Weakening Philosophy

Gianni Vattimo is one of the world's most important philosophers, yet he has received scant attention in the English-speaking world. The essays in "Weakening Philosophy", from leading figures such as Umberto Eco and Charles Taylor, introduce his ideas to a wider audience. Moving away from Jacques Derrida's deconstructionism and Paul Ricoeur's hermeneutics, and building on his experiences as a politician, Vattimo asks if it is still possible to speak of moral imperatives, individual rights, and political freedom. Acknowledging the force of Nietzsche's "God is dead," Vattimo argues for a philosophy of pensiero debole or "weak thinking" that shows how moral values can exist without being guaranteed by an external authority. His secularising interpretation stresses anti-metaphysical elements and puts philosophy into a relationship with postmodern culture. Bringing together twenty-one influential philosophers, theologians, and literary critics, "Weakening Philosophy" is an important assessment of Vattimo's influence and the major tenets of his thought.