A daring marriage of philosophical theory and practical
politics, this collection is the first of Gianni Vattimo's many
books to combine his intellectual pursuits with his public and
political life. Vattimo is a paradoxical figure, at once a
believing Christian and a vociferous critic of the Catholic Church,
an outspoken liberal but not a former communist, and a recognized
authority on Nietzsche and Heidegger as well as a prominent public
intellectual and member of the European parliament. Building on his
unique position as a philosopher and politician, Vattimo takes on
some of the most pressing questions of our time: Is it still
possible, long after Nietzsche proclaimed the death of God, to talk
of moral imperatives, individual rights, or political freedom? Are
these values still relevant in today's world?
Tackling these crucial issues, Gianni Vattimo argues that
nihilism is not the absence of meaning but a recognition of a
plurality of meanings; it is not the end of civilization but the
beginning of new social paradigms. Commonly associated with the
pessimistic belief that all of existence is meaningless, nihilism,
as a philosophical principle, is far less sensational -- it is the
ethical doctrine that there are no moral absolutes or infallible
natural laws, that "truth" is inescapably subjective. Because the
conditions for equality and liberty are not "naturally" given,
society must actively create these ideals or it will inevitably
fall prey to irrationality, prejudice, and oppression. Vattimo
contends that the infighting, timidity, and confusion that have
overtaken contemporary liberal thought and politics are the
products a prolonged and indulgent mourning over the loss of the
transcendental father figure -- any institution or power structure
that defines truth, knowledge, and reality. Until humanity
overcomes its need for external authority -- whether it be
organized religion, the nation-state, or free-market capitalism --
emancipation will remain unattainable. Collecting fourteen of
Vattimo's most influential essays on ethics, politics, and law,
"Nihilism and Emancipation" is a provocative reevaluation of
meaning, values, and the idea of freedom in Western culture.
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