Critical existentialism

by Nicola Abbagnano

This volume presents for the first time in English a broad and coherent exposition of the ideas of an important existentialist philosopher. Nicola Abbagnano, professor of the history of philosophy at the University of Turin, has been concerned with steering existentialism in a positive direction, making it at once more rigorous as to method and more genuinely relevant to the human situation. In arguing that possibility is the fundamental mode and sense of human reality, he challenges the positions of other existentialists who, though they employ the concept of the possible as the basic tool of philosophical analysis, do so incoherently. By a careful and consistent use of this concept, he clarifies its relations with those of inquiry, commiment, time, freedom and death. A numer of these papers deal with the basic rules for the central concept of possibility, while others distinguish it from those concepts with which it might be confused. Still others explore how it connects philosophy to science, religion, history, art and language. All but two of the essays are newly translated into English especially for this volume. The editor has supplied a lucid Introduction setting forth the main themes of Abbagnano's thought and assessing his over-all philosophical development.

247 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1979

About the author

Leading Italian existentialist, Abbagnano studied in Naples and taught at Turin. His ‘philosophy of the possible’ condemned other existentialists for either denying human possibility (because all our efforts are futile in a hostile and meaningless universe) or exaggerating it, imagining us capable of things which actually lie outside our potential. In his later work he tended to adopt a more naturalistic and scientific approach to philosophy, although still condemning the ‘myth of security’ implicit in a complacent scientific world view. His major works include the monumental three-volume Storia della filosofia (‘History of Philosophy’, 1946–50) and Possibilità e libertà (‘Possibility and Liberty’, 1956).

Reviews

[Paulio Himmelmench]

This shit is so boring but my wife bought it for me for a stupid amount of money (Abbagnano was the first name in a Oxford’s Philosophy Dictionary and I liked the idea of realistic existentialism… little did I know), so I will finish it. And then anyone who is really into this kind of masturbatory continental philosophy can have it at a steep discount.

[sidneyhl · Rating 5 out of 5]

fire fire fire