farmer provides not only a comprehensive overview of Vattimo's life and work but also an insightful interpretive analysis. You can't really know Vattimo unless you read it!--Clayton Crockett, University of Central Arkansas and Global Centre for Advanced Studies

About the Author

Thomas Jared Farmer is the McDonald Scholar in Residence at the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University School of Law.