Luigi Pareyson Research Articles

The Hermeneutics of Tradition: Political Implications of a Philosophical Legacy

The interrogation of the problematic character of established traditions has become an increasingly dominant feature of contemporary political and social discourse. Gadamer's discussion of tradition takes on an often-unacknowledged utility in light of these discussions by both observing the subtle ways in which tradition persists even in times of social change while also placing an emphasis on the volitional (hence, risky and contingent) character of engagements with tradition. Gadamer's approach allows for a fidelity to tradition that nonetheless allows for a critical, emancipatory engagement with it, a precursor to the more explicitly political projects of hermeneutic thinkers such as Luigi Pareyson and Gianni Vattimo. This hermeneutic lineage offers our modern age a chance to embrace a new and more authentic relationship with the traditions in which we always-already find ourselves situated by giving us the opportunity to make those traditions speak to the challenges of our tumultuous present.

Translation as the Mirror Image of Hermeneutics

The aim of this paper is to question if, in the field of translation and hermeneutics, we are now facing new challenges. In fact, after the renewal of studies on Schleiermacher and the different methods of translating, and after A. Berman’s research on the role of translation in the Bildung and H.-G. Gadamer’s and P. Ricoeur’s work, the relationship between hermeneutics and translation is getting to know a new development. We will identify this new development by exploring a question that emerges from the above work, the question of the untranslatable. Outlined by Ricoeur, by Jacques Derrida and by Walter Benjamin, this concept of the untranslatable is revealed, in the wake of Luigi Pareyson’s hermeneutics, to be positive: rather than expressing the impossibility of translation, it points to the inexhaustible nature of truth.

Dewey’s and Pareyson’s Aesthetics

Even though the American thinker John Dewey and the Italian Luigi Pareyson belong to two different philosophical traditions, on the aesthetic ground they show many resonances and similarities. Using Pareyson’s words, “just as it happens between people, who in particularly happy encounters […] reveal themselves to each other,” it is therefore possible to have Dewey’s aesthetics and Pareyson’s dialogue with each other, highlighting their affinities. This operation can strengthen the idea that the aesthetic experience is a way to fulfil human existence. Thus, the hermeneutic character of Pareyson’s aesthetics in combination with Deweyan pragmatist aesthetic theory not only have great importance for the artistic experience, but also considerable value for human beings’ everyday lives. Starting from some Deweyan resonances in Pareyson’s aesthetics, the discourse focuses on his aesthetics in its educational and hermeneutic significance within the dialogue between the two philosophers, coming, finally, to Dewey’s and Pareyson’s aesthetics in connection with so-called “everyday aesthetics.” Although a Deweyan influence on Pareyson is ascertained, and the similarities between them are not superficial at all, it is worth bearing in mind the different backgrounds of the two philosophers in order to accurately situate their reflections.

God, Evil, Freedom. Reception and Interpretation of Dostoevsky in Luigi Pareyson and his Heirs

The essay aims to focus on reception and interpretation of Dostoevsky in the thought of Luigi Pareyson (1918-1991) and his heirs, who have developed a deep and original theoretical reading of Dostoevsky's work, able to bring out not only its ethical stance, but most of the essential aspects of his thought, and to investigate its current relevance. The reflection of Pareyson – who promoted the introduction of Dostoevsky's thought into the academic circles of Turin, being convinced that philosophy cannot avoid confronting the issues it explores – consists of three main moments: the experience of good and evil, the experience of freedom and the experience of God. Starting from consideration of Dostoevsky's characters as ideas , Pareyson proposes a new and coherent philosophical interpretation of his work, which can undoubtedly be compared to those of Ivanov, Berdjaev, Evdomikov, Sestov. His observations around the Legend of the Grand Inquisitor and the refutation of Ivan – which, according to him, constitute the most significant and theoretically prolific moments of Dostoevsky's production – seem unaffected by the flow of time and could still represent a valuable and indispensable contribution to the understanding not only of the great Russian author, but of human nature itself.

God, Evil, Freedom. Reception and Interpretation of Dostoevsky in Luigi Pareyson and his Heirs

The essay aims to focus on reception and interpretation of Dostoevsky in the thought of Luigi Pareyson (1918-1991) and his heirs, who have developed a deep and original theoretical reading of Dostoevsky's work, able to bring out not only its ethical stance, but most of the essential aspects of his thought, and to investigate its current relevance. The reflection of Pareyson – who promoted the introduction of Dostoevsky's thought into the academic circles of Turin, being convinced that philosophy cannot avoid confronting the issues it explores – consists of three main moments: the experience of good and evil, the experience of freedom and the experience of God. Starting from consideration of Dostoevsky's characters as ideas, Pareyson proposes a new and coherent philosophical interpretation of his work, which can undoubtedly be compared to those of Ivanov, Berdjaev, Evdomikov, Šestov. His observations around the Legend of the Grand Inquisitor and the "refutation of Ivan" – which, according to him, constitute the most significant and theoretically prolific moments of Dostoevsky's production – seem unaffected by the flow of time and could still represent a valuable and indispensable contribution to the understanding not only of the great Russian author, but of human nature itself.

Beyond the Performer: Gadamer, Pareyson, and the Hermeneutics of Improvised Musical Performance

ABSTRACT Philosophical hermeneutics is underrepresented in the literature on music performance. Given the shift from Cartesian subjectivism to anti-subjectivism in the contemporary literature on improvised musical performance, it is somewhat surprising that hermeneutics does not figure more prominently. Since hermeneutics is characterized by a dialectical to-and-fro—the hermeneutical conversation—between interpreter and subject matter, it would appear to offer a strong foundation for an anti-subjectivist account of improvised musical performance. The aim of this essay is to offer such an account. Drawing primarily on the work of Hans-Georg Gadamer and Luigi Pareyson, this essay works through ideas related to the performer’s interpretation of pre-composed musical works, the context and content of the performance event, and the relational character of musical performance. It is argued that improvised musical performance necessarily relies upon a certain hermeneutic relationality.

Dostoevsky overcomes Nihilism: Luigi Pareyson reads The Brothers Karamazov

Dostoevsky overcomes Nihilism: Luigi Pareyson reads The Brothers Karamazov

On Form and Structure: Umberto Eco and the Basis for a Positive Philosophy of the Arts

This essay has two aims. The first is to offer an explanation concerning the problem of form in Umberto Eco’s philosophical research, showing that he deals with it while admitting that form can be a temporary element connected to a system of relationships which may be subject to variability. Namely, his reflection is open to the issue of structure. The second aim is to identify some principles that, according to this theoretical approach, may be considered a basis for a positive philosophy of the arts whose adoption might also lead to the understanding of their most recent evolutions. Focusing above all on the work Eco carried out in the years preceding the elaboration of his semiotic theory, I will pursue the following two objectives. After introducing some aspects of Eco’s philosophical methodology, I will focus on the theme of form, considering it in meta-operative terms in light of Luigi Pareyson’s ‘theory of formativity’ and in relation to the issue of structure. In the final part of the essay, I will then show how this theoretical approach provides significant resources for a positive philosophy that can successfully address the evolution of the arts.

Formative Autonomy: Lessons from Elio Petri

AbstractJohn Baldacchino's discussion of the concept of autonomy in this article runs on the dual track of the arts and education. His aim is to engage with the notion of autonomy in terms of what human beings invent (through art) and know (through education) by what they share as free and intelligent beings who live convivially. Following Luigi Pareyson's argument that by form one means a living organism endowed by its own legality (and thereby its own autonomy), Baldacchino offers an analysis of Elio Petri's film La classe operaia va in Paradiso (The Working Class Goes to Heaven) as context for this discussion, which adds a third dimension to the notion of autonomy: that of the political. Here, autonomy is presented as a triangulation of sorts, where what we mean by the autonomous stands for our artistic, educational, and political dispositions (and abilities) to mediate and represent a number of immediate questions with yet‐to‐be‐found answers.

Xavier Tilliette, la liberté et le fondement. Études sur Lequier et Schelling

Xavier Tilliette, a French Jesuit, recognized for his expertise in the history of German idealism – Schelling in particular – taught in both Paris and Rome. He is also known for his studies in philosophical Christology. These two dimensions of his thought, both philosophical and theological, are united in a spiritual attitude that existentialist concern brought to philosophy. Schelling’s texts on evil offer him arguments to develop his thinking. This is born in the mentality of French reflexive analysis (Lequier). It is developed in France when Schelling’s studies multiplied there (Bruaire). It energizes his philosophical friendships with Italian philosophers such as Luigi Pareyson.

Schelling as a ‘Post-Heideggerian Thinker’

In this paper, I focus on Luigi Pareyson’s interpretation of Schelling, arguing that it must be read in continuity with Pareyson’s early engagement with the philosophies of Heidegger and Jaspers. Firstly, I argue that Pareyson shapes his existentialism on Jaspers’s and Heidegger’s thoughts, and particularly in relation to that which he considers the fundamental question of philosophy, namely ‘why is there Being rather than nothingness?’ Secondly, I demonstrate how Pareyson reads Schelling’s philosophy in light of his interpretations of Jaspers and Heidegger, i.e., in relation to the ‘fundamental question of philosophy’. Finally, I show how Pareyson’s reading of Schelling is centered on the notion of ‘awe of reason’, and how he defines Schelling as a ‘post-Heideggerian thinker’, since Heidegger’s philosophy allows us to innovatively reinterpret Schelling’s philosophy in an existentialist way.

Interpretation, Religion, Politics: A Conversation

In this 2017 conversation, Gianni Vattimo discusses with Paolo Diego Bubbio the core themes of his own philosophical journey. Vattimo first comments on the legacy of his mentor Luigi Pareyson and on the differences between Pareyson’s conception of the relation between truth and interpretation and his own. Vattimo and Bubbio then elaborate on the return to Hegel and the possibility of a “hermeneuticized” Hegelianism. The participants also discuss Vattimo’s view of religion and the role that the Christian notion of caritas plays in his “weak hermeneutics.” Finally, Vattimo comments on his recent political writings and on his view of a “hermeneutic communism,” arguing that revolution is possible only as a collective inner transformation. Vattimo concludes by mentioning his recent essays, collected under the title Being and Its Surroundings, in which he presents the radical thesis of Heidegger’s philosophy as a new form of theology.

Formatividad y producción en las estéticas de Luigi Pareyson y Gianni Vattimo

Los conceptos de formatividad y producción caracterizan las estéticas de Luigi Pareyson y Gianni Vattimo, respectivamente, y forman parte del proceso de renovación de la estética italiana a partir de la segunda mitad del siglo pasado. El énfasis en la formatividad y la producción, permite a los autores afirmar el carácter filosófico de la estética cuya teoría se nutre de la materia prima proporsionada por las experiencias artísticas concretas. A partir del análisis de los textos originales, primero de Pareyson y después de Vattimo, se muestra el carácter ontológico de la estética. El texto de Gianni Vattimo de 1961, Il concetto di fare in Aristotele, es la base para afirmar la tesis según la cual la estética posee una vocación ontológia, anticipando lo expresado por el mismo Vattimo en Ontologia e poesia, de 1967, aspecto hace patente el confronto con Luigi Pareyson.

Studio Practices in Management Education: Creative Adventures in Aesthetic Formativeness

As collaborative artistic inquiries, studios challenge logical–analytical approaches to knowledge. Studio activities entail materializing artifacts to explore a range of management and organization issues. Theoretical references are currently needed to keep pace with the growing interest in studio-informed pedagogy. Inspired by organizational aesthetics, my article engages with Luigi Pareyson’s hermeneutic–aesthetic philosophy of production and theory of formativity for new understandings on the art of “learning-by-making” studio practices. Based in sensory knowing, formativity—conceptualized as aesthetic formativeness—denotes how artistic “making/doing” unfolds through trial and error, socio-material processes involving simultaneous invention and production. Building on previously established analytical distinctions for studying formativeness dynamics in practice, studio experimentations with two distinct MBA cohorts are explored. Excerpts from these studio accounts guide the reader through students’ creative formative adventures. Extensions to the initial conceptual framework are put forward with the aim of contributing more nuanced aesthetic insights on studio-based education. Practical implications and future directions are considered.

Reflexão sobre a construção de sentido na performance musical pela perspectiva do intérprete de música indeterminada

Este trabalho é um desdobramento da pesquisa de doutorado ainda em andamento, intitulada, Acaso e indeterminação na música brasileira: uma análise do repertório violinístico após 1950. Aqui, discutiremos a genealogia do conceito de obra musical até sua cristalização por volta de 1800 e seus reflexos no desenvolvimento da notação e performance musical; as transformações estético-composicionais que surgiram a partir da segunda metade do século XX e suas principais vertentes; e por fim, procuramos oferecer uma breve reflexão sobre a construção de sentido na performance musical pela perspectiva do intérprete de música indeterminada, ou seja, aquela que está sujeita a múltiplas interpretações e relações intersubjetivas. Para isso, fizemos uso de três trabalhos que deram suporte filosófico: The Imaginary Museum of Musical Works (1992) de Lydia Goehr, que se empenhou em traçar a genealogia do conceito de obra musical; Estética: Teoria da Formatividade (1993) de Luigi Pareyson, em que o autor analisa a obra de arte a partir de um ponto de vista formativo – a obra como um objeto em construção e em permanente formação; e Obra Aberta (2003) de Umberto Eco, que apresenta estreita relação com a leitura anterior e trata, entre outras coisas, da dicotomia entre obra aberta e fechada.

The Quest for Ultimate Freedom Person and Liberty in the Russian and Italian Personalism in the 20th Century

The paper concentrates on two main theoretical problems connected with the idea of ‘person’, namely, ‘freedom’ and the ‘reality of evil’. Will be considered both Russian and Italian thinkers. After a presentation of Berdyaev’s philosophy of person and its critics (Vasilii Zenkovsky), alternative theological approaches to personality (Bulgakov, Lossky) will be considered. The last part of the paper deals with the heritage of Dostoevsky and Berdyaev in Italy, focusing on the ‘ontology of freedom’ proposed by Luigi Pareyson. The final remarks try highlight communion as the necessary horizon for freedom and personality.

Risonanze della Teoria della Formatività di Luigi Pareyson nell’Estetica Musicale Contemporanea

In spite of its limited influence on Italian Aesthetics, Luigi Pareyson’s Aesthetics. Theory of formativity is often cited in the contemporary debate about Aesthetic of music. In this paper I will present the context and reception of Pareyson’s theory of formativity, one of the main post-Crocian aesthetic theories. Then, I will introduce some of the key concepts of Pareyson’s Aesthetics as person, form and interpretation; at last, I will show the relevance of these concepts for issues such as: musical gesture, improvisation, written and not written music, musical ontology. Although these terms are rooted in Pareyson’s existentialist and hermeneutic background, quite far from contemporary philosophy of music, they seem to offer valuable tools to think the musical experience as a dynamic process, as an activity which «while it is doing, invents the way of doing».

Luigi Pareyson (1918-1991): verdad y persona. Personalismo, estética, hermenéutica y saber filosófico

Luigi Pareyson is an italian existencialist philosopher, the unknown master of Umberto Eco and Gianni Vattimo. This not very well known philosopher has a consistent anthropology, which carries out its consecuences in his aesthetics and hermeneutics. Consecuently, he also considers philosophy as a permanent dialogue between each person with truth and other persons. This is the future of philosophy, he says.

Reflexões sobre o ateliê como lugar/espaço em processos de criação em Artes Visuais

ResumoEste artigo[1] tem por objetivo refletir sobre o ateliê como lugar/espaço em processos de criação em Artes Visuais, bem como sua relevância na construção intelectual, crítica e reflexiva do artista. Busca-se, assim, possibilidade de compreensão do que seria esse ateliê nas Artes Visuais, sua conceitualização, finalidade e espaço/tempo para a construção de um ser/estar artista em meio ao processo criativo. Nessa perspectiva, propõe-se transitar por ateliês de artistas, em especial, o ateliê de William Kentridge, onde se aponta para a presença dos objetos inseridos neste contexto, investigando a cadeira como possível impulsionadora nos processos cognitivos de criação. Como desdobramento para este estudo, pretende-se também investigar os conceitos de espaço e lugar, assim como a dialética entre a poética e a estética nos processos de criação, ancorando-se nos estudos de René Passeron (1997) e Luigi Pareyson (2001), que neste momento somente serão adotados para elucidar o início da pesquisa. Enviado em: 28 de abril de 2017.Aprovado em: 05 de maio de 2017.

Dramaturgismo: movimentos do olhar – pensamento crítico em processo de criação artística

Este texto pretende focalizar a dimensão crítica da prática do “dramaturgista” como participante de um processo de criação em um trabalho cênico. Entende-se que a dimensão crítica da atividade do “dramaturgista” pressupõe diferentes movimentos da atenção do olhar que têm por finalidade aguçar a percepção na busca pela consistência da pesquisa artística. Como delineamento inicial, tais movimentos hipotéticos serão expostos a partir do conceito de dialética entre forma formante e forma formada, elaborado pelo filósofo italiano Luigi Pareyson, assim como da perspectiva de Max Horkheimer sobre os fundamentos da Teoria Crítica da Sociedade e do ponto de vista do “dramaturgista” como espectador, capaz de lançar um olhar estético-crítico autônomo.