Appunti sul concetto di ‘dilettante’ nel Novecento

Abstract

This article traces the various circumstances surrounding the term ‘dilettante’, starting with the definition provided by Paul Bourget in 1880 to indicate the impossibility to master all experiences. In Italy Enrico Nencioni and Benedetto Croce reclaimed Bourget’s definition when they called D’Annunzio a ‘dilettante of sensations’. Subsequently, however, passing from Croce to Adorno’s Minima moralia, there emerged the idea of the dilettante as a sort of counterpoint to the compartmentalization of knowledge and the division of labour. In the late 20th century, it was Primo Levi in particular who in L’altrui mestiere [Other People’s Trades] defined the attitude of the curious dilettante as someone who manages to go beyond the specialization required of the workforce. Similarly, the latest trends in management theory indicate the need for managers who can see past the confines of specialized sectors and use their curiosity and open-mindedness to resolve business issues.