Gianni Vattimo, one of Europe's foremost contemporary philosophers
and most famously associated with the concept of weak thought,
explores theoretical and practical issues flowing from his
fundamental rejection of the traditional Western understanding of
Being as an absolute, unchanging, and transcendent reality. The
essays in this book move within the surroundings of Being without
constructing a systematic, definitive analysis of the topic. In
Being and Its Surroundings, Vattimo continues his career-long
exploration of the philosophy of Martin Heidegger, in particular
his repudiation of metaphysics with its presupposition of the
existence of permanent, universal truth, and that of Friedrich
Nietzsche, with its promotion of nihilism. One consequence of
problematizing the idea of an attainable truth is the
relativization of values and cultures. In the face of the death of
God - or the absence of a transcendent guarantor of the validity of
human judgments - we have the postmodern tendency to see all value
systems and assertions of truth as purely subjective, and to
suggest that "anything goes," which Nietzsche called passive
nihilism. Vattimo advocates a more active response as he challenges
all forms of authoritarianism in the world today. He brings his
intellectual acumen to bear on such urgent issues as globalization,
the clash of civilizations and terrorism, the crisis of democracy,
and the relevance of orthodox religion. Rather than endorse
dogmatism or indifference and detachment from social engagement in
the name of relativism, Vattimo opts for the path of meaningful
dialogue and a search for a mediated consensus based on reason,
with all its limitations.
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