Abstract

The scientific discovery, achieved at the beginning of 19th century, of the problem of life meant as an organic and energetic dimension has produced a radical epistemological break, which has also reverberated through the field of philosophy. It has opened up a path leading to a ‘new ontology’, or, in other words, to a new vision of the world. This was a vision – set out by philosophers such as Nietzsche, Bergson and Simmel – that, through these very thinkers, had a far-reaching influence on Italian thought at the beginning of the 20th century, decisively shaping some of its representatives. By following its trajectory, which extends into the present day, this paper intends to delineate the fundamental features of this historic-theoretical framework.