Originally published in 1921, as part of the Cambridge Plain Texts series, this volume contains two chapters from Cinque piaghe by Italian philosopher and Roman Catholic priest Antonio Rosmini-Serbati. The text is presented in Italian with a short editorial introduction in English. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in Rosmini and his philosophy.

What are the signs from which we get our bearings in life? Can we count on some objective point of reference? In this paper I explore two ways in which those questions can be answered. Each one represents a different paradigm in relation to the bases of action. Kant seeks objectivity without object-in-itself and a moral law independent of empirical reality. Rosmini claims that moral objectivity comes from an ideal object which, in turn, is linked with reality. The third (...) part of the article obtains some results from the comparison of both approaches: the Kantian way opens a door to nihilism due to its essential ambiguity; the weakness of moral law impels us to wait for a brighter light. My analysis develops along the elementary lines of Rosmini’s reply to Kantian thought. Some keys for dialogue with the various interpretations of the German philosopher’s work are thus proposed. (shrink)

Antonio Rosmini is considered by many to be greatest Italian - or even European - thinker of the nineteenth century. But for christians he is also a saint. Here, marking ten years since his beatification in 2007, is an updated biography.