Nihilism and Metaphysics: The Third Voyage

by Vittorio Possenti, Daniel B. Gallagher (Translation), Brian Schroeder (Foreword)

Challenging the idea that nihilism has supplanted metaphysics, Vittorio Possenti finds in this philosophical turn the grounds for a mature renewal of metaphysics. Possenti takes the reader on a "third voyage" that goes beyond the "second voyage" indicated by Plato in the Phaedo . He traces the ascendancy of nihilism in philosophy, offering critical examinations of Nietzsche, Gentile, Heidegger, Habermas, Husserl, Gadamer, Ricoeur, and Vattimo. With penetrating accounts of philosophical movements such as hermeneutics and logical empiricism, rich with both historical and theoretical insights, Possenti provides a compelling defense of the power of human reason to apprehend the most obvious but also the most profound aspect of that they exist. By exploring the ubiquity of nihilism and probing its philosophical roots, Possenti clears the way for a fresh reformulation of metaphysics.

Genres: Philosophy

424 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2014

About the author

Vittorio Possenti è un filosofo italiano. Ha sinora dedicato i suoi studi a temi di filosofia politica, epistemologia e metafisica. Studioso e discepolo di Jacques Maritain.