Antonio Malo
Pontificia Universitas Sanctae Crucis, Philosophy, Faculty Member
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind, Phenomenology, Racism, Greek Tragedy, Authenticity, and 22 moreGenealogy, Embodied Mind and Cognition, Christian Spirituality, Teorie-affettività2, Teorie-affettività1, Gift Giving (Economic Anthropology), Forgiveness, Freedom, Free Will, Emotion, Family, Self and Identity, Other, Philosophy and Sociology of Human/animal Relations, Antropología, Continental Philosophy, Philosophy of Man, Jacques Derrida, Consciousness, Affect/Emotion, Philosophy of Emotion, and Action Theoryedit
The subject that we address in this article is of great complexity, since in It are involved important questions about the method and object of Anthropology: what is the statute of Anthropology as a philosophical discipline, i.e. what is... more
The subject that we address in this article is of great complexity, since in It are involved important questions about the method and object of Anthropology: what is the statute of Anthropology as a philosophical discipline, i.e. what is its place within the philosophical knowledge, especially those of metaphysics, theory of knowledge and ethics? what is the most suitable method for enter the study of the human person? We realize that the detailed analysis of these two questions and the attempt to offer an answer are beyond the confines from an article and perhaps even from a monographic study.
Therefore, we will not try to make a historical analysis of the problems or to examine the two questions directly. Instead, we will limit ourselves to addressing the problems deriving from subjectivism and objectivism, to then analyze the way in which
Wojtyla solve them through the analysis of the consciousness of the act, in his book
person and act.
Therefore, we will not try to make a historical analysis of the problems or to examine the two questions directly. Instead, we will limit ourselves to addressing the problems deriving from subjectivism and objectivism, to then analyze the way in which
Wojtyla solve them through the analysis of the consciousness of the act, in his book
person and act.
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At first sight it would seem that forgiveness and conversion are related only in a contingent way, as they can exist separately, as when the victim forgives the executioner even if he does not convert, or when the latter repents of his... more
At first sight it would seem that forgiveness and conversion are related only in a contingent way, as they can exist separately, as when the victim forgives the executioner even if he does not convert, or when the latter repents of his misdeeds even if the victim does not. forgive. However, the author is convinced that there is a necessary relationship between them. Therefore, he defends the following thesis: even if conversion depends above all on the will of the person who is converted and forgiveness from the one who forgives, the one who forgives and the one who converts, always needs these two acts. Because — and this is the core of the thesis — conversion is impossible without forgiveness and, conversely, without conversion there will never be full forgiveness. So the way to study these two phenomena from the anthropological point of view will consist in finding the cause of this necessary relationship.
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In his dialogue with classical and modern philosophy, K. Wojtyla supplements the objectivist Aristotelian teleology and corrects the reductive subjectivism of Cartesian origin. The radical trait discovered in human action consists neither... more
In his dialogue with classical and modern philosophy, K. Wojtyla supplements the objectivist Aristotelian teleology and corrects the reductive subjectivism of Cartesian origin. The radical trait discovered in human action consists neither in the mere exercise of a rational potency nor simply in the possession of a presence of oneself. Rather, it consists in the experience of being a person who acts and, as a result, of simultaneously knowing oneself as the source of the action and the being transformed by the very action.
In light of such a generative relationship between the person and his action, we can better understand the traits of human action: its novelty, its capacity to determine the person and its ability to communicate perfection to the point of reaching personal communion.
In light of such a generative relationship between the person and his action, we can better understand the traits of human action: its novelty, its capacity to determine the person and its ability to communicate perfection to the point of reaching personal communion.
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Um die Komplexität der menschlichen Sexualität zu verstehen, betrachtet der Autor ohne Vorfestlegung den Unterschied zwischen Mann und Frau: ihre Entwicklung, Erfahrungen und Reife als Vater und Mutter. Dabei erweist sich, dass der... more
Um die Komplexität der menschlichen Sexualität zu verstehen, betrachtet der Autor ohne Vorfestlegung den Unterschied zwischen Mann und Frau: ihre Entwicklung, Erfahrungen und Reife als Vater und Mutter. Dabei erweist sich, dass der sexuelle Unterschied durch eine gute Qualität der menschlichen Beziehungen (wie Pflege und Liebe) wächst. Der Autor nennt diese leiblich-seelisch-geistliche Struktur, nach der sich Mann und Frau unterscheiden lassen, »sexuelle Verfaßtheit«, da wir auf diese Weise als Personen existieren.
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Agatha Christi writes in one of her novels: “Instinct is a wonderful thing; it cannot be explained and must not be ignored ". The question of instinct is, in fact, one of the most controversial, because it concerns the operations of... more
Agatha Christi writes in one of her novels: “Instinct is a wonderful thing; it cannot be explained and must not be ignored ". The question of instinct is, in fact, one of the most controversial, because it concerns the operations of animals, especially the more advanced ones, which are characterized by a high degree of complexity. Instinct is not only a much debated topic, but also a transdisciplinary one, since it must take into account biology, physiology, psychology, philosophy and, in the case of man, the other sciences of the spirit, such as sociology, cultural anthropology, linguistics, religion, etc. In this short essay I will try to investigate the philosophical foundation of the animal instinct, as well as its differences with regard to human tendencies, from which we can discover a series of important consequences for philosophical anthropology and ethics. But first I will make a brief summary of the different theories concerning some issues related to instinct, both from the point of view of the experimental sciences and from a philosophical point of view, in order to obtain the essential elements.
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Life is made up of paradoxes. One of these is listening: we all want to be listened, but we rarely listen to others. Certainly, our society could be blamed for this, since with its frenetic pace, the pursuit of effectiveness at any cost,... more
Life is made up of paradoxes. One of these is listening: we all want to be listened, but we rarely listen to others. Certainly, our society could be blamed for this, since with its frenetic pace, the pursuit of effectiveness at any cost, noise, stress and aggression makes it difficult for us to stop and take the time to try our hand at this difficult art. It is clear, for example, that the increase of individuals on the street who isolate themselves from external reality using earphones with which to listen to their favorite music or who are unable to be alone in silence, does not absolutely favor listening to other people. Isolating oneself from the world or not being able to endure silence are not things that we are obliged to submitte ourselves, but they depend on the use we do of our freedom. They are undoubtedly social phenomena but, above all, the symptom of a personal and, therefore, relational unease.
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Rejecting both naturalistic and gendered approaches to sexuality, the author posits a holistic vision of sexuality as a "sexed condition," received at birth and developed and matured through family models, personal experiences, and... more
Rejecting both naturalistic and gendered approaches to sexuality, the author posits a holistic vision of sexuality as a "sexed condition," received at birth and developed and matured through family models, personal experiences, and relationships.
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The subject we are about to tackle is of great complexity, since it is a question of establishing the relationship between three spheres of reality that apparently have little to do to each other, especially as regards the last one, that... more
The subject we are about to tackle is of great complexity, since it is a question of establishing the relationship between three spheres of reality that apparently have little to do to each other, especially as regards the last one, that is, affectivity. Trying to identify the essence of these three realities and see their connections is a task more suitable for a broad-based research work than for a short article. Therefore, we will not try to rigorously analyze the essence of these three realms of reality, but we will only indicate some more or less known features that will allow us to show how human nature is open in a necessary way to culture and how, the latter is always based on nature, which in turn can modify to a greater or lesser extent. It is precisely on this complex and dynamic structure of human reality where affectivity is inserted.
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Judging by the reviews, the novel has neither aesthetic qualities nor noteworthy literary values. Hence the surprise of the experts at the overwhelming success of the book among people of all social and cultural conditions. Perhaps what... more
Judging by the reviews, the novel has neither aesthetic qualities nor noteworthy literary values. Hence the surprise of the experts at the overwhelming success of the book among people of all social and cultural conditions. Perhaps what the critics have not taken into account is something very simple: a literary work is sometimes the epiphenomenon of a new sensibility. It seems to us that the main merit of the novel consists precisely in raising and trying to give an answer to the problem of authenticity, which is presented as pressing to the man of today.
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Gender theory emphasizes the personal character of human sexuality. Scientific analyzes of human sexuality reveal that, in addition to being rooted in the body, it must also be personalized through psychological identification with the... more
Gender theory emphasizes the personal character of human sexuality. Scientific analyzes of human sexuality reveal that, in addition to being rooted in the body, it must also be personalized through psychological identification with the own sex and also through interpersonal relationships, beginning with those established with the own parents. Furthermore, gender theory shows how some of the social roles attributed to men and women throughout history, in addition to being conventional, have in many cases negatively influenced the sociocultural assessment of women. In any case, the gender theory wrongly concludes that the differences between men and women are born from a patriarchal, unjust structure. The author of this brief compendium shows how these are, instead, a mutual gift and a wealth for humanity.
The purpose of the examination of the Aristotelian texts is not to indicate the meaning that has the word poiesis according to Aristotle, but rather to indicate a certain paradox traceable in its concept of poiesis. This is due, as I will... more
The purpose of the examination of the Aristotelian texts is not to indicate the meaning that has the word poiesis according to Aristotle, but rather to indicate a certain paradox traceable in its concept of poiesis. This is due, as I will attempt to show, especially to a rigid vision of the distinction between immanent action and transient action, as well as to a human conception of love as desire. I think that in the Aristotelian theory of poiesis these two aspects may disappear if - as claimed by Christianity - love is primarily the act of giving.
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Per mezzo del presente articolo desidero dare un contributo nel campo della teoria filosofica dell'azione. A partire da una riflessione sulla teoria dell'azione in K. Wojtyla, penso di aver individuato tre tratti essenziali dell'azione... more
Per mezzo del presente articolo desidero dare un contributo nel campo della teoria filosofica dell'azione. A partire da una riflessione sulla teoria dell'azione in K. Wojtyla, penso di aver individuato tre tratti essenziali dell'azione umana: la comunicazione, l'autodeterminazione e la novità. Cercherò di dimostrare che queste sono le caratteristiche essenziali in un duplice modo: in primo luogo, discutendo le deviazioni cui il loro rifiuto e /o diminuzione danno origine; in secondo luogo, esplorando come la loro integrazione è la chiave che permette una teoria dell'azione, compatibile con lo sviluppo perfettivo della persona. Infine, indicherò la posizione sottostante della mia tesi: la vetta più alta cui è diretta azione umana è rinvenibile nella comunicazione di perfezione personale.
The thesis I shall try to defend is the following one: the ideologization of religion is produced when it is presented as a monolithic block, because in truth there is no religion, but religions. They may contain both elements of... more
The thesis I shall try to defend is the following one: the ideologization of religion is produced when it is presented as a monolithic block, because in truth there is no religion, but religions. They may contain both elements of fanaticism and intransigence or of justice and mercy. In fact, as will be seen, religions contribute to peace in the extent to which they help in people, in institutions and in society, the conversion of hearts, the search for truth about God and man, justice and forgiveness.
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Un vecchio amico mio è solito dire: «le idee sono come le ciliegie, se ne prendi una, ne prendi molte». Forse ciò accade perché, come le ciliege, le idee sono legate da nessi, che, sebbene ad un primo sguardo non si riescano a cogliere,... more
Un vecchio amico mio è solito dire: «le idee sono come le ciliegie, se ne prendi una, ne prendi molte». Forse ciò accade perché, come le ciliege, le idee sono legate da nessi, che, sebbene ad un primo sguardo non si riescano a cogliere, sono reali e a volte anche capaci di offrire la chiave per comprendere il loro contenuto. Nel caso della creatività e della religione, il loro legame è ancora più difficile da scoprire perché si basa su una realtà nascosta e, perciò, tante volte negata: la spiritualità umana.
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Cercar di scoprire i precendenti storici dell’idea di desiderio sembra, per lo meno ad un primo sguardo, un compito non solo difficile ma addiritura impossibile, perché i termini greci di orexis e di hormé che, in qualche modo,... more
Cercar di scoprire i precendenti storici dell’idea di desiderio sembra, per lo meno ad un primo sguardo, un compito non solo difficile ma addiritura impossibile, perché i termini greci di orexis e di hormé che, in qualche modo, potrebbero corrispondere al termine desiderio, appaiono concettualizzati tardivamente nella storia della filosofia greca. Infatti, il vocabolo di orexis, derivato dal verbo origo (‘tendere’) acquisisce il significato tecnico di appetito, ovvero desiderio, grazie alle riflessioni di Aristotele, mentre quello di hormé, derivato dal verbo hormáo (‘mettersi in moto’, ‘spingere’), anche se esisteva già con l’accezione di spinta e di movimento impulsivo, ricevette il suo significato tecnico di desiderio tramite la riflessione dei filosofi della Stoa.
Ma, nonostante la molteplicità di termini impiegati dai primi pensatori greci per riferirsi al desiderio (thymós, kardia, eros, ecc., sono soltanto alcuni dei nomi più usati) e il loro ampliamento o restrizione di significato operata dai diversi pensatori, è possibile dimostrare che si stia facendo riferimento ad una medesima realtà, le cui note essenziali verranno alla luce nel corso di queste pagine, specialmente nella parte dedicata a Platone.
L’obiettivo di questo studio, perciò, non è quello di stabilire i confini tra i diversi termini, perché ciò sarebbe piuttosto un lavoro filologico, bensì quello di mostrare come, al di là dei termini impiegati e del loro significato nelle differenti dottrine filosofiche, c’è una continuità di pensiero in tutti questi autori, derivata dal riferimento ad una realtà di cui tutti gli uomini hanno esperienza. La scelta della tesi platonica come nucleo di questo studio proviene dal fatto che, oltre ad essere una sintesi geniale delle intuizioni precedenti, essa tenta di risolvere gli importanti problemi d’indole antropologica ed etica messi in luce dall’analisi del desiderio, specialmente il rapporto tra i diversi desideri umani e la possibilità o meno di ridurli ad unità, cioè di integrarli armonicamente.
Ma, nonostante la molteplicità di termini impiegati dai primi pensatori greci per riferirsi al desiderio (thymós, kardia, eros, ecc., sono soltanto alcuni dei nomi più usati) e il loro ampliamento o restrizione di significato operata dai diversi pensatori, è possibile dimostrare che si stia facendo riferimento ad una medesima realtà, le cui note essenziali verranno alla luce nel corso di queste pagine, specialmente nella parte dedicata a Platone.
L’obiettivo di questo studio, perciò, non è quello di stabilire i confini tra i diversi termini, perché ciò sarebbe piuttosto un lavoro filologico, bensì quello di mostrare come, al di là dei termini impiegati e del loro significato nelle differenti dottrine filosofiche, c’è una continuità di pensiero in tutti questi autori, derivata dal riferimento ad una realtà di cui tutti gli uomini hanno esperienza. La scelta della tesi platonica come nucleo di questo studio proviene dal fatto che, oltre ad essere una sintesi geniale delle intuizioni precedenti, essa tenta di risolvere gli importanti problemi d’indole antropologica ed etica messi in luce dall’analisi del desiderio, specialmente il rapporto tra i diversi desideri umani e la possibilità o meno di ridurli ad unità, cioè di integrarli armonicamente.
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A través de un análisis histórico-lingüístico, el autor muestra que el ‘perdón’ es una perfección del don: un don capaz de repetirse y de engendrar otros dones, como la regeneración del culpable. Esta se manifiesta en dos ámbitos. En... more
A través de un análisis histórico-lingüístico, el autor muestra que el ‘perdón’ es una perfección del don: un don capaz de repetirse y de engendrar otros dones, como la regeneración del culpable. Esta se manifiesta en dos ámbitos. En relación al ofensor, el perdón rompe la necesidad unida a la culpa, sobre todo en lo que atañe a la venganza; al quebrar la necesidad de los procesos naturales, abre espacio a la novedad: el culpable, perdonado, deja de verse como esencialmente injusto. En relación con el ofendido, el perdón induce a promover la gratuidad, el agradecimiento y la confianza en las relaciones humanas. En definitiva, el perdón lleva consigo una visión diferente de la realidad: no ya como círculo del eterno retorno de lo mismo, sino como Historia en la que las personas deben perfeccionarse, gracias también a sus culpas ya perdonadas.
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By means of my present paper I wish to make a contribution in the field of philosophical theory of the action. Thus, starting from a reflection on the theory of action in K. Wojtyla, I shall attempt to identify some of the essential... more
By means of my present paper I wish to make a contribution in the field of philosophical theory of the action. Thus, starting from a reflection on the theory of action in K. Wojtyla, I shall attempt to identify some of the essential traits of human action, namely: novelty, self–determination, and communication. I will seek to demonstrate that these are essential characteristics in a two–fold way: first, by discussing the deviations that their denial and/or diminution intrinsically carry; secondly, by exploring how their integration is the keystone that allows for a theory of action to be compatible with a perfecting development of the person. Finally, I will argue as the underlying position of my thesis that the highest of summits to which human action is directed is to be found in communicating perfection to each other.
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Background The author points to a possible mediation between a vision of the human body as something sacred and thus completely unavailable, and that of liberal genetics, which sees the human body as the pure space wherein to use one’s... more
Background The author points to a possible mediation between a vision of the human body as something sacred and thus completely unavailable, and that of liberal genetics, which sees the human body as the pure space wherein to use one’s freedom. The author specifies this possible mediation, pointing out to the relative availability of the human body; something which is based on the fact that both entities, human body and freedom, are two realities ethically and anthropologically coimplicated. Every person ought to discover in every human body (one’s own and that of others) a gift in whose presence a duty arises. I have the same duty before any other human body as before my own, because both of them are always accepted by a third person. Therefore, this third person is the origin itself of accepting the body as a gift. The relative unavailability of the body does not depend on biological, sacred or ideological matters, but on a reality that is the very basis for just relations.
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To access to the emotion we have a two-way: the internal experience that allows us to analyze and evaluate the feeling, and the external one that allows us to observe the outside manifestations. Both experiencies, despite their... more
To access to the emotion we have a two-way: the internal experience that allows us to analyze and evaluate the feeling, and the external one that allows us to observe the outside manifestations. Both experiencies, despite their usefulness, cannot be used separated; they have to be together. However, the connection between these two experiences must not be explained in terms of efficient cause, but in terms of intentionality and affection: an affection that is intentional and intention that is affective.
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Convinced that anthropology constitutes the nucleus of K. Wojtyla's thought, the author attempts to discover what kind of anthropology is at the basis of Wojtyla's philosophical writings and the implications of that anthropology. The... more
Convinced that anthropology constitutes the nucleus of K. Wojtyla's thought, the author attempts to discover what kind of anthropology is at the basis of Wojtyla's philosophical writings and the implications of that anthropology. The analysis of the basic structures of Wojtyla's anthropology (the experience of that which occurs and that of action, the structure of the person-act, the transcendence of the person in truth, gift, etc.) leads the author to hold that Wojtyla's philosophy can be considered a coherent metaphysics of the person since the person who acts is not just the method (the conscience of the action), but also the object of study and, above all, the end, that is, to know and to make known to the person his special dignity. Regarding the contribution of Wojytla's anthropology, the author identifies two central themes: the relationship between person and act, and relationality. Regarding the former, Wojtyla effects a synthesis of metaphysics of being and phenomenology: the person is not relative to his acts, because he is a suppositum; nonetheless, the person is in close relationship to his acts. If it were not for these acts the person could not even know himself as subject and could not perfect himself as a person. Regarding the latter, Wojtyla sustains that the person is not person in the singular but in the plural, since each person is in relation with all the others, and this is shown from the phenomena of participation, solidarity, and, above all, donation. The author concludes by sustaining that the multiplicity and the original relationality of the person is one of the aspects of Wojtyla's anthropology that would be worthy of further study.
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Faced with an uncertain future, ongoing wars and the ecological crisis, we also feel worried and threatened by developments in science and technology, especially regarding artificial intelligence and robots. Cars that drive themselves,... more
Faced with an uncertain future, ongoing wars and the ecological crisis, we also feel worried and threatened by developments in science and technology, especially regarding artificial intelligence and robots. Cars that drive themselves, Big Data controlled by enormous planetary companies, artificial intelligence that becomes increasingly powerful and elaborate, transhumanism and posthumanism that outline a man transformed into a god with superpowers (or an old mummy from the past)... all of this makes our world appear like a box full of surprises and unknowns. Furthermore, some leaders of technological development, such as Elon Musk, warn us of the dangers of artificial intelligence, while others see it as the panacea to solve all ills. What is true and what is false in these conceptions of technology?
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For many queer feminists, March 8, 2015 marks the end of the women's rights movement, as it has managed - thanks to the UN decision - to lose its traditional binary sexuality, becoming part of a gender system fluid, which therefore fits... more
For many queer feminists, March 8, 2015 marks the end of the women's rights movement, as it has managed - thanks to the UN decision - to lose its traditional binary sexuality, becoming part of a gender system fluid, which therefore fits within the Lgbtqi+ collective. Thus, in neutralizing bodily sexual difference - the cause of all discrimination and violence against women - complete equality with men would be made possible and, with this, the definitive overcoming of patriarchy.
Faced with this situation, it is possible to ask a series of questions: how did we arrive, starting from the defense of women's rights, typical of the first wave of feminism, to consider that the suppression of female difference is the culmination of a struggle that lasted more than three centuries? Why has sexual difference been opposed by some feminist groups? Finally, is the thinking of these queer feminists shared by the rest of feminism?
In order to answer all these questions, we first need to historically examine the different waves of feminism to then dwell on queer feminism, its contradictions and the controversies it is arousing within feminism
Faced with this situation, it is possible to ask a series of questions: how did we arrive, starting from the defense of women's rights, typical of the first wave of feminism, to consider that the suppression of female difference is the culmination of a struggle that lasted more than three centuries? Why has sexual difference been opposed by some feminist groups? Finally, is the thinking of these queer feminists shared by the rest of feminism?
In order to answer all these questions, we first need to historically examine the different waves of feminism to then dwell on queer feminism, its contradictions and the controversies it is arousing within feminism
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Consciousness can be defined as the "immediate presence in a living being of a content (visceral motion, sound, hunger, excitement, animal, person, action, relazione)." The distinction between types of consciousness will depend,... more
Consciousness can be defined as the "immediate presence in a living being of a content (visceral motion, sound, hunger, excitement, animal, person, action, relazione)." The distinction between types of consciousness will depend, therefore, from the content that appears, which is related to different types of acts and passions. So we can talk about sensitive conscience (of one's corporeal or sensitive items), affective (bodily feelings, emotions, moods), intelligible (concepts, symbols, knowledge of self and other), and consciousness of the action and relation (volition, choice, act, kind of relationship).
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My thesis can be formulated as follows: the friendship belongs to the essential dimension of human beings, since the person needs friends in order to perfect herself, that is, to become what it is. This implies an anthropological... more
My thesis can be formulated as follows: the friendship belongs to the essential dimension of human beings, since the person needs friends in order to perfect herself, that is, to become what it is. This implies an anthropological structure by virtue of which the person is potentially friend of every one. Evidently, this potentiality is actualized only in relation to some people; this does not mean that the person must necessarily have few friends: in fact, since friendship does not need the mediation of other kinds of love (paternity, maternity, filiation, spousal relationship), all these relations are not an obstacle to friendship.That is why friendship looks like the essence of love purely personal.
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Family or families? This question may seem like a dilemma of a Byzantine dispute. However, the question isn’t silly or trivial at all. It contains a sentence of life or death, not only for the family, but also for man. As I will try to... more
Family or families? This question may seem like a dilemma of a Byzantine dispute. However, the question isn’t silly or trivial at all. It contains a sentence of life or death, not only for the family, but also for man. As I will try to demonstrate in this essay, the choice is not between two equally valid options. Rather, it is a choice between a unique natural institution that is necessary for people and their development, and a plurality of arbitrarily constructed relational models that are potentially destructive for the person and society. Therefore, in the choice between family and families, there are two things at stake: on the superficial level, the way of understanding primary relationships that are an intrinsic part of the persons’ identities; then, on a deeper level, the very reality of man himself.
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Trough a historical-linguistic analysis, the author explains that ‘forgiveness’ is a per-fection of the gift: a gift that can be repeated and is capable of generating other gifts, such as the regeneration of the culprit. This is manifest... more
Trough a historical-linguistic analysis, the author explains that ‘forgiveness’ is a per-fection of the gift: a gift that can be repeated and is capable of generating other gifts, such as the regeneration of the culprit. This is manifest in two fields. Regarding the offender, forgiveness breaks the necessity attached to guilt, especially concerning vengeance; by breaking the necessity of natural processes, it opens a space for novelty: the culprit, once forgiven, ceases to consider himself to be essentially unjust. Regarding the offended, for-giveness fosters the free gift, gratitude and trust in human relations. In sum, forgiveness brings along a different view of reality: it is no longer regarded as an eternal return of the same circumstance, but as a History, in which people must perfect themselves, also thanks to their faults that have been forgiven.
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Aquinas’s study of the passions allows one to build Anthropology on firm metaphysical and psychological ground. The Metaphysics of creation and the substantial unity of man are the two metaphysical pillars of this Anthropology, while the... more
Aquinas’s study of the passions allows one to build Anthropology on firm metaphysical and psychological ground. The Metaphysics of creation and the substantial unity of man are the two metaphysical pillars of this Anthropology, while the experience of such substantial unity is the psychological one. Starting from the analysis of these elements, the author draws what he calls the Thomistic Anthropology of the passions. He underlines that human passions are different from animal passions in relationship to both the unity between knowledge and desire and to the experience of the passion in its different steps: from love to hope, passing through desire. The conclusion is that a good understanding of the Anthropology of the passions is necessary to grasp more clearly the substantial unity, and the integration of human affectivity in the person through action and virtues.
Key words: appetition, passion, Anthropology.
Key words: appetition, passion, Anthropology.
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Nella filosofia cartesiana lo studio dell’emozione ha grande importanza, perché il problema suscitato dalla sua esistenza appartiene al nucleo del cartesianesimo, in quanto suppone un rapporto tra idea e realtà che deve essere... more
Nella filosofia cartesiana lo studio dell’emozione ha grande importanza, perché il problema suscitato dalla sua esistenza appartiene al nucleo del cartesianesimo, in quanto suppone un rapporto tra idea e realtà che deve essere verificato. Infatti, attraverso le passioni, Cartesio si trova di fronte a delle percezioni oscure e confuse che, nonostante la loro non evidenza intellettiva, si presentano come manifestazioni di una terza idea evidente: l’unione sostanziale tra res extensa e res cogitans.
Qual è il tipo di evidenza su cui si fondano le passioni? Come è possibile raggiungere la sorgente da dove scaturisce quest’evidenza? Queste saranno alcune delle domande a cui tenteremo di rispondere attraverso le riflessioni del presente lavoro. La comprensione del concetto cartesiano di passione, oltre a farci com-prendere con più profondità le radici del suo pensiero e i suoi frutti nell’ambito dell’antropologia e della morale, ci permetterà di stabilire i punti essenziali di cui bisogna tener conto per l’elaborazione di una tesi sull’affettività.
Qual è il tipo di evidenza su cui si fondano le passioni? Come è possibile raggiungere la sorgente da dove scaturisce quest’evidenza? Queste saranno alcune delle domande a cui tenteremo di rispondere attraverso le riflessioni del presente lavoro. La comprensione del concetto cartesiano di passione, oltre a farci com-prendere con più profondità le radici del suo pensiero e i suoi frutti nell’ambito dell’antropologia e della morale, ci permetterà di stabilire i punti essenziali di cui bisogna tener conto per l’elaborazione di una tesi sull’affettività.
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La reflexión zubiriana sobre el sentimiento, se encamina a dilucidar la esencia del sentimiento estético mediante tres pasos sucesivos: en primer lugar, establecer qué es un sentimiento; en segundo lugar, indicar cuál es la relación... more
La reflexión zubiriana sobre el sentimiento, se encamina a dilucidar la esencia del sentimiento estético mediante tres pasos sucesivos: en primer lugar, establecer qué es un sentimiento; en segundo lugar, indicar cuál es la relación entre el sentimiento y la realidad; en tercer y último lugar, abordar en qué consiste el sentimiento estético. En nuestro estudio nos limitaremos a las dos primeras etapas, pues nos parece que, a pesar de sus penetrantes intuiciones, Zubiri no ha desvelado la esencia del sentimiento por falta de una tercera pregunta que debería añadirse a las dos primeras: ¿por qué el sentimiento supone una relación con la realidad? La respuesta a esta cuestión constituirá el objetivo de este breve ensayo.
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The English word sympathy comes from the composite Greek term ( “together” and “passion”). According to this etymology, sympathy means “to suffer together” or “‘to feel compassion.” In common parlance, sympathy always includes... more
The English word sympathy comes from the composite
Greek term ( “together” and
“passion”). According to this etymology, sympathy means
“to suffer together” or “‘to feel compassion.” In common
parlance, sympathy always includes positive feelings
toward another.
Greek term ( “together” and
“passion”). According to this etymology, sympathy means
“to suffer together” or “‘to feel compassion.” In common
parlance, sympathy always includes positive feelings
toward another.
Research Interests:
The purpose of this essay is to analyze the roots of nihilism as the great Russian writer has identified and described them in The Grand Inquisitor. In this story, Dostoyevsky captures the tension between the modern person’s spirit of... more
The purpose of this essay is to analyze the roots of nihilism as the great Russian writer has identified and described them in The Grand Inquisitor. In this story, Dostoyevsky captures the tension between the modern person’s spirit of rebellion and his or her infinite desire for God, a desire that is often expressed in compassion for the suffering of the innocent. As I hope to show, the response that Dostoyevsky offers to the problem of evil is still valid: only love can transform evil into a means of purifying the soul as well as of redemption.
Research Interests:
The work of Descartes, despite the centuries since the death of its author and the controversies unleashed by his followers and opponents, is still one of the most influential exercise in the current panorama of philosophy. In fact,... more
The work of Descartes, despite the centuries since the death of its author and the controversies unleashed by his followers and opponents, is still one of the most influential exercise in the current panorama of philosophy. In fact, Cartesian philosophy not only acts as a more or less recognized leaven of currents of thought and philosophical systems of an important part of modernity: from the French Enlightenment to phenomenology, through German idealism, dialectical materialism, Existentialism, etc., but is also present in the so-called postmodern thinking. Hence the need to examine carefully the Cartesian project, in search of those elements that still today can serve to allow human thought to advance on its way to truth.
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The author defends the thesis that in modernity and post-modernity the relationship between narrative and knowledge has undergone a fundamental change, because it is thought not only that verisimilitude has nothing to do with truth, but... more
The author defends the thesis that in modernity and post-modernity the relationship between narrative and knowledge has undergone a fundamental change, because it is thought not only that verisimilitude has nothing to do with truth, but also that you can communicate what makes no sense at all. Through the analysis of The Stranger by Camus, it is shown that traying to communicate the lack of sense of human life creates a kind of verisimilitude that exceeds that what was contemplated by Aristotle: the improbability of the absurd.
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This essay examines the anthropological character of human sexuality. For this purpose there is, first, a review of the two most current ways of understanding sexuality : naturalistic and constructivist. Afterwards, the author shows how... more
This essay examines the anthropological character of human sexuality. For this purpose there is, first, a review of the two most current ways of understanding sexuality : naturalistic and constructivist. Afterwards, the author shows how both ways reduce the anthropological significance of human sexuality, that should not be understood neither as something
completely given nor as the result of a social construction or of an arbitrary choice, but as a structure composed of a plurality of elements that are to be integrated, that is, the sexual condition (condizione sessuata). In addition to the body, the psyche and the spirit,
the sexual condition takes account of generation, the experience of childhood with its periods of identification and differentiation respect to parental figures, interpersonal relationships, especially with persons belonging to the ‘other sexual condition’, and the call to self-giving in
marriage and in celibacy. Therefore, the sexual condition is presented here as a key that allows us to understand the different phenomena related to human sexuality (modesty, shame, idolatry, jealousy, chastity, fidelity). In order to demonstrate this thesis, the author examines in detail the sexual desire, that contains implicitly the different elements that make up the
sexual condition.
completely given nor as the result of a social construction or of an arbitrary choice, but as a structure composed of a plurality of elements that are to be integrated, that is, the sexual condition (condizione sessuata). In addition to the body, the psyche and the spirit,
the sexual condition takes account of generation, the experience of childhood with its periods of identification and differentiation respect to parental figures, interpersonal relationships, especially with persons belonging to the ‘other sexual condition’, and the call to self-giving in
marriage and in celibacy. Therefore, the sexual condition is presented here as a key that allows us to understand the different phenomena related to human sexuality (modesty, shame, idolatry, jealousy, chastity, fidelity). In order to demonstrate this thesis, the author examines in detail the sexual desire, that contains implicitly the different elements that make up the
sexual condition.
Research Interests:
The revolution on human sexuality has become one of the most present topics in the cultural and philosophical debate. What are the reasons for this phenomenon? Why these issues have given rise to such an interest in the theoretical field?... more
The revolution on human sexuality has become
one of the most present topics in the cultural and philosophical debate.
What are the reasons for this phenomenon? Why these issues have given rise to such an interest in the theoretical field? Here are some of the questions
that this monographic issue on sexuality intends to propose to the
reflection of the readers.
Often we think that the importance given to sexuality in contemporary philosophy
it is due to the situation of great confusion that for more than half of the last
century have involved the Western culture. This would confirm Hegel's thesis that philosophy is always back to life, like
the owl of Minerva that takes off into the sunset.
However, interest in sexuality may be interpreted in another way,
as an attempt to fill a gap, especially in Modern philosophy, which has never reflected enough on either the woman or her place in society.
one of the most present topics in the cultural and philosophical debate.
What are the reasons for this phenomenon? Why these issues have given rise to such an interest in the theoretical field? Here are some of the questions
that this monographic issue on sexuality intends to propose to the
reflection of the readers.
Often we think that the importance given to sexuality in contemporary philosophy
it is due to the situation of great confusion that for more than half of the last
century have involved the Western culture. This would confirm Hegel's thesis that philosophy is always back to life, like
the owl of Minerva that takes off into the sunset.
However, interest in sexuality may be interpreted in another way,
as an attempt to fill a gap, especially in Modern philosophy, which has never reflected enough on either the woman or her place in society.
Research Interests:
Affection is one of the areas where the crisis of today’s society is observed, as shown, for example, in the confusion between sexual desire, friendship and love. The article’s thesis is that this affective disorder hides something more... more
Affection is one of the areas where the crisis of today’s society is observed, as shown, for example, in the confusion between sexual desire, friendship and love. The article’s thesis is that this affective disorder hides something more profound: the fear of others, particularly towards the establishment of a last longing bond with them. To prove it, the author first examines how the separation between affection and love depends on judging bonds as contrary to reason, rendering one incapable of opening up to otherness and learning how to be open. Secondly, the author indicates the need to overcome the dialectic idea of love in order to think of it as a choice of affection for others and as a union of two identities that transcend each other through the asymmetric relationship of the gift of self. From here, he goes on to the final conclusion: the fear of bonds can be overcome when fidelity is lived as a complete synthesis of a, humanly sustainable, affection-love relationship.
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La relación inicial que el ser humano tiene con la realidad es, además de sensible, de naturaleza afectiva. El niño pequeño no sólo es capaz de sentir la realidad (el frescor del agua, el sabor de la leche materna, el olor de la hierba),... more
La relación inicial que el ser humano tiene con la realidad es, además de sensible, de naturaleza afectiva. El niño pequeño no sólo es capaz de sentir la realidad (el frescor del agua, el sabor de la leche materna, el olor de la hierba), sino también de captar en ella determinados valores: peligrosa, interesante, amable, odiosa, que, a diferencia de los animales, no son estimúlicos. Se trata de un aspecto cognoscitivo que no es ni puramente sensible ni puramente inteligible, sino de carácter existencial porque se refiere a nuestras vivencias de la realidad.
Desde el punto de vista de los fenómenos de conciencia puede decirse que la afectividad pertenece a un tipo particular. Si la conciencia sensible es de objetos particulares y la inteligible de objetos universales, la conciencia afectiva no es fundamentalmente de objetos, sino de la misma subjetividad.
Desde el punto de vista de los fenómenos de conciencia puede decirse que la afectividad pertenece a un tipo particular. Si la conciencia sensible es de objetos particulares y la inteligible de objetos universales, la conciencia afectiva no es fundamentalmente de objetos, sino de la misma subjetividad.
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Although trying to make a synthesis of the book is rather a difficult task both for the lack of systematic and for the sarcastic style, full of paradoxes, of the author, it seems that the title of the second essay reflects well the... more
Although trying to make a synthesis of the book is rather a difficult task both for the lack of systematic and for the sarcastic style, full of paradoxes, of the author, it seems that the title of the second essay reflects well the content of the entire volume. The central thesis is that religion, or rather - as the author calls it - the true religion, which would be identified with Catholicism, has the ability to give meaning to all that exists and, consequently, to the same life of man in all his integrity, also in those crepuscular and subterranean aspects of his unconscious.
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Professor Malo, Lei è autore del libro Uomo o donna. Una differenza che conta edito da Vita e Pensiero: come può esserci d'aiuto l'antropologia filosofica nel ripensare la sessualità umana? Forse non tutti sono d'accordo con il fatto che... more
Professor Malo, Lei è autore del libro Uomo o donna. Una differenza che conta edito da Vita e Pensiero: come può esserci d'aiuto l'antropologia filosofica nel ripensare la sessualità umana? Forse non tutti sono d'accordo con il fatto che si debba ripensare la sessualità umana, perché, per alcuni, disponiamo di molte informazioni a questo argomento, più di quante se ne abbiano avute in altre epoche della Storia. Altri invece pensano che ciò che può dire la scienza non dovrebbe influire sul nostro modo di rapportarci con la nostra sessualità. Invece, io la penso come Lei: ripensare la sessualità umana è oggi una priorità che non ammette più nessun rimando, perché dobbiamo dare risposta alle sfide che ci vengono dalle biotecnologie, dalle mode sociali, dalle leggi e, soprattutto, da una mentalità dominante che vede il sesso come un'attività al servizio del piacere, di un benessere affettivo, o anche come un semplice gioco, carente di uno specifico senso umano da scoprire.
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L'idea direttrice di quest'opera: l'antropologia come riflessione su un sapere sintetico sull'uomo, si trova già nel Manual de Antropología filosófica, scritto dal professor Choza. Secondo l'autore una nuova antropologia che deve tenere... more
L'idea direttrice di quest'opera: l'antropologia come riflessione su un sapere sintetico sull'uomo, si trova già nel
Manual de Antropología filosófica, scritto dal professor Choza.
Secondo l'autore una nuova antropologia che deve tenere conto dell'attuale sviluppo delle scienze sperimentali, in
particolare della biologia e delle scienze umane, specialmente della psicologia e sociologia. Partendo da questo livello
di conoscenza, l'antropologia si costituisce come sapere sintetico sull'uomo in quanto la sua riflessione si riferisce
all'identità ed alla struttura essenziale dell'uomo. Ma non si tratta di un sapere puramente speculativo, perché questa
conoscenza essenziale è necessaria all'uomo per guidare in modo adeguato il suo processo di autorealizzazione.
L'antropologia stabilisce così rapporti con quelle scienze che hanno come oggetto in un modo o nell'altro l'uomo (la sua
corporalità, la sua spiritualità, il suo agire).
Manual de Antropología filosófica, scritto dal professor Choza.
Secondo l'autore una nuova antropologia che deve tenere conto dell'attuale sviluppo delle scienze sperimentali, in
particolare della biologia e delle scienze umane, specialmente della psicologia e sociologia. Partendo da questo livello
di conoscenza, l'antropologia si costituisce come sapere sintetico sull'uomo in quanto la sua riflessione si riferisce
all'identità ed alla struttura essenziale dell'uomo. Ma non si tratta di un sapere puramente speculativo, perché questa
conoscenza essenziale è necessaria all'uomo per guidare in modo adeguato il suo processo di autorealizzazione.
L'antropologia stabilisce così rapporti con quelle scienze che hanno come oggetto in un modo o nell'altro l'uomo (la sua
corporalità, la sua spiritualità, il suo agire).
Research Interests:
The Global Sexual Revolution has the same subject as two of her previous publications: Gender Revolution (2006) and Nationalization of Education. On the Way Becoming New Men (2007). As the title of this latest publication states, we face... more
The Global Sexual Revolution has the same subject as two of her previous publications: Gender Revolution (2006) and Nationalization of Education. On the Way Becoming New Men (2007). As the title of this latest publication states, we face a worldwide revolution, which, as the subtitle indicates (Destruction of Freedom in the Name of Freedom) claims to radically change people and society by levering on a will of power, of a clearly Nietzschean inspiration. It is from this interpretative key that Kuby tells the history, the methods and the consequences of a powerful global agenda which seeks to modify the constitutions of countries, educational institutions and social norms of people with one unique aim: the construction of a global society where people are completely (or almost) manipulated.
Research Interests:
Per riferirsi al lavoro di riflessione che la filosofia svolge sulla realtà, Hegel era solito usare la nota metafora della nottola di Minerva, che spicca il suo volo solo sul far del crepuscolo. Forse l’affermazione del grande pensatore... more
Per riferirsi al lavoro di riflessione che la filosofia svolge sulla realtà, Hegel era solito usare la nota metafora della nottola di Minerva, che spicca il suo volo solo sul far del crepuscolo. Forse l’affermazione del grande pensatore idealista può applicarsi anche a una realtà come la paternità-maternità: sembrerebbe, infatti, che solo quando queste relazioni entrano in crisi ci sia dato capire meglio il loro senso e valore. Ma per riflettere su queste relazioni, non vi è solo la via dell'analisi concettuale. È possibile usarne altri, come il romanzo, il dramma e, perché no, il racconto filmico. Infatti, l’immagine permette di affrontare i rapporti interpersonali con un’immediatezza, espressività, e nel contempo profondità, che servono a volte a farci capire gli intrecci, le dinamiche e le tensioni relazionali meglio di quanto potrebbe farlo un ponderoso saggio. Credo che accada proprio ciò
in due film relativamente recenti: Il figlio dell’altra e Padre e figlio.
in due film relativamente recenti: Il figlio dell’altra e Padre e figlio.
Research Interests:
Para referirse al trabajo de reflexión que la filosofía desarrolla acerca de la realidad, Hegel solía usar la conocida metáfora de la lechuza de Minerva, que vuela solo durante el crepúsculo. Quizá la afirmación del gran pensador... more
Para referirse al trabajo de reflexión que la filosofía desarrolla acerca de la realidad, Hegel solía usar la conocida metáfora de la lechuza de Minerva, que vuela solo durante el crepúsculo. Quizá la
afirmación del gran pensador idealista puede aplicarse también a una realidad como la paternidad/maternidad: parecería, de hecho, que solo cuando estas relaciones entran en crisis
podemos comprender mejor su sentido y valor.
Pero para reflexionar sobre estas relaciones no hay una única forma, la del análisis conceptual. Es posible usar otras, como la novela, el drama y, por qué no, la narración cinematográfica. De hecho, la imagen permite afrontar las relaciones interpersonales con una inmediatez, expresividad, y al mismo tiempo profundidad, que sirven a veces para hacernos entender los entramados, las dinámicas y las tensiones relacionales mejor de cuanto podría hacerlo un buen ensayo. Creo que eso es lo que
ocurre en dos películas relativamente recientes: El hijo del otroy y De tal padre, tal hijo.
afirmación del gran pensador idealista puede aplicarse también a una realidad como la paternidad/maternidad: parecería, de hecho, que solo cuando estas relaciones entran en crisis
podemos comprender mejor su sentido y valor.
Pero para reflexionar sobre estas relaciones no hay una única forma, la del análisis conceptual. Es posible usar otras, como la novela, el drama y, por qué no, la narración cinematográfica. De hecho, la imagen permite afrontar las relaciones interpersonales con una inmediatez, expresividad, y al mismo tiempo profundidad, que sirven a veces para hacernos entender los entramados, las dinámicas y las tensiones relacionales mejor de cuanto podría hacerlo un buen ensayo. Creo que eso es lo que
ocurre en dos películas relativamente recientes: El hijo del otroy y De tal padre, tal hijo.
Research Interests:
To speak about philosophy’s reflection upon reality, Hegel often used the metaphor of the owl of Minerva, which took his flight only in the twilight. Perhaps the affirmation of the great idealist thinker could be applied to the reality... more
To speak about philosophy’s reflection upon reality, Hegel often used the metaphor of the owl of Minerva, which took his flight only in the twilight. Perhaps the affirmation of the great idealist thinker could be applied to the reality of fatherhood/motherhood. It could be thought that only when these relationships undergo a crisis, their meaning and value become better understood.
The only way to reflect upon these relationships is not just conceptual analysis.. It’s quite possible to have recourse to other means, such as novels, dramas, and even films. In fact, images allow us to confront interpersonal relationships with a unique immediacy, expressivity, and at the same time, profundity. We are thus able to understand the plots, dynamics, and relational tensions through images better than in a well thought-out essay. I believe this reflection occurs in two relatively recent films: The Other Son (t.o.: Le Fils de l'Autre), and Father and Son.
The only way to reflect upon these relationships is not just conceptual analysis.. It’s quite possible to have recourse to other means, such as novels, dramas, and even films. In fact, images allow us to confront interpersonal relationships with a unique immediacy, expressivity, and at the same time, profundity. We are thus able to understand the plots, dynamics, and relational tensions through images better than in a well thought-out essay. I believe this reflection occurs in two relatively recent films: The Other Son (t.o.: Le Fils de l'Autre), and Father and Son.
Research Interests:
Throughout the years, K. Wojtyla's philosophy has been framed within various currents of thought. Some talk about Wojtyla as a thomist, others as a phenomenologist, others still as a personalist. Something like this happens with his... more
Throughout the years, K. Wojtyla's philosophy has been framed within various currents of thought. Some talk about Wojtyla as a thomist, others as a phenomenologist, others still as a personalist. Something like this happens with his method of work: for some critics his method would be exquisitely phenomenological, for others it would be metaphysical, but there are also those who call it transphenomenological.
These brief notes on the different way of defining Wojtyla's thinking are enough to make us understand that it implies a break with the traditional schemes of schools and methods. Perhaps, however, the originality of his philosophy should not be sought in the personal way of elaborating it, but above all in the way of establishing the relationship between the various philosophical disciplines, particularly between metaphysics, anthropology and ethics. This novelty is not derived from the claim to be original, but from the desire to think of reality as it is, without trying to impose on it schemes that prevent it from grasping its essence.
In order to verify the validity of this thesis, I will try to examine the relationship between these three disciplines - metaphysics, anthropology, and ethics - in one field, human action, so basic and rich in practical consequences.
These brief notes on the different way of defining Wojtyla's thinking are enough to make us understand that it implies a break with the traditional schemes of schools and methods. Perhaps, however, the originality of his philosophy should not be sought in the personal way of elaborating it, but above all in the way of establishing the relationship between the various philosophical disciplines, particularly between metaphysics, anthropology and ethics. This novelty is not derived from the claim to be original, but from the desire to think of reality as it is, without trying to impose on it schemes that prevent it from grasping its essence.
In order to verify the validity of this thesis, I will try to examine the relationship between these three disciplines - metaphysics, anthropology, and ethics - in one field, human action, so basic and rich in practical consequences.
Research Interests:
In order to cope with the actual violence is necessary to rediscover the truth of every person who is at the root of human relationships. One approach to find this truth is to analyze human relationships in the essential elements that... more
In order to cope with the actual violence is necessary to rediscover the truth of every person who is at the root of human relationships. One approach to find this truth is to analyze human relationships in the essential elements that make it up: "need", ''self-control", and "gift". Together with a phenomenological analysis of the essence of this structure, there will be some historical-critical insights. The historical paradoxes that are arose from the separation of these three elements, enable us to affirm that a relation becomes truly personal only when "need", "self-control", and "gift" are integrated.
Research Interests:
Man and woman are the two only ways of being a person. As person both man and woman have the same dignity (personal, social, political, religious) and are called to the gift of themselves. As sexually different, man and woman has... more
Man and woman are the two only ways of being a person. As person both man and woman have the same dignity (personal, social, political, religious) and are called to the gift of themselves. As sexually different, man and woman has different characteristics from the individual bodily-psychic-spiritual and relational point of view (husband / wife, father / mother, son / daughter, brother / sister, friend / friend).These differences are precisely differences in relation. That is why relations between men and women are particularly generative of their own and others' identities. So, I prefer to talk about sexed condition, rather than sex or gender, because it is the way of existing as a person: man or woman.
In this pdf I try to explain how the affettivity can be trasformed into different icons, because elementary emotions (like fear, anger, sadness) are generated outside of the cognitive sphere and are equivalent to elementary reactions... more
In this pdf I try to explain how the affettivity can be trasformed into different icons, because elementary emotions (like fear, anger, sadness) are generated outside of the cognitive sphere and are equivalent to elementary reactions (stress, surprise), only the outcome of cognitive processing penetrates into awareness and often, but not always, a conscious mind of it (consciousness of having fear, sadness). Once emotions have been experienced, if they crystallize, can condition the individual's subsequent behavior and can also deviate pathologically, so fear can turn into anxiety, annoyance into anger, anger into hatred, desire into greed.
Research Interests:
The title of this conference is deliberately misleading. Such ambiguity depends on the sense that it is given to the phrase situation limit. In fact, if you examine it, it can have a double meaning: inclusive or exclusive. According to... more
The title of this conference is deliberately misleading. Such ambiguity depends on the sense that it is given to the phrase situation limit. In fact, if you examine it, it can have a double meaning: inclusive or exclusive. According to the inclusive sense, anxiety is an extreme situation of suffering, that belongs to the suffering, because it is located within its limits; according to the exclusive sense, however, the anxiety is the limit of suffering, that no longer belongs to the suffering, because it is beyond its limits.The ambiguities contained in the expression situation limit of suffering is precisely what, in our opinion, allows the identification of the paradoxical nature of anxiety because, although it belongs to the suffering, there appears the possibility to go further, to hope.
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El objetivo de este breve ensayo consiste en mostrar desde el punto de vista antropológico por qué el trabajo puede ser el quicio de la santificación en medio del mundo. Para ello analizaré, en primer lugar, cómo el trabajo perfecciona el... more
El objetivo de este breve ensayo consiste en mostrar desde el punto de vista antropológico por qué el trabajo puede ser el quicio de la santificación en medio del mundo. Para ello analizaré, en primer lugar, cómo el trabajo perfecciona el mundo humano; estudiaré después el influjo perfectivo que produce en la persona, para concluir que, no obstante el trabajo contenga estas virtualidades, hay en él una serie de límites e imperfecciones, en parte comunes a cualquier acción humana, que impiden poder concebirlo al modo marxista, es decir, con un valor redentor, en la medida que es necesario para construir el paraíso en esta tierra. De ahí que la santificación del trabajo, si bien se halla en continuidad con la esencia de éste, se contenga en él sólo como potencialidad o, por usar una terminología clásica, como una potentia oboedentialis.
Research Interests:
I analyze the following Saint Josemaria's setence: "Do what you ought and put your heart into what you are doing". Although the free doing has potentially a perfective character, in order that it can be actualized is necessary that is... more
I analyze the following Saint Josemaria's setence: "Do what you ought and put your heart into what you are doing". Although the free doing has potentially a perfective character, in order that it can be actualized is necessary that is perfect in the three areas that belong to its essence: technical, ethical and contemplative. It is not enough, therefore, that the result of this doing is good, it is also necessary that moral norms are respected and, above all, that the subject thinks about the good of those whom this doing is related to. In thinking about the good of others we find a contemplative dimension that should permeate this doing.
Research Interests:
Establishing a relation between affections, ethos and bonds does not seem like an easy task. In fact, affection seems to be something passive, linked to the bodily and psychic characteristics of subjectivity, while ethos appears as... more
Establishing a relation between affections, ethos and bonds does not seem like an easy task. In fact, affection seems to be something passive, linked to the bodily and psychic characteristics of subjectivity, while ethos appears as personal self-determination and choice and the bonds partly given, partly chosen. In this short essay I will try to show how this first impression does not correspond to the truth, but rather to a dualistic prejudice which radically separates happening from acting, when in reality they are two dimensions of human existence, which are never given separately and therefore, they must integrate into everyone's life. In fact, every happening in order to be integrated requires its transformation into action and every action is based on an happening, at least as a reason to act. Therefore, as will be seen, affectivity far from being contrary to ethos and bonds, constitutes an essential dimension of them. Indeed, without affectivity there would be no true ethics or true bonds or, at least, these would not be lived intelligently, freely and responsibly.
Research Interests:
There is apparently no relationship between affects, ethos and bonds, since affects are passive, ethos implies freedom and bonds are partly given and partly freely created. My thesis is instead the opposite: not only are these three... more
There is apparently no relationship between affects, ethos and bonds, since affects are passive, ethos implies freedom and bonds are partly given and partly freely created. My thesis is instead the opposite: not only are these three aspects intimately connected, but they require each other to constitute personal identity, since affectivity implies the relationality of the human person: it arises from the relationship with oneself, with the world and above all with others and has as its purpose the creation of relationships: adequate relationships, i.e. corresponding to what we are. And our being always contains a personal ought.
Research Interests:
Despite the positive aspects of the book, such as the return to the practice of virtue, self-control, the value of compassion and some psychological techniques to overcome fear, anxiety and anger that are very useful, the vision of the... more
Despite the positive aspects of the book, such as the return to the practice of virtue, self-control, the value of compassion and some psychological techniques to overcome fear, anxiety and anger that are very useful, the vision of the person that it offers is reduced and erroneous in so many points. Its basic premise according to which we have to worry only about what depends on us –and accept the rest– can offer certain security in periods –like ours– that are truly convulsive, confused and syncretistic of different philosophies, psychological schools and religions. But it does not achieve its goal: to put happiness, which sould be based on a good relationship with God and others, into a proud self-control, which counts on suicide as the last option when the situation is humanly unbearable .
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Life is made up of paradoxes. One of these is listening: we all want to be listened, but we rarely listen to others. Certainly, our society could be blamed for this, since with its frenetic pace, the pursuit of effectiveness at any cost,... more
Life is made up of paradoxes. One of these is listening: we all want to be listened, but we rarely listen to others. Certainly, our society could be blamed for this, since with its frenetic pace, the pursuit of effectiveness at any cost, noise, stress and aggression makes it difficult for us to stop and take the time to try our hand at this difficult art.
It is clear, for example, that the increase of individuals on the street who isolate themselves from external reality using earphones with which to listen to their favorite music or who are unable to be alone in silence, does not absolutely favor listening to other people. Isolating oneself from the world or not being able to endure silence are not things that we are obliged to submitte ourselves, but they depend on the use we do of our freedom. They are undoubtedly social phenomena but, above all, the symptom of a personal and, therefore, relational unease.
It is clear, for example, that the increase of individuals on the street who isolate themselves from external reality using earphones with which to listen to their favorite music or who are unable to be alone in silence, does not absolutely favor listening to other people. Isolating oneself from the world or not being able to endure silence are not things that we are obliged to submitte ourselves, but they depend on the use we do of our freedom. They are undoubtedly social phenomena but, above all, the symptom of a personal and, therefore, relational unease.
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Temptation is the crest between closure and opening of desire. Therefore, temptation is not evil, but its condition of possibility. In itself, temptation is a deception: to present a finite object to our desire as if it were infinite, so... more
Temptation is the crest between closure and opening of desire. Therefore, temptation is not evil, but its condition of possibility. In itself, temptation is a deception: to present a finite object to our desire as if it were infinite, so that we may desire it and seek it as God. Certainly, since the person is finite, his desire cannot transform a finite object into an infinite one. In an attempt to achieve this transformation, false infinity or idolatry is produced. In place of God we let many idols take over: pleasure, wealth, fame ..., but above all we erect the desire of the other as a divinity. The discovery of the strategy of temptation: deceiving ourselves about the true identity of the object proposed for our consideration and presenting the desire for that object as if it were our own, serves on the one hand to better prepare us for confrontation with evil and on the other to discover the reality of our desire: a desire which, despite belonging to a finite being, is open to the Infinite. In my opinion, the key to human identity is found in this tension between the desired Infinity and tour finitude. Perhaps postmodernity with its tendency to emphasize the finitude and fluidity of what we desire allows us to better understand the finitude of each desired object and, consequently, the need to direct our desire towards the true Infinity, that is, God.
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The author of these slides presents a vision of compassion, which, starting from the Cartesian problem of knowing the other, opens up to the problem of intersubjectivity typical of phenomenology. To Max Scheler's intuitions, the author... more
The author of these slides presents a vision of compassion, which, starting from the Cartesian problem of knowing the other, opens up to the problem of intersubjectivity typical of phenomenology. To Max Scheler's intuitions, the author adds a relational conception, by virtue of which compassion is always an active relationship between I and you. So when you remain at the level of contagion or simple affective consciousness, you can lose the initial compassion, because if you feel it without acting, compassion will become weaker and weaker ending to indifference. The more compassion we feel without acting, the more we get used to the evil and suffering of the other and the less we react.
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One of the eternal questions, more difficult to understand, is that of human nature, because, if on the one hand, it has analogies with those of other creatures, especially with those of higher mammalian animals, on the other hand, it is... more
One of the eternal questions, more difficult to understand, is that of human nature, because, if on the one hand, it has analogies with those of other creatures, especially with those of higher mammalian animals, on the other hand, it is distinguished from them, whereas this nature belongs to a person and not to a simple individual of a species. In short: the animal is nature, the person has it and, therefore, can and should personalize it.
The naturalist theories and also the gender theories lack both of an adequate understanding of the relationship between the person and his nature. For this reason, similarly to what happened in the theological field, in the anthropological field there is also a tendency to eliminate the relation between nature and person. Where this is best appreciated is in the way of conceiving the male-female difference.
The naturalist theories and also the gender theories lack both of an adequate understanding of the relationship between the person and his nature. For this reason, similarly to what happened in the theological field, in the anthropological field there is also a tendency to eliminate the relation between nature and person. Where this is best appreciated is in the way of conceiving the male-female difference.
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Establishing a relation between affectivity and education does not seem an easy task. In fact, affectivity seems to be something passive, linked to the bodily and psychic characteristics of subjectivity, while education appears as... more
Establishing a relation between affectivity and education does not seem an easy task. In fact, affectivity seems to be something passive, linked to the bodily and psychic characteristics of subjectivity, while education appears as personal self-determination and choice. In this short essay I will try to show how this first impression does not correspond to the truth, but to a dualistic prejudice that radically separates happening from acting, when in reality they are two dimensions of human existence, which must be integrated into everyone's life . Therefore, as will be seen, education not only is not contrary to affectivity, but constitutes an essential dimension of it. Indeed, without affectivity there would be no education or, at least, this would not be active, creative and intelligent.
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Formation or spiritual training is a task that presents a double point of view: that of the one who gives form or formator and that of the one who receives it. Now, since it is a person and not a thing, the activity of forming persons... more
Formation or spiritual training is a task that presents a double point of view: that of the one who gives form or formator and that of the one who receives it. Now, since it is a person and not a thing, the activity of forming persons depends not only on the formator but also on the one who is being formed, since it is not enough that the latter does not put up obstacles, but must positively want to be formed. Hence, to train someone, it is not enough to act on him, as if he were a simple receiver of advice, indications, criteria, etc., but his will to train must be counted on. Secondly, the end of personal training transcends not only the field of skills but also that of the moral virtues themselves; it consists in helping to know and put into practice your own personal truth, that is, it consists in "the ever clearer discovery of your own vocation and the ever-greater availability to live it in the fulfillment of your own mission"
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In the fenomenon of death, the unity of composition of the person is discovered in a negativ way: her corporality, through the destruction of the body and personal unity; her psychic character through the negative influence of temporality... more
In the fenomenon of death, the unity of composition of the person is discovered in a negativ way: her corporality, through the destruction of the body and personal unity; her psychic character through the negative influence of temporality in consciousness (temporalized consciousness tends towards death); her spiritual dimension, since death is neither a passion nor a simple negation of time, but a free personal act in which the meaning of life is accepted or rejected. The meaning of life is a discovery that one can make in this latest moment and, therefore, of something that is given like a gift; therefore despair and suicide are the refusal of life as a gift. So even if death admits a plurality of perspectives, such as cessation of biological life; as a social event (mourning and funerals, piety and honoring the dead); as a subjective event (death as the end of my biographical time), it above all recalls the tension between the inevitability and tragic nature of perishing and the desire to live an aeternal life. Therefore death it is open either to distrust, despair and rejection of life, or to trust, hope and love. In fact, as we will see, only these last three attitudes are those that allow to integrate death personally and, in this way, to integrate the whole personal life.
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Human sexuality is a very important subject, especially in a cultural context such as ours, in which social and work transformations offer behavioral models that are characterized by a remarkable sexual indeterminacy. In this... more
Human sexuality is a very important subject, especially in a cultural context such as ours, in which social and work transformations offer behavioral
models that are characterized by a remarkable sexual indeterminacy. In this presentation, the author tries to rethink sexuality with equilibrium and intellectual rigor, using a philosophical approach, since sexuality does not only affect biological aspects or social conditioning, but above all the same essence of the relationship between
man and woman. His reflections begin with the historical evolution of the concept of sexuality: the naturalistic conception, which sees the difference between
man and woman as something biological and absolute, and the postmodern conception, which criticizes it by judging human sexuality as a socio-cultural construction or gender. According to the author, the limitation of the gender approach is to deny the relationship of human sexuality to the body and to the differences between man and woman. In fact, by rejecting these aspects, they end up sustaining a limitless creativity of freedom, which transforms the body into something that is used at will, and relationships as something fluid. Faced with these extremes, the author proposes a vision of sexuality as a personal condition or sexed condition, received at the time of birth, but which develops, grows and matures through family models, experiences and relationships. Even if based on an original sexual difference, sexed condition covers many other aspects: physical, psychological, social and cultural, as well as behavioral patterns and, above all, the personal integration of sexuality through the gift of oneself in marriage or in celibacy.
models that are characterized by a remarkable sexual indeterminacy. In this presentation, the author tries to rethink sexuality with equilibrium and intellectual rigor, using a philosophical approach, since sexuality does not only affect biological aspects or social conditioning, but above all the same essence of the relationship between
man and woman. His reflections begin with the historical evolution of the concept of sexuality: the naturalistic conception, which sees the difference between
man and woman as something biological and absolute, and the postmodern conception, which criticizes it by judging human sexuality as a socio-cultural construction or gender. According to the author, the limitation of the gender approach is to deny the relationship of human sexuality to the body and to the differences between man and woman. In fact, by rejecting these aspects, they end up sustaining a limitless creativity of freedom, which transforms the body into something that is used at will, and relationships as something fluid. Faced with these extremes, the author proposes a vision of sexuality as a personal condition or sexed condition, received at the time of birth, but which develops, grows and matures through family models, experiences and relationships. Even if based on an original sexual difference, sexed condition covers many other aspects: physical, psychological, social and cultural, as well as behavioral patterns and, above all, the personal integration of sexuality through the gift of oneself in marriage or in celibacy.
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The person experiences herself both immanent into her action (she identifies herself with the end and assumes its responsibility); transcendent (she puts herself into action, chooses it and gives it dynamism to the end, but she can also... more
The person experiences herself both immanent into her action (she identifies herself with the end and assumes its responsibility); transcendent (she puts herself into action, chooses it and gives it dynamism to the end, but she can also repent, change the intention of her action). The most important question is this one: there is any adequate intentionality in every action? Yes, loving others, specially God. Love is the essence of the human action: it originates it, maintains it and leads it to the end. Therefore love determines us and makes us equal to what we love, that is, a hedonistic person, vain, greedy, virtuous, holy.
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Although tendential and emotional phenomena - at least at the beginning - are something that happens in the person, they can be personally integrated through the act of will.This is possible because tendencies and feelings appear as... more
Although tendential and emotional phenomena - at least at the beginning - are something that happens in the person, they can be personally integrated through the act of will.This is possible because tendencies and feelings appear as possibilities or motives for acting because they always refer to personal happiness. At the same time in which you feel some motivations to act, you are aware that following them depends on your own will, since they don't forced you to go along with them. It is the phenomenological experience of freedom, that is, "I can but I am not forced to do it"
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Reason and affectivity do not have a contrary origin, because a single and identical person feels certain inclinations and affections, reflects on them, evaluates them, accepts them or rejects them and acts accordingly.The person is one,... more
Reason and affectivity do not have a contrary origin, because a single and identical person feels certain inclinations and affections, reflects on them, evaluates them, accepts them or rejects them and acts accordingly.The person is one, but not simple. In our affectivity there is an originary manifestation of our three human dimensions: body, mind and spiritual soul. But this union is only a spontaneous one that needs to be willingly integrated. In fact, there are inclinations and affections that are not rational in themselves and, even, there are some that are contrary to the judgment of reason. But all of them can be personally integrated in our actions and relations.
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The unconscious of meaning and the sensitive consciousness in its ultimate structuring or sensitive image (or phantom), are the basis of the intelligible knowledge. Consciousness would therefore not be the formal cause of our ideas, but... more
The unconscious of meaning and the sensitive consciousness in its ultimate structuring or sensitive image (or phantom), are the basis of the intelligible knowledge. Consciousness would therefore not be the formal cause of our ideas, but thought, which is certainly accompanied by concomitant consciousness. The sensitive and intelligible object is not constituted by consciousness, but by sensations and acts of thought. Something similar can be said about knowing oneself and others. In fact, it is at the basis of self-awareness and the consciousness of the other as being capable of self-awareness. In addition to having a concomitant consciuosness, the person is capable of self-awareness, because human thought is able to return to itself by taking charge of his knowing subjectivity. Self-knowledge is the superior level of immanence and transcendence in the field of knowledge, so its mirroring in the consciousness makes the person experience the highest point of his interiorization, necessary to possess oneself.
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Memory, imagination, estimation do not have an object other than those caught by external senses: the object is the same but processed in a different way. This is the fundamental characteristic of the internal senses. However, if there... more
Memory, imagination, estimation do not have an object other than those caught by external senses: the object is the same but processed in a different way. This is the fundamental characteristic of the internal senses. However, if there were not some structure in our sensations we would have, so to speak, chaos. This is what happens in the newborn baby in which there are different sensations but without the presence of any structuring. So for the internal senses to exist, external sensations need to be there first. This is particularly important because it can happen that we think of our faculties as if they existed for themselves or by themselves. Internal senses, reason, will, etc., we have not - strictly speaking - from the beginning of life. They are only potentialities of our rational soul. In order for them to become current, there is a need to start from what is inferior, that is, from sensations. What is superior, in the context of human life, of culture, starts from what is inferior, very tied to our corporeality. If we did not have the ability to structure the sensations we would therefore not have the opportunity to actualize them and, in the end, to actualize the spiritual dimension of the human person.
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The actualization is the second stage of instincts and tendencies, because it depends on the knowledge of the object towards which the living being tends. The actualization gives rise to the desire towards a known reality. Dynamization is... more
The actualization is the second stage of instincts and tendencies, because it depends on the knowledge of the object towards which the living being tends. The actualization gives rise to the desire towards a known reality. Dynamization is something potential and therefore needs an act, which consists precisely in the knowledge of the object of inclination. In the person, actualization has a multiplicity of sensible and affective implications: from emotions to moods and feelings.
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Dynamization is the first stage of instincts and tendencies, that is, of the potentiality of the total living being. Unlike organs, such as the heart or lungs, which function while beings are alive, tendencies and above all instincts come... more
Dynamization is the first stage of instincts and tendencies, that is, of the potentiality of the total living being. Unlike organs, such as the heart or lungs, which function while beings are alive, tendencies and above all instincts come into action only cyclically, according to the metabolic function, the secretion of the glands, the astronomical cycles, etc. Furthermore, unlike physiological dynamisms, there is a psychic aspect in dynamization, such as in hunger or thirst. Dynamization usually ends with the act that satisfies the need corresponding to instinct or trend. This is certainly true in animals, that is, by instinct, while in the person it is more complex because his inclinations or tendencies, in so far as they are open to the world and to the human act, participate in unconscious and spiritual meaning.
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Biogenesis is usually called the doctrine which claims that present living beings come from other previous forms. In this presentation the term is intended in an etymological sense, as a study of the origin of life. Therefore different... more
Biogenesis is usually called the doctrine which claims that present living beings come from other previous forms. In this presentation the term is intended in an etymological sense, as a study of the origin of life. Therefore different doctrines are analyzed: materialism, evolutionism, intelligent design, etc. Anthropogenesis from the Greek anthropos (man) and genesis (origin). Since there are two principles in man: one material, the body, and the other - the soul - which possesses a spiritual being, one should speak of a double origin: that of the human body prepared by evolution and transmitted by generation and that of the soul, created directly by God.
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Sometimes the titles of the books don't match the content. Other times only tangentially. In this case, the title fully hits the target: it is the discovery of a reality or, if we want, an awareness of its existence, since not only the... more
Sometimes the titles of the books don't match the content. Other times only tangentially. In this case, the title fully hits the target: it is the discovery of a reality or, if we want, an awareness of its existence, since not only the reality of relational goods has always existed, but also we, in greater or to a lesser extent, we have experience of it, although it is often an unfinished experience. Why unfinished? Because we lack the necessary reflection to understand what relational goods are and what their essence is. In this sense, Donati's book helps us not only to give a name to this reality, as when we learn to call our parents, relatives or friends by name, but above all it helps us to understand why we call it this way.
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In the current situation of great confusion with regard to human sexuality, it must be emphasized that the duality between man and woman is original, in the sense that it is neither the result of the division of a previous natural unity... more
In the current situation of great confusion with regard to human sexuality, it must be emphasized that the duality between man and woman is original, in the sense that it is neither the result of the division of a previous natural unity nor a pure historical social construction. It is also necessary to indicate that the duality between man and woman arises not from a lack that would be filled with their union, but from the inexhaustible wealth of the human person. Reciprocity, therefore, refers to man as a gift for woman and woman as a gift for man and, in the case of marriage, to the mutual exchange of the gift of their persons, symbolized by the exchange of rings.Therefore, my article will try to develop these two aspects, which I believe make the love between man and woman a special relational good: conjugality, which - like other relational goods - is already generative in itself.
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One of the arguments in the current debate on postmodern thinking goes around the cause of the crisis of modernity, because it is thought that once you know the source, it is possible to find a remedy. Although there are not a single... more
One of the arguments in the current debate on postmodern thinking goes around the cause of the crisis of modernity, because it is thought that once you know the source, it is possible to find a remedy. Although there are not a single cause but many, the author of this chapter suggests that the core of this crisis depends on the wrong way to understand subjectivity, or even better the relationship that each of us has with reality through consciousness. In fact, as he explains, consciousness allows us to enter into reality, whose three sides are: the own subject, the world and the others subjects. Therefore, to overcome the actual crisis is necessary to consider the subject not as a monad, but rather as a being who is essentially in relation, and that depends heavily on the structure and reflexivity of human consciousness.
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The moral of Shelley's poem, which gives the title to the novel, is simple: the veil of life should not be lifted, because underneath there is no truth, nothing for which it would be worth making this effort. Without a doubt, it is a... more
The moral of Shelley's poem, which gives the title to the novel, is simple: the veil of life should not be lifted, because underneath there is no truth, nothing for which it would be worth making this effort. Without a doubt, it is a terribly pessimistic vision. But, as we shall see, in the novel this vision coincides only partially with the pessimism of the poem. In fact, Kitty Garstin raises the veil of her life and discovers what she has been until then: daughter of a weak father and a selfish mother, unfaithful wife of a resentful and lover of a shameless man. So life that seemed beautiful, full of colors and charm, reveals its true face and presents itself as something false, deceptive and superficial. In other words, Kitty realizes that until then she had not made any decision on her own, even if she did not realize it and was convinced she was free. On the other hand, by discovering her life, Kitty is able to first glimpse that a new existence is possible, and she strongly desires it for her and for the daughter he is waiting for. In this sense we can consider this novel as a descent into the depths of the human heart, crushed under layers of social stereotypes, personal prejudices and, in general, hypocrisy.
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Nel libro Teoria e terapia delle nevrosi, Viktor Frankl racconta numerosi casi che per un profano delle tecniche utilizzate dal padre della logoterapia hanno un carattere sorprendente, perfino bizzarro. Non sono, però, tecniche magiche... more
Nel libro Teoria e terapia delle nevrosi, Viktor Frankl racconta numerosi casi che per un profano delle tecniche utilizzate dal padre della logoterapia hanno un carattere sorprendente, perfino bizzarro. Non sono, però, tecniche magiche né i loro effetti dipendono dalla credulità dei pazienti. Piuttosto, esse hanno a fondamento i processi della coscienza che ci aiutano a comprendere che cosa sia la psiche umana, come funziona e quali disturbi può manifestare un suo catti- vo funzionamento.
Cercheremo di analizzare la base antropologica dei processi della coscienza, prendendo spunto da due tecniche usate dalla logoterapia: l’intenzione paradossa e la dereflessione. Come si vedrà, una teoria adeguata della coscienza è necessaria non solo per affrontare le varie patologie psichiche, ma soprattutto per avere una visione della persona umana come un essere-in-relazione, in grado di trascendere se stesso verso l’altro.
Cercheremo di analizzare la base antropologica dei processi della coscienza, prendendo spunto da due tecniche usate dalla logoterapia: l’intenzione paradossa e la dereflessione. Come si vedrà, una teoria adeguata della coscienza è necessaria non solo per affrontare le varie patologie psichiche, ma soprattutto per avere una visione della persona umana come un essere-in-relazione, in grado di trascendere se stesso verso l’altro.
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Human identity is not something given, nor realized once and for all, but a becoming own self, which knows moments of crisis, growth and even degrowth. All this explains that human identity is personal, that is, relational. The... more
Human identity is not something given, nor realized once and for all, but a becoming own self, which knows moments of crisis, growth and even degrowth. All this explains that human identity is personal, that is, relational. The relationality of the self, besides allowing us to understand its complex structure, reveals its transcendence regarding time: the self never becomes own Self because it can always be more than it already is. Therefore, the becoming of the self is not a process in the dialectical sense, but a vital growth without end, because the end, even if it concerns the self as itself, goes beyond its becoming. From this derives the necessity of distinguishing in the self its being from its becoming. The self is and can not stop being, but only its identity, as own self. In other words: the self is always more than what is in its relations with the body, conscience and otherness, but also with itself, because all these depend on its relationality, which is founded by a Self, which destines it to Himself.
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Human sexuality is not only something corporal, it is also psychological (identification with being male or female), and spiritual (desire and love for the other, recognition of the unrepeatability of the other and of oneself, of family... more
Human sexuality is not only something corporal, it is also psychological (identification with being male or female), and spiritual (desire and love for the other, recognition of the unrepeatability of the other and of oneself, of family and family roles, social and cultural stereotypes).
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Family, friendship and behavioral models, as well as culture and personal experiences when they are integrated personally allow people to leave, possess and give themselves, usually through human love.
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Three types of integration (/ disintegration): potential-possibilities (metaphysical-anthropological), actual (ethical: good act and virtue), personal (personal truth or gift of himself or herself).
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How can reason influence levels that are not rational at their source? Because reason, whose practical function is the judgment, influences the affects for these always suppose a natural judgment.
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Unlike the animal, in order to know and decide how to act persons need not only the spontaneity with which the inclinations appear in our consciousness, but also to educate one's own tendencies, to adapt affectivity to the reality and to... more
Unlike the animal, in order to know and decide how to act persons need not only the spontaneity with which the inclinations appear in our consciousness, but also to educate one's own tendencies, to adapt affectivity to the reality and to find the personal way of acting. Here are the foundations of personal identity.
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Talking about identity seems outdated. What is taking place today is diversity and respect, even more, the promotion of diversity. On the other hand, some would seem to be a rest of identities, when it is argued that the only thing that... more
Talking about identity seems outdated. What is taking place today is diversity and respect, even more, the promotion of diversity. On the other hand, some would seem to be a rest of identities, when it is argued that the only thing that counts is to be authentic. Regarding to what? To what you feel, you desire. But, since what is felt and desired is changing, there is no identity. At least, understood as something fixed, stable.Is this the only possible way to understand identity: either as opposed to the other (encompasses the other, assimilating it), or as a block of marble?
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We know a lot about man, from the map of the genetic code to the psychological and social conditioning, through the influence that the environment and culture have on his life. However, never as before, people have become so... more
We know a lot about man, from the map of the genetic code to the psychological and social conditioning, through the influence that the environment and culture have on his life. However, never as before, people have become so inaccessible.In this series of lectures I will try to offer an answer to this paradox: the need to understand personal identity in its constitution and development.
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The body can be studied in its internal structure as a living organism, endowed with a multiplicity of organs and faculties, as well as in its dynamic relationship with other material and spiritual realities. If the first perspective... more
The body can be studied in its internal structure as a living organism, endowed with a multiplicity of organs and faculties, as well as in its dynamic relationship with other material and spiritual realities. If the first perspective corresponds to an anatomical, physiological study and also -in the case of the person- anthropological one from a static point of view; the second perspective corresponds to a dynamic point of view, that is, to the analysis of its vital inclinations, which naturally tend towards action. But, before geting it, the living being requires a first integration - or spontaneous integration - of those inclinations, through which the subject reaches a certain awareness - more or less clear - of his own life and of what he needs to accomplish it.
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It is really a paradox what today happens with the difference between man and woman. While all the other differences - cultural, religious, political - are defended as a manifestation of pluralism and human wealth, the difference between... more
It is really a paradox what today happens with the difference between man and woman. While all the other differences - cultural, religious, political - are defended as a manifestation of pluralism and human wealth, the difference between man and woman is mistreated or, at least, considered something of little importance. We do not realize that, apart from being the origin of all the other human differences, the difference between man and woman is the origin of people and their relationships, starting from marriage and the family. Therefore, promoting the difference between man and woman, far from being a manifestation of intolerance or bigotry, is a key element in defending people and their dignity.
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The thesis of this essay is that virtue and authenticity, not only do not oppose but complete each other, indeed only their union is able to fill the gaps of the classical model of education, while avoiding postmodern drift towards a... more
The thesis of this essay is that virtue and authenticity, not only do not oppose but complete each other, indeed only their union is able to fill the gaps of the classical model of education, while avoiding postmodern drift towards a sentimental education and a relativistic one. In order to demonstrate this thesis, I will first analyze the education of desire starting from different models, since desire, in addition to being the main subject of virtues, becomes the litmus test to assess whether the educational process is more or less succeeded. Secondly, in spite of the limitations and also the errors contained in some of these models, I will look for the positive elements in order to bring up the need for a new model that is able to make up for these shortcomings.
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To talk about the spirituality of the body may seem like a contradiction as when you speak of an iron of wood. But, as I will attempt to demonstrate, it is nothing more than qualifying the human body as rational or, even better,... more
To talk about the spirituality of the body may seem like a contradiction as when you speak of an iron of wood. But, as I will attempt to demonstrate, it is nothing more than qualifying the human body as rational or, even better, relational, because - this is the thesis that I will defend - human corporality is essentially personal. Although St. Thomas did not develop this idea, its seed is already in his writings. Perhaps its clearer and more effective formulation is contained in the following sentence: "corporeitas, prout est forma substantialis in homine, non est aliud quam anima rationalis". That clearly does not mean to affirm the identity between body and rational soul, because they are already two co-principles, but rather that the human body is essentially rational because its principle is a rational soul. While that may seem, especially to some Thomists, a truism, we will see that the consequences are not so at all.
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The object of thought is the reality not only in its technical, practical, theoretical and ideal dimensions, but also in its hermeneutical and existential ones. Thanks to its capacity to illuminate the different personal levels, the... more
The object of thought is the reality not only in its technical, practical, theoretical and ideal dimensions, but also in its hermeneutical and existential ones. Thanks to its capacity to illuminate the different personal levels, the thought makes possible the flexible control of the affective level, thus laying the bases of the integration in a healthy and mature personality.To understand in depth the meaning of this statement, it is necessary to realize that the condition of possibility of exercising a flexible control on affectivity depends on the unity of the person.
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Man and woman are the two only ways of being a person. As person both man and woman have the same dignity (personal, social, political, religious) and are called to the gift of themselves. As sexually different, man and woman has... more
Man and woman are the two only ways of being a person. As person both man and woman have the same dignity (personal, social, political, religious) and are called to the gift of themselves. As sexually different, man and woman has different characteristics from the individual bodily-psychic-spiritual and relational point of view (husband / wife, father / mother, son / daughter, brother / sister, friend / friend).These differences are precisely differences in relation. That is why relations between men and women are particularly generative of their own and others' identities. So, I prefer to talk about sexed condition, rather than sex or gender, because it is the way of existing as a person: man or woman.
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In every question there is a double condition: on the one hand, the questioning person does not have to know the answer, because otherwise the question does not exist or would be just rhetoric; on the other hand, the requesting person... more
In every question there is a double condition: on the one hand, the questioning person does not have to know the answer, because otherwise the question does not exist or would be just rhetoric; on the other hand, the requesting person must have a certain intuition of the answer, otherwise it would not even have been possible to ask the question; in fact, those who know nothing about a topic are not even able to ask.
If this paradox is already given in any question even in the most banal, in the philosophical question the paradox becomes even greater, because this question, except when it is like the music of a flute casually played by a donkey, shows the depth of knowledge and of the intuition of the one who seeks the truth. This depth of the questioning reaches the highest peaks when we ask ourselves about man, not only because this question already brings with it a certain knowledge of this very complex being but, above all, because it also concerns the image of ourselves, that is, the way in which we conceive of.
If this paradox is already given in any question even in the most banal, in the philosophical question the paradox becomes even greater, because this question, except when it is like the music of a flute casually played by a donkey, shows the depth of knowledge and of the intuition of the one who seeks the truth. This depth of the questioning reaches the highest peaks when we ask ourselves about man, not only because this question already brings with it a certain knowledge of this very complex being but, above all, because it also concerns the image of ourselves, that is, the way in which we conceive of.
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The aim of this essay is to point out some misconceptions that present freedom and obedience as realities difficult to harmonize or even as openly opposed; to try to show, later, how they are so intimately linked, that the correct... more
The aim of this essay is to point out some misconceptions that present freedom and obedience as realities difficult to harmonize or even as openly opposed; to try to show, later, how they are so intimately linked, that the correct understanding of one necessarily requires the inclusion of the other.
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Educating affectivity means exercising flexible control over it through rational judgment. To understand in depth the meaning of this statement, it is necessary to realize that this type of control is made possible by the unity of the... more
Educating affectivity means exercising flexible control over it through rational judgment. To understand in depth the meaning of this statement, it is necessary to realize that this type of control is made possible by the unity of the person. In fact, reason and affectivity do not have an opposite or different origin, as if they were born of two different subjects, since they arise from a single person: a single and identical person is the one who feels certain inclinations, reflects on them, values them and acts in consequence. That the person and therefore the personality is one does not mean that it is simple, therefore, besides being formed by different levels, there are inclinations that in themselves are not rational and even there are contrary to the judgment of reason . The problem is to know how reason can influence levels that are not rational in origin. And this is the question that I intend to deal with in this article.
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Although St. Josemaría's thought does not have a philosophical character, I think it offers important elements of reflection on Anthropology and even more of a fundamental insight. To prove this, I will start from some of the texts in... more
Although St. Josemaría's thought does not have a philosophical character, I think it offers important elements of reflection on Anthropology and even more of a fundamental insight. To prove this, I will start from some of the texts in which St. Josemaría deals with the sanctification of work, a true column of the spirituality of Opus Dei. My perspective will be fundamentally anthropological, because I think that the conception of St. Josemaría's work, in addition to the divine charism, contains a way of solving some of the problems posed by human action and, consequently, from work, especially the professional one. For this purpose my essay will develop in three parts, in the first I will briefly examine what I have called in another place the three paradigms of action: classical, modern and postmodern. Then I will try to show how in the vision of St. Josemaría there is a non-dialectal synthesis of some ideas of these three paradigms; this will help to understand how they can harmonize themselves from a Christian conception of acting. Finally, I shall address the question of double use that San Josemaría makes of the term work: a broad meaning, like any activity and sometimes even passivity to sanctify, and another narrow, as a profession to sanctify. It will thus be discovered that work has an essentially anthropological meaning before having a sociological or economic one.
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Faced with the complexity of the present situation, there are two responses which, in my opinion, are just as wrong: the first, which might be called the mysticism of the “I wish it wouldn't happen", tends to reject the reality that has... more
Faced with the complexity of the present situation, there are two responses which, in my opinion, are just as wrong: the first, which might be called the mysticism of the “I wish it wouldn't happen", tends to reject the reality that has changed dreaming of going back to the past, which is idealized by nostalgia; The second, which may be called total liberation, tends to judge positively every change as if this would turn the woman away from the submission and barbarism of a past in which the scapegoat was.
It seems to me, as I shall try to demonstrate, that the solution to the tension between female identity and social transformation - certainly a source of so much suffering, especially in the daily lives of many women - must be sought in another direction: in an attempt to strengthen Woman's identity so that through her work she can make a valuable contribution not only in the private sphere as in the past, but also in public life, to overthrow the already long process of social dehumanization.
It seems to me, as I shall try to demonstrate, that the solution to the tension between female identity and social transformation - certainly a source of so much suffering, especially in the daily lives of many women - must be sought in another direction: in an attempt to strengthen Woman's identity so that through her work she can make a valuable contribution not only in the private sphere as in the past, but also in public life, to overthrow the already long process of social dehumanization.
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In all human beings there is a tendency to the personal integration of affectivity, which usually arises from the desire to be better. Integration is usually achieved when we unify what we feel, think, say, want and do. When we achieve... more
In all human beings there is a tendency to the personal integration of affectivity, which usually arises from the desire to be better. Integration is usually achieved when we unify what we feel, think, say, want and do. When we achieve this unity, we discover the important role that emotions and feelings play in our lives: to make us aware of the situation in which we find ourselves and find others, to be able to express it, to learn to judge it and to value it ethically, so that our relationships with others be genuine, that is, genuine, not falsified. In short, emotions and feelings play a fundamental role in the feedback that exists between personal consciousness and real situation, on the one hand, and word, action and relationship, on the other. Thus it is discovered that human reality does not correspond to an animal environment but to a personal world.
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The human species is probably not "evolved" physically over the last 200,000 years, since Homo sapiens emerged from Africa to fill the five Continents. What has "evolved" is human culture. Since the Stone Age up to the global society of... more
The human species is probably not "evolved" physically over the last 200,000 years, since Homo sapiens emerged from Africa to fill the five Continents. What has "evolved" is human culture. Since the Stone Age up to the global society of internet and despite the arrests occurred in some historical periods, the culture has been developing up to the present time when the discoveries and the latest technology is spreading across the planet simultaneously.
However, the current cultural evolution is not limited to technological diffusion or a global mindset, but above all it creates techno-scientific processes that may affect the very evolution of the human species, giving rise to changes not only cultural, but also physical (in genetic, organical and mental powers), which, in turn, may modify the same image of the human being.
What are these processes? Can they be considered truly human? Why is culture directing now the process of hominisation? How can it affect the image of humanity? These are some of the questions I will try to answer in this paper.
However, the current cultural evolution is not limited to technological diffusion or a global mindset, but above all it creates techno-scientific processes that may affect the very evolution of the human species, giving rise to changes not only cultural, but also physical (in genetic, organical and mental powers), which, in turn, may modify the same image of the human being.
What are these processes? Can they be considered truly human? Why is culture directing now the process of hominisation? How can it affect the image of humanity? These are some of the questions I will try to answer in this paper.
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There are some people who have the ability to grasp the characteristics of an era and also to anticipate future periods. To this category belong the saints, thinkers and artists. Of course, the source of this gift, as well as how to put... more
There are some people who have the ability to grasp the characteristics of an era and also to anticipate future periods. To this category belong the saints, thinkers and artists. Of course, the source of this gift, as well as how to put into practice, is in them differently. The saints, for instance, receive from God this grace, which often does not materialize in an intellectual vision or a specific work, but in their lives.
The thinker or the artist, even with a similar penetration of epochal events, is able, however, to shape his knowledge and his insights into a theoretical or aesthetic work. Despite belonging to a fixed period, it counts on a universal value, because it transcends their time. This happens in a great novelist like Dostoevsky, especially in his work, The Brothers Karamazov, considered by some scholars as the masterpiece of the Russian writer, despite the articulated and complex nature of its narrative structure, interrupted by long digressions and stories. One of these is the Legend of the Grand Inquisitor, probably the most important story of this novel. There Dostoevsky shows the origin of nihilism, that is, to live as if God were dead, whose more mature fruits - the two world wars, dictatorships, death camps and postmodern relativism - are there for all to see.
The thinker or the artist, even with a similar penetration of epochal events, is able, however, to shape his knowledge and his insights into a theoretical or aesthetic work. Despite belonging to a fixed period, it counts on a universal value, because it transcends their time. This happens in a great novelist like Dostoevsky, especially in his work, The Brothers Karamazov, considered by some scholars as the masterpiece of the Russian writer, despite the articulated and complex nature of its narrative structure, interrupted by long digressions and stories. One of these is the Legend of the Grand Inquisitor, probably the most important story of this novel. There Dostoevsky shows the origin of nihilism, that is, to live as if God were dead, whose more mature fruits - the two world wars, dictatorships, death camps and postmodern relativism - are there for all to see.
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At first glance it would seem that forgiveness and conversion are related only contingently, as they may exist separately, such as when the victim forgives the wrongdoer even if he does not convert, or when he repents of his misdeeds even... more
At first glance it would seem that forgiveness and conversion are related only contingently, as they may exist separately, such as when the victim forgives the wrongdoer even if he does not convert, or when he repents of his misdeeds even if the victim does not forgive him. Nevertheless, I am convinced that between them there is a necessary relationship.
For agreeing to this my conviction, I shall defend this thesis: although conversion depends primarily on the will of the person who converts and forgiveness from the one who forgives, the one who forgives and the one who converts always needs both: forgiveness and conversion. Because - and this is the core of my thesis - without forgiveness conversion is impossible and, viceversa, without conversion there is no a full forgiveness. So the way to study these two phenomena from the anthropological point of view will consist in finding out the cause of this necessary relationship.
For agreeing to this my conviction, I shall defend this thesis: although conversion depends primarily on the will of the person who converts and forgiveness from the one who forgives, the one who forgives and the one who converts always needs both: forgiveness and conversion. Because - and this is the core of my thesis - without forgiveness conversion is impossible and, viceversa, without conversion there is no a full forgiveness. So the way to study these two phenomena from the anthropological point of view will consist in finding out the cause of this necessary relationship.
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The article rethinks human sexuality from an analogical point of view to the animal sexuality. In addition to not separate the physical aspect of sexuality from its psychical and social one as if they were items related contingently, the... more
The article rethinks human sexuality from an analogical point of view to the animal sexuality. In addition to not separate the physical aspect of sexuality from its psychical and social one as if they were items related contingently, the author shows how this separation does not reflect reality, but makes an abstraction of a complex and articulated structure, the sexed condition, which - in addition to the biological and social sex - it contains many other aspects, such as desire, love, marriage and the family, namely the sexual difference, the generation, genealogy and intergenerationality, which must be integrated by any person.
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Ripensare la sessualità umana è un compito di grande attualità, specialmente in un contesto culturale come il nostro, in cui le trasformazioni sociali e lavorative propongono modelli comportamentali caratterizzati da una notevole... more
Ripensare la sessualità umana è un compito di grande attualità, specialmente in un contesto culturale come il nostro, in cui le trasformazioni sociali e lavorative propongono modelli comportamentali caratterizzati da una notevole indeterminatezza sessuale. In Uomo o donna. Una differenza che conta, Antonio Malo, professore di antropologia presso la Pontificia Università della Santa Croce, si dedica proprio a ripensare questo argomento con equilibrio e rigore intellettuale, utilizzando l'approccio di antropologia filosofica, dal momento che la sessualità non influisce solo sugli aspetti biologici o sui condizionamenti sociali, legati al sesso, ma soprattutto sull' essenza stessa della relazione uomo-donna.
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Rethinking human sexuality is a very important task, especially in a cultural context such as ours, in which social and work transformations offer behavioral models that are characterized by a remarkable sexual indeterminacy. In Man or... more
Rethinking human sexuality is a very important task, especially in a cultural context such as ours, in which social and work transformations offer behavioral models that are characterized by a remarkable sexual indeterminacy. In Man or Woman. A difference that matters, Antonio Malo, professor of anthropology at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, tries precisely to rethinking this subject with equilibrium and intellectual rigor, using the approach of philosophical anthropology, since sexuality does not only affect biological aspects or social conditioning, related to sex, but above all the essence of the relationship between man and woman.
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Rethinking human sexuality is a necessary requirement; above all, in a cultural context like ours, in which social and labor transformations propose behavior models, which are characterized by sexual indeterminacy. In Man or woman. A... more
Rethinking human sexuality is a necessary requirement; above all, in a cultural context like ours, in which social and labor transformations propose behavior models, which are characterized by sexual indeterminacy. In Man or woman. A difference that matters, Antonio Malo, professor of anthropology at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, tackles this question, with balance and intellectual rigor, using the approach of philosophical anthropology, because, according to him, sexuality does not affect only biological aspects or social conditioning, linked to sex, but especially the very essence of man-woman relationship
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The first thing that strikes in this book is the open and dialoguing approach with the theory of gender, even in the clear difference of perspective. This approach is not at all customary in the essays that propose a critique of this kind... more
The first thing that strikes in this book is the open and dialoguing approach with the theory of gender, even in the clear difference of perspective. This approach is not at all customary in the essays that propose a critique of this kind of cultural trend.
This book seeks to overcome the gaps in the Anthropology manuals already published. For this, it modifies the configuration of the themes and the way of treating them, starting from the person, in all its constitutive and existential... more
This book seeks to overcome the gaps in the Anthropology manuals already published. For this, it modifies the configuration of the themes and the way of treating them, starting from the person, in all its constitutive and existential complexity.
According to the paradox pointed out by Heidegger, we have in our days almost unattainable information about the person, and yet we know very little about ourselves. For most of the people, the main questions - where do we come from?, where do we go to? - have no answer. What is the position of man in the cosmos? Is he just a smart monkey? Are our actions free, or are they genetically or culturally conditioned? Are we something, or are we someone?
Through the analysis of the person, both in his material, organic and living structure, and in his relations with other realities - this essay therefore tries not only to compare the properties of the different beings in the world, especially the living ones, but above all to establish what is the essence of human existence. In this way the mystery of the person is certainly not revealed but a little light is added that comes from having identified his/her ontological nucleus: the person is an unrepeatable identity that is integrated as such through relationships, especially with other people.
According to the paradox pointed out by Heidegger, we have in our days almost unattainable information about the person, and yet we know very little about ourselves. For most of the people, the main questions - where do we come from?, where do we go to? - have no answer. What is the position of man in the cosmos? Is he just a smart monkey? Are our actions free, or are they genetically or culturally conditioned? Are we something, or are we someone?
Through the analysis of the person, both in his material, organic and living structure, and in his relations with other realities - this essay therefore tries not only to compare the properties of the different beings in the world, especially the living ones, but above all to establish what is the essence of human existence. In this way the mystery of the person is certainly not revealed but a little light is added that comes from having identified his/her ontological nucleus: the person is an unrepeatable identity that is integrated as such through relationships, especially with other people.
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Human action has often played a major role in the progress of society in all its fields (economic, political, cultural) and in the formation of today's mentality: many of our customs, our ways of thinking, of experiencing, of behaving... more
Human action has often played a major role in the progress of society in all its fields (economic, political, cultural) and in the formation of today's mentality: many of our customs, our ways of thinking, of experiencing, of behaving depend on a particular conception of action and on the sense we attribute to it in everyday life. Despite the undeniable advancement of our culture from the technological and scientific point of view, favored by a new way of understanding human action, there are many aspects of cultural involution and personal immaturity, which are more or less directly related to this conception. This makes us think that in our way of understanding action there is something wrong that needs to be corrected if we do not want the negative aspects vanifie the many achievements of our western civilization.
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This book aims to help parents and educators to better develop their task and to have firsthand analysis on topics that have gained public relevance in recent decades. That is why the book is divided into three parts. The first one faces... more
This book aims to help parents and educators to better develop their task and to have firsthand analysis on topics that have gained public relevance in recent decades. That is why the book is divided into three parts. The first one faces an issue that has generated thousands of headlines in the news from around the world: sex education; It offers an educational, medical and psychological approach within the reach of any educator but with scientific data at the bottom of the page. The second part focuses on an anthropological analysis of affectivity, trying to decipher the role of human love in the pursuit of happiness. The last part has a more practical and propositional character, as it suggests some educational guidelines and ways to present affective education in an attractive way in the public sphere.
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The author demonstrates that any of separation between sex and gender, as if they were almost two arbitrarily linked elements, is equivalent to an abstraction that presents as real something but exists only in our minds, and this results... more
The author demonstrates that any of separation between sex and gender, as if they were almost two arbitrarily linked elements, is equivalent to an abstraction that presents as real something but exists only in our minds, and this results in stereotype and ideology . Human sexuality, which the author calls sexual condition, is, on the other hand, a complex and articulated structure. Not only does it include body and social dimension of sexuality, but also many other aspects so far little studied, such as sexual tendency, desire, love, reciprocity in love, relation of identification and differentiation inside of couple and family, that is, genealogy, generation and intergeneration. It follows that a mature identity requires the personal integration of all these elements, to improve the quality of human relations as a man or as a woman.
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This essay has as a goal to describe the link between identity, relationship and human corporeity, which apparently are realities so different between them. The reason of this link depends on the fact that the origin and destination of... more
This essay has as a goal to describe the link between identity, relationship and human corporeity, which apparently are realities so different between them. The reason of this link depends on the fact that the origin and destination of personal liberty is to be found in the relationship of each one of us with other people.
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This essay has as a goal to describe the link between personal identity, relationship and human corporeity, which apparently are so different between them. The reason of this link depends on the fact that the origin and destination of... more
This essay has as a goal to describe the link between personal identity, relationship and human corporeity, which apparently are so different between them. The reason of this link depends on the fact that the origin and destination of personal liberty is to be found in the relationship of each one of us with other people.
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My working hypothesis is that the human tendency corresponds to a potentiality of the whole person. In order to achieve an end it must pass through three stages: dynamization, actualization and action. Therefore the dinamization of the... more
My working hypothesis is that the human tendency corresponds to a potentiality of the whole person. In order to achieve an end it must pass through three stages: dynamization, actualization and action. Therefore the dinamization of the tendency, in addition to be physical, is also psychical and spiritual. Being spiritual, the tendency, unlike instincts, is not rigid nor necessarily lead to a single behavior, but is open to a plurality of acts. On the other hand, before reaching the act, the potentiality of the tendency, compared to what happens with the powers of transitive and immanent acts that go directly to the act (the power of building to the house, that of seeing to seen) admits an intermediate stage, the actualization, which is however not act, but passion or, better yet, tendencial affectivity.
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Las dos actitudes posmodernas (la deconstructivista y la neorromántica), si bien arrancan de visiones antropológicas diferentes y en cierto sentido contrarias, comparten la creencia típica de la modernidad de que la afectividad y la... more
Las dos actitudes posmodernas (la deconstructivista y la neorromántica), si bien arrancan de visiones antropológicas diferentes y en cierto sentido contrarias, comparten la creencia típica de la modernidad de que la afectividad y la razón se oponen entre sí: constituyen dos máscaras antitéticas de una subjetividad que no existe (como sostiene el deconstructivismo), o bien son respectivamente la realidad y la máscara de una misma subjetividad (como afirma el neorromanticismo posmoderno).
Confirmar o rechazar la oposición entre razón y afectividad constituye el principal objetivo de este libro. De ahí que, en el primer capítulo, se analice la tesis cartesiana de las pasiones del alma, en donde creemos que se encuentra el origen de dicha oposición. Así mismo examinaremos el intento del conductismo de resolver la oposición cartesiana en el campo psicológico, mediante la reducción de la subjetividad a pura exterioridad objetiva. A pesar de las diferencias entre estos dos planteamientos (cartesianismo y conductismo), veremos que ambos tienen un elemento en común. En efecto, tanto en el cartesianismo como en el conductismo, se acepta la existencia de un control completo de la afectividad. Pero ¿es posible dicho control si se parte de la razón y de la afectividad como realidades opuestas, o si se reduce la subjetividad a pura objetividad? Por otra parte ¿el único control adecuado es de carácter técnico, como parecen sostener –no obstante las divergencias– cartesianismo y conduc- tismo? En el capítulo segundo nos ocuparemos de una cuestión, señalada por los románticos y neorrománticos posmodernos: ¿se debe considerar la afectividad como una forma directa de acceso a la interioridad del sujeto? Para responderla se estudiarán los diversos métodos empleados en el estudio de los sentimientos. De este modo, además de examinar la estructura somático-psíquico-espiritual que configura la afectividad, trataremos de entender el modo en que la persona se refleja en los sentimientos. La propuesta de Tomás de Aquino de considerar los afectos o pasiones como apetitos sentidos constituirá el núcleo del tercer capítulo; mientras que la comparación entre la teoria tomista de apetito y el concepto fenomenológico de tendencia será el tema del cuarto.
Por último, en los capítulos quinto y sexto se afrontará otra de las intuiciones del romanticismo y el neorromanticismo: el sentimiento amoroso parece indicar tanto la relación de la subjetividad consigo mismo, como la relación auténtica con las demás subjetividades y, sobre todo con el Infinito,
Confirmar o rechazar la oposición entre razón y afectividad constituye el principal objetivo de este libro. De ahí que, en el primer capítulo, se analice la tesis cartesiana de las pasiones del alma, en donde creemos que se encuentra el origen de dicha oposición. Así mismo examinaremos el intento del conductismo de resolver la oposición cartesiana en el campo psicológico, mediante la reducción de la subjetividad a pura exterioridad objetiva. A pesar de las diferencias entre estos dos planteamientos (cartesianismo y conductismo), veremos que ambos tienen un elemento en común. En efecto, tanto en el cartesianismo como en el conductismo, se acepta la existencia de un control completo de la afectividad. Pero ¿es posible dicho control si se parte de la razón y de la afectividad como realidades opuestas, o si se reduce la subjetividad a pura objetividad? Por otra parte ¿el único control adecuado es de carácter técnico, como parecen sostener –no obstante las divergencias– cartesianismo y conduc- tismo? En el capítulo segundo nos ocuparemos de una cuestión, señalada por los románticos y neorrománticos posmodernos: ¿se debe considerar la afectividad como una forma directa de acceso a la interioridad del sujeto? Para responderla se estudiarán los diversos métodos empleados en el estudio de los sentimientos. De este modo, además de examinar la estructura somático-psíquico-espiritual que configura la afectividad, trataremos de entender el modo en que la persona se refleja en los sentimientos. La propuesta de Tomás de Aquino de considerar los afectos o pasiones como apetitos sentidos constituirá el núcleo del tercer capítulo; mientras que la comparación entre la teoria tomista de apetito y el concepto fenomenológico de tendencia será el tema del cuarto.
Por último, en los capítulos quinto y sexto se afrontará otra de las intuiciones del romanticismo y el neorromanticismo: el sentimiento amoroso parece indicar tanto la relación de la subjetividad consigo mismo, como la relación auténtica con las demás subjetividades y, sobre todo con el Infinito,
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Este ensayo podría titularse también Breve antropología dialogada, pues en el se abordan algunas de las cuestiones antropológicas más debatidas en la actualidad: la naturaleza humana y la persona, la virtud y el vicio, la necesidad y la... more
Este ensayo podría titularse también Breve antropología dialogada, pues en el se abordan algunas de las cuestiones antropológicas más debatidas en la actualidad: la naturaleza humana y la persona, la virtud y el vicio, la necesidad y la libertad, las relaciones interpersonales, la amistad, la angustia y la esperanza, la muerte… Sin embargo, el autor ha decidido darle el título de Diálogos sobre la verdad, para que el lector sepa que no se encontrará con un manual ni siquiera con un ensayo puramente conceptual, sino con una narración dialogada de la existencia personal, con diversos niveles de lectura.
El hilo narrativo es de una extrema sencillez: el protagonista se halla perdido en un bosque, de donde intenta salir recorriendo diversos caminos. Para introducirse en el camino de la verdad personal, el protagonista es guiado por un niño de unos siete años —encarnación de su daimon— quien le conduce en aquella selva, explicándole las dificultades y obstáculos.
La narración no es un simple recurso estilístico para dar amenidad a la exposición de ideas, sino que es la forma más adecuada para el contenido filosófico del ensayo: la verdad personal no es un conjunto de verdades teóricas ni una serie de normas de comportamiento, sino que es la narración de una vida con sentido. Mediante el relato se establece una red de símbolos (bosque, camino, encuentro, acompañamiento, obstáculos, cambios del paisaje, fin del camino) que se refieren a los elementos esenciales de la vida del lector. De este modo, el lector no sólo lee una serie de episodios, narraciones y encuentros con diversos personajes, sino que también recorre esos senderos ocultos, que son los de su misma existencia. Al final del ensayo, terminada la fase de identificación con el mundo de ficción, el lector debe tomar una decisión personal: vivir una vida con sentido o permitir que la falta de sentido le haga imposible abandonar el bosque.
El hilo narrativo es de una extrema sencillez: el protagonista se halla perdido en un bosque, de donde intenta salir recorriendo diversos caminos. Para introducirse en el camino de la verdad personal, el protagonista es guiado por un niño de unos siete años —encarnación de su daimon— quien le conduce en aquella selva, explicándole las dificultades y obstáculos.
La narración no es un simple recurso estilístico para dar amenidad a la exposición de ideas, sino que es la forma más adecuada para el contenido filosófico del ensayo: la verdad personal no es un conjunto de verdades teóricas ni una serie de normas de comportamiento, sino que es la narración de una vida con sentido. Mediante el relato se establece una red de símbolos (bosque, camino, encuentro, acompañamiento, obstáculos, cambios del paisaje, fin del camino) que se refieren a los elementos esenciales de la vida del lector. De este modo, el lector no sólo lee una serie de episodios, narraciones y encuentros con diversos personajes, sino que también recorre esos senderos ocultos, que son los de su misma existencia. Al final del ensayo, terminada la fase de identificación con el mundo de ficción, el lector debe tomar una decisión personal: vivir una vida con sentido o permitir que la falta de sentido le haga imposible abandonar el bosque.
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Forgiveness is the recovery of the gift starting from a bad asymmetrical relationship. To get there, several stages must be overcome: a) revenge or reciprocity in evil; b) the pure symmetry of the punishment proportional or legal.... more
Forgiveness is the recovery of the gift starting from a bad asymmetrical relationship. To get there, several stages must be overcome: a) revenge or reciprocity in evil; b) the pure symmetry of the punishment proportional or legal. Furthermore, they must be satisfied a series of conditions: sympathy (does not know what he is doing), distinguish between the wrongdoer and evil (evil takes shape in action and in the relationship, not in the person, which transcends actions and relations); the humility of seeing the other not only as a criminal but also as a victim and themselves not only as victims but also as evildoers.
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Gender theory emphasizes the personal character of human sexuality. Scientific analyzes of human sexuality reveal that, in addition to being rooted in the body, it must also be personalized through psychological identification with the... more
Gender theory emphasizes the personal character of human sexuality. Scientific analyzes of human sexuality reveal that, in addition to being rooted in the body, it must also be personalized through psychological identification with the own sex and also through interpersonal relationships, beginning with those established with the own parents. Furthermore, gender theory shows how some of the social roles attributed to men and women throughout history, in addition to being conventional, have in many cases negatively influenced the sociocultural assessment of women. In any case, the gender theory wrongly concludes that the differences between men and women are born from a patriarchal, unjust structure. The author of this brief compendium shows how these are, instead, a mutual gift and a wealth for humanity.
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«God always forgives, man sometimes, nature never». This well-known proverb contains what we can call a metaphysics of forgiveness, in which we can distinguish three kinds of being: the infinite being of God who is the source of all... more
«God always forgives, man sometimes, nature never». This well-known proverb contains what we can call a metaphysics of forgiveness, in which we can distinguish three kinds of being: the infinite being of God who is the source of all forgiveness, the finite being of man, which is capable of forgiving because he is endowed with freedom, and the equally finite being of nature, incapable of forgiving because he only obeys physical or psychical laws. In human forgiveness there is the coexistence of all three: nature as the cause of the psychic processes that must be overcome (revenge or remorse), man as a subject that offends or is offended and, above all, God as the origin and ultimate goal of forgiveness.
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Each of us, besides being able to transform, produce, and consume, that is to have in an anthropological sense, is above all able to give, to receive and to give back. Said in another way: human persons are not only in need, but also... more
Each of us, besides being able to transform, produce, and consume, that is to have in an anthropological sense, is above all able to give, to receive and to give back. Said in another way: human persons are not only in need, but also endowed with a surplus. And, throug this excess, they can give rise to relational goods. This means that persons are always more than what they are in act, because persons exist with others by loving them with their actions. And a fundamental way to coexist loving is to work with and for others.
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A partir de la tesis hileomórfica de Aristóteles y Santo Tomás, el autor propone considerar el cuerpo humano como dotado de dignidad tanto por hallarse animado por un alma espiritual, como por ser un don para las demás personas. Para... more
A partir de la tesis hileomórfica de Aristóteles y Santo Tomás, el autor propone considerar el cuerpo humano como dotado de dignidad tanto por hallarse animado por un alma espiritual, como por ser un don para las demás personas. Para ello se estudia la realidad del cuerpo —en especial, el del paciente con enfermedades avanzadas— empleando la categoría antropológica de la relación: la persona y, por consiguiente, su cuerpo, existe en plural, es decir, en relación con otras personas. El cuerpo participa del carácter plural y relacional de la persona; más aún, el cuerpo es condición misma de la pluralidad de las personas humanas y medio de su relacionalidad. El cuerpo, en tanto que recibido de unas personas y transmitido a otras, es generado o dado. Lo que implica, junto a su carácter de don, la corresponsabilidad de los demás en su cuidado, desarrollo y bienestar.
La consideración del cuerpo como don, además de ayudar a enfocar adecuadamente algunas cuestiones de bioética —licitud o ilicitud de la eugenesia, enhancement, eutanasia, tratamientos y cuidados paliativos que deben darse a los enfermos en estado terminal—, plantea la necesidad de entender la justicia de acuerdo con una asimetría originaria: en relación a los cuerpos de los demás tengo el mismo deber que en relación a mi cuerpo, pues tanto uno como otro han sido aceptados por un tercero. De ahí que la figura del tercero constituya un elemento esencial de la concepción misma del cuerpo como don. En definitiva, cuerpo y libertad se presuponen y co-implican: un cuerpo humano sin libertad efectiva (por lo menos aquella que corresponde a las personas que de algún modo se hallan relacionadas con él) es tan contradictorio como una libertad desencarnada. La libertad humana debe, por tanto, tratar al cuerpo humano —propio y ajeno— como regalo; nunca, en cambio, como propiedad de la que puede disponerse a placer.
La consideración del cuerpo como don, además de ayudar a enfocar adecuadamente algunas cuestiones de bioética —licitud o ilicitud de la eugenesia, enhancement, eutanasia, tratamientos y cuidados paliativos que deben darse a los enfermos en estado terminal—, plantea la necesidad de entender la justicia de acuerdo con una asimetría originaria: en relación a los cuerpos de los demás tengo el mismo deber que en relación a mi cuerpo, pues tanto uno como otro han sido aceptados por un tercero. De ahí que la figura del tercero constituya un elemento esencial de la concepción misma del cuerpo como don. En definitiva, cuerpo y libertad se presuponen y co-implican: un cuerpo humano sin libertad efectiva (por lo menos aquella que corresponde a las personas que de algún modo se hallan relacionadas con él) es tan contradictorio como una libertad desencarnada. La libertad humana debe, por tanto, tratar al cuerpo humano —propio y ajeno— como regalo; nunca, en cambio, como propiedad de la que puede disponerse a placer.
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Come vedremo in quest’articolo, la comunicazione in letteratura non dipende essenzialmente dagli elementi di questo processo (il particolare tipo di linguaggio o le funzioni predominanti), quanto piuttosto da ciò che ha in comune con... more
Come vedremo in quest’articolo, la comunicazione in letteratura non dipende essenzialmente dagli elementi di questo processo (il particolare tipo di linguaggio o le funzioni predominanti), quanto piuttosto da ciò che ha in comune con qualsiasi azione umana, ovvero la capacità di comunicare perfezione1. Poiché essa è comunque il risultato di un’azione umana (un peculiare tipo di poiêsis o fare), l’opera letteraria ha una struttura complessa e articolata, che si compone fondamentalmente di quattro dimensioni: il fare letterario o creazione, la tecnica o conoscenza pratica dell’arte della scrittura, l’agire o perfezione etica che l’autore raggiunge con la sua produzione artistica, e la comunicazione della perfezione attraverso l’opera. Anche se ogni dimensione dell’agire svolge un ruolo importante nell’opera letteraria, è la comunicazione a darle unità, giacché essa è fine e –come afferma anche Aristotele – ciò che rende perfetta un’azione è sempre il fine.
L’oggetto del nostro studio, dunque, non verte tanto sulla specificità della struttura della comunicazione, quanto piuttosto su in che cosa consiste la perfezione comunicativa che caratterizza l’opera letteraria e come essa si raggiunge. Per verificare la validità di questa tesi bisogna innanzitutto analizzare il processo comunicativo e, nel nostro caso specifico, quello della letteratura.
L’oggetto del nostro studio, dunque, non verte tanto sulla specificità della struttura della comunicazione, quanto piuttosto su in che cosa consiste la perfezione comunicativa che caratterizza l’opera letteraria e come essa si raggiunge. Per verificare la validità di questa tesi bisogna innanzitutto analizzare il processo comunicativo e, nel nostro caso specifico, quello della letteratura.
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Nell’immaginario collettivo si sta imponendo con forza inarrestabile la convinzione che la realtà del matrimonio sia indissolubilmente legata al suo successo, in questo modo si arriva a considerare il fallimento nel rapporto di coppia... more
Nell’immaginario collettivo si sta imponendo con forza inarrestabile la convinzione che la realtà del matrimonio sia indissolubilmente legata al suo successo, in questo modo si arriva a considerare il fallimento nel rapporto di coppia come la prova più chiara che non è mai esistito matrimonio. Adoperando gli slogan tipici della società mediatica in cui viviamo, potremmo dire: “rapporto di coppia fallito, matrimonio che non è mai esistito”.
Di fronte alla triste situazione in cui sembra di trovarsi il matrimonio agli inizi del terzo millennio abbiamo due opzioni: o il matrimonio è per noi, uomini e donne del XXI secolo, realmente impossibile, se non addirittura la stessa figura dell’impossibile; o piuttosto è il nostro modo distorto di concepirlo a renderlo impossibile. Penso che la verità sia nella seconda opzione: la mentalità odierna dominante non è in grado di comprendere il matrimonio perché ha perso di vista
alcuni elementi antropologici essenziali, come il carattere naturale della coniugalità. Infatti, nonostante le ombre si addensino all’orizzonte,il matrimonio mantiene intatta la sua essenza, giacché si basa sulla natura coniugale della persona umana che non può essere modificata. Per cui si deve sperare che, finché esisteranno esseri umani sulla terra, gli uomini e le donne continueranno ad avere la capacità consensuale per sposarsi.
Ma in cosa consiste tale capacità da un punto di vista antropologico? La risposta a questa domanda è il nucleo centrale del mio intervento. Per potervi giungere, però, è necessario ripercorrere diverse tappe: in primo luogo, si deve tentare di capire in cosa consista il consenso umano e quale sia la specificità di quello matrimoniale, sia dal punto di vista dei soggetti che si sposano sia dal punto di vista dell’atto che essi realizzano. In secondo luogo, si deve analizzare l’origine del consenso matrimoniale, cioè su quali potenzialità e possibilità reali esso si basa. Infine, bisogna indicare quali di queste potenzialità e possibilità sono assolutamente necessarie affinché si possa parlare di capacità consensuale per sposarsi.
Di fronte alla triste situazione in cui sembra di trovarsi il matrimonio agli inizi del terzo millennio abbiamo due opzioni: o il matrimonio è per noi, uomini e donne del XXI secolo, realmente impossibile, se non addirittura la stessa figura dell’impossibile; o piuttosto è il nostro modo distorto di concepirlo a renderlo impossibile. Penso che la verità sia nella seconda opzione: la mentalità odierna dominante non è in grado di comprendere il matrimonio perché ha perso di vista
alcuni elementi antropologici essenziali, come il carattere naturale della coniugalità. Infatti, nonostante le ombre si addensino all’orizzonte,il matrimonio mantiene intatta la sua essenza, giacché si basa sulla natura coniugale della persona umana che non può essere modificata. Per cui si deve sperare che, finché esisteranno esseri umani sulla terra, gli uomini e le donne continueranno ad avere la capacità consensuale per sposarsi.
Ma in cosa consiste tale capacità da un punto di vista antropologico? La risposta a questa domanda è il nucleo centrale del mio intervento. Per potervi giungere, però, è necessario ripercorrere diverse tappe: in primo luogo, si deve tentare di capire in cosa consista il consenso umano e quale sia la specificità di quello matrimoniale, sia dal punto di vista dei soggetti che si sposano sia dal punto di vista dell’atto che essi realizzano. In secondo luogo, si deve analizzare l’origine del consenso matrimoniale, cioè su quali potenzialità e possibilità reali esso si basa. Infine, bisogna indicare quali di queste potenzialità e possibilità sono assolutamente necessarie affinché si possa parlare di capacità consensuale per sposarsi.
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In una società in cui l’affettività – in particolare quella legata alla sessualità– sembra costituire l’esperienza più gratificante all’interno di una vita priva di senso, il celibato è assunto a simbolo di una vita disumana e infelice,... more
In una società in cui l’affettività – in particolare quella legata alla sessualità– sembra costituire l’esperienza più gratificante all’interno di una vita priva di senso, il celibato è assunto a simbolo di una vita disumana e infelice, contro cui bisogna lottare con tutte le forze. Se in altri ambiti ci si mostra sommamente tolleranti verso le scelte individuali, si tende invece a gridare allo scandalo verso il celibato, spesso ostacolandolo.
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Parlare di natura umana nell’epoca della rivoluzione tecnologica e del multiculturalismo sembra una pazzia o, almeno, un’idea d’altri tempi, forse un retaggio di una mentalità metafisica che si mostra dura a morire.Perché è così strano... more
Parlare di natura umana nell’epoca della rivoluzione tecnologica e del multiculturalismo sembra una pazzia o, almeno, un’idea d’altri tempi, forse un retaggio di una mentalità metafisica che si mostra dura a morire.Perché è così strano parlare di natura umana, quando siamo abituati ad usare questo termine in contesti tanto differenti quali: madre natura, energia naturale, alimenti naturali (diversi dai cibi transgenici), la natura degli animali, la natura della scienza, dell’arte…? Come si può pensare che abbiano una natura sia le realtà che non dipendono dall’uomo sia quelle che sonorisultato? Queste sono le principali domande cui tenterò di dare una risposta.
del suo lavoro, ma non l’uomo che le produce? La persona umana è l’unica
realtà di questo mondo a non avere una natura
del suo lavoro, ma non l’uomo che le produce? La persona umana è l’unica
realtà di questo mondo a non avere una natura
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Per una serie di cause, fra cui forse la più importante è la separazione tra sessualità e generazione, nel mondo globalizzato – e non solo in Occidente – si diffondono nuovi modi di concepire la sessualità, la famiglia, le relazioni fra... more
Per una serie di cause, fra cui forse la più importante è la separazione tra sessualità e generazione, nel mondo globalizzato – e non solo in Occidente – si diffondono nuovi modi di concepire la sessualità, la famiglia, le relazioni fra uomo e donna
e i modelli di genitorialità; essi vengono accettati da un sempre maggior numero di costituzioni e messi in pratica da più persone. Il risultato è che quasi tutto ciò che la sessualità umana era riuscita a congiungere lungo i secoli, comincia a separarsi con l’intenzione più o meno consapevole di produrre un nuovo modello di umanità.
Di fronte a questa situazione di grande confusione, lo scopo del
mio intervento è aiutare a riflettere sulla bellezza e complessità della sessualità umana, la quale non si può identificare tout court con una cosiddetta concezione tradizionale, e neppure con il moltiplicarsi di generi secondo i desideri dei soggetti.
e i modelli di genitorialità; essi vengono accettati da un sempre maggior numero di costituzioni e messi in pratica da più persone. Il risultato è che quasi tutto ciò che la sessualità umana era riuscita a congiungere lungo i secoli, comincia a separarsi con l’intenzione più o meno consapevole di produrre un nuovo modello di umanità.
Di fronte a questa situazione di grande confusione, lo scopo del
mio intervento è aiutare a riflettere sulla bellezza e complessità della sessualità umana, la quale non si può identificare tout court con una cosiddetta concezione tradizionale, e neppure con il moltiplicarsi di generi secondo i desideri dei soggetti.
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Although the interest of experimental psychology for forgiveness and its consequences is relatively recentin the practical field, it responds not so much to a fashion as to a fundamental need of man in his attitude towards the fault.... more
Although the interest of experimental psychology for forgiveness and its consequences is relatively recentin the practical field, it responds not so much to a fashion as to a fundamental need of man in his attitude towards the fault. Before being the object of philosophical reflection or essential element of some historical religions, guilt is a universal constant of life of the men and women of every time and place. Nonetheless, guilt is never an abstraction, but a personal experience that touches us very closely, sometimes tragically; it's always my fault. In front of the fault, arise spontaneously issues steeped in pathos: how can I live with the guilt? I can still hope to recover the lost innocence?
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Gender theory is a school of thought that, in its attempt to bring about “self-emancipation from creation and the Creator” (Benedict XVI, Christmas Address to the Roman Curia 2008, 1), aims to advance a libertarian or “free” approach to... more
Gender theory is a school of thought that, in its attempt to bring
about “self-emancipation from creation and the Creator” (Benedict
XVI, Christmas Address to the Roman Curia 2008, 1), aims to advance
a libertarian or “free” approach to issues related to sexuality,
marriage, and family. The distinction between sex and gender is a
central element of this theory. The author analizes it from a philosophical and theological point of view.
about “self-emancipation from creation and the Creator” (Benedict
XVI, Christmas Address to the Roman Curia 2008, 1), aims to advance
a libertarian or “free” approach to issues related to sexuality,
marriage, and family. The distinction between sex and gender is a
central element of this theory. The author analizes it from a philosophical and theological point of view.
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The world of affectivity needs to be formed and, as it were, "refined" by educational and ethical work, not less long and demanding than that required for the acquisition of scientific knowledge and technical and scientific skills. This... more
The world of affectivity needs to be formed and, as it were, "refined" by educational and ethical work, not less long and demanding than that required for the acquisition of scientific knowledge and technical and scientific skills. This task initially corresponds to the rationality of others —especially the parents— who must interpret, evaluate and confirm or correct the adequacy between the affection and the actual situation in which the person is located. For example, if do not feel fear or joy when the situation is dangerous or pleased undoubtedly implies a lack of affective resonance. The interpretation and education of affectivity, especially of desire, constitutes, therefore, the first area of personal freedom, a freedom that is in relation with the world and with others. However, the greatest manifestation of freedom is to be founded in the virtuous interpersonal relationships, which achieves a balance between autonomy and dependence, between choice and belonging, between giving and receiving. This positive freedom challenges the non-sense that today relationships are reduced in many cases.
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One of the arguments in the current debate on modernity goes around the cause or causes of the crisis, because it is thought that once you know the source, it is possible to find a remedy. Indeed, as in any disease the current crisis was... more
One of the arguments in the current debate on modernity goes around the cause or causes of the crisis, because it is thought that once you know the source, it is possible to find a remedy. Indeed, as in any disease the current crisis was brought about by a number of reasons for which we are not yet fully aware. Postmodernism considers that the cause of every evil is the modern subject, especially in his attempt to come up with a fixed identity, independent of any situation, time and culture. Although the diagnosis of postmodernism emphasizes an important cause of the current crisis, what you might call the modern rationalism and voluntarism, it seems to me that it is not the only cause, and, also, that the way in which postmodernism wants to correct subjectivism fall into the same error denounced: thinking that the modern subject is the only possible interpretation of subjectivity.
Therefore, although the causes or, better, the contributing causes of the crisis are many, perhaps their core depends on the wrong way to understand the subjectivity, or even better the relationship that each of us has with reality through consciousness. In fact, consciousness allows us to enter into reality, whose three sides are: the own subject, the world and the others subjects. Ultimately, the solution to the problem is to consider the subject not as a monad, but rather as a being who is essentially in relation, and that depends heavily on the structure of our conscience.
Therefore, although the causes or, better, the contributing causes of the crisis are many, perhaps their core depends on the wrong way to understand the subjectivity, or even better the relationship that each of us has with reality through consciousness. In fact, consciousness allows us to enter into reality, whose three sides are: the own subject, the world and the others subjects. Ultimately, the solution to the problem is to consider the subject not as a monad, but rather as a being who is essentially in relation, and that depends heavily on the structure of our conscience.
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Family or families? This question may seem like a dilemma of a Byzantine dispute. However, the question isn’t silly or trivial at all. It contains a sentence of life or death, not only for the family, but also for man. As I will try to... more
Family or families? This question may seem like a dilemma of a Byzantine dispute.
However, the question isn’t silly or trivial at all. It contains a sentence of life or death, not only for the family, but also for man. As I will try to demonstrate in this essay, the choice is not between two equally valid options. Rather, it is a choice between a unique natural institution that is necessary for people and their development, and a plurality of arbitrarily constructed relational models that are potentially destructive for the person and society. Therefore, in the choice between family and families, there are two things at stake: on the superficial level, the way of understanding primary relationships that are an intrinsic part of the persons’ identities; then, on a deeper level, the very
reality of man himself.
However, the question isn’t silly or trivial at all. It contains a sentence of life or death, not only for the family, but also for man. As I will try to demonstrate in this essay, the choice is not between two equally valid options. Rather, it is a choice between a unique natural institution that is necessary for people and their development, and a plurality of arbitrarily constructed relational models that are potentially destructive for the person and society. Therefore, in the choice between family and families, there are two things at stake: on the superficial level, the way of understanding primary relationships that are an intrinsic part of the persons’ identities; then, on a deeper level, the very
reality of man himself.
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he human person is a being open to infinity. This appears clearly not only in his rational knowledge, through which one can become in some way all things, but also in his or her own tendencial capacity that is never satisfied with what... more
he human person is a being open to infinity. This appears clearly not only in his rational knowledge, through which one can become in some way all things, but also in his or her own tendencial capacity that is never satisfied with what is finite. Such opening to infinity explains why human inclinations — and relationships based on them — are radically different from those of animals, despite some similarities. The attempt of this essay is to discover these inclinations that may give rise to certain relational virtues, like piety, affability, authority, and so on.
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The questions I will try to answer are the three one: is sexual difference real or - as many feminists claim - is it only a social construction? Is sexual difference only related to reproduction, as in animals, or does it also have a... more
The questions I will try to answer are the three one: is sexual difference real or - as many feminists claim - is it only a social construction? Is sexual difference only related to reproduction, as in animals, or does it also have a human value? If so, what does this value consist of? The purpose of this essay will therefore be twofold: on the one hand, to try to examine the answers offered by some of the current conceptions on human sexuality; on the other, to propose a new vision of sexuality, based on the relational paradigm, which takes into account both the positive aspects of these conceptions and their limitations.
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The results of the work that the reader has in his hands are undoubtedly partial and sometimes they are more reflexions and questions than real solutions. Nevertheless, we think that they are already indications both for a better... more
The results of the work that the reader has in his hands are undoubtedly partial and sometimes they are more reflexions and questions than real solutions. Nevertheless, we think that they are already indications both for a better understanding of the difference between man and woman as original relationship, both to address a series of socio-cultural events in which the loss of this difference is observed and, therefore, how this relationship is replaced with other types of relationship. Starting from these results, the book is structured in three parts. In the first part we study the psychological and anthropological phenomena of the difficult relation between man and woman that are part of the postmodern cultural landscape. In the second one, we analyze the difference between man and woman from the point of view of ontology and relational sociology. In the third part some solutions are offered from a moral, sociological, and anthropological point of view.
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One of the constants of philosophical history about man is dualism, that is, the internal split between two different elements, which oppose or permeate in greater or lesser measure in the various authors and in the various currents of... more
One of the constants of philosophical history about man is dualism, that is, the internal split between two different elements, which oppose or permeate in greater or lesser measure in the various authors and in the various currents of thought. Although these elements have been defined in different ways - matter and spirit, soul and body, extension and thought, nature and freedom, life and spirit, etc. -, the result of dualism has always been the same: the inability to understand man as being unitary by essence.
Faced with the above-mentioned picture, it is permissible to question the validity of the dualist argument and, more concretely, of the validity of a clear contrast between nature and liberty, which today has a large number of assertors. Since the answer we are trying to give is anthropological, we will not analyze the metaphysical difficulties and objections raised in the past centuries against dualism, but we will look at a matter that is crucial to the relationship or to the contrast between nature and freedom, that is to say the human tendency considered from the point of view of anthropology and psychology as that which is more basic and elementary in man.
Faced with the above-mentioned picture, it is permissible to question the validity of the dualist argument and, more concretely, of the validity of a clear contrast between nature and liberty, which today has a large number of assertors. Since the answer we are trying to give is anthropological, we will not analyze the metaphysical difficulties and objections raised in the past centuries against dualism, but we will look at a matter that is crucial to the relationship or to the contrast between nature and freedom, that is to say the human tendency considered from the point of view of anthropology and psychology as that which is more basic and elementary in man.
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Some people establish a contrast between the sphere of feelings and the free act, therefore the author of this article, from a philosophical perspective, advances the bold thesis of an emotional dimension of freedom, in which the unity of... more
Some people establish a contrast between the sphere of feelings and the free act, therefore the author of this article, from a philosophical perspective, advances the bold thesis of an emotional dimension of freedom, in which the unity of the person is recovered by underlying the relational nature of human beings. Only then the personal donation and the human capacity to love can adequately be understood.
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El fenómeno psicológico de la integración es una consecuencia lógica de la unidad de la persona y, a la vez, de su composición. En efecto, los diversos niveles de la personalidad —subconsciente, tendencial-afectivo y racional-volitivo—... more
El fenómeno psicológico de la integración es una consecuencia lógica de la unidad de la persona y, a la vez, de su composición. En efecto, los diversos niveles de la personalidad —subconsciente, tendencial-afectivo y racional-volitivo— pueden ser integrados porque, a pesar de ser originariamente diferentes, pertenecen a una misma persona. Tanto en los fenómenos psíquicos más elementales —el hambre y la sed—, como en los superiores —el amor y la aceptación de la muerte— es siempre una y la misma persona la que es sujeto del padecer y el actuar. La importancia de esta tesis es decisiva para entender el porqué de las diversas etapas en la formación de la psique, así como por qué esta puede desintegrarse o integrarse en una personalidad madura. Sin embargo, a diferencia de la integración espontánea de los niveles, la personalidad madura no es un proceso simplemente espontáneo, sino ante todo voluntario. La personalidad madura se caracteriza por su coherencia con un determinado proyecto existencial, lo que implica la existencia de una unidad de sentido. En efecto, además de poseer cierto conocimiento de sí y de su relación con el mundo, la persona madura está guiada por intenciones, es decir, por motivos despertados en ella por la percepción de la realidad, especialmente por su relación con las demás personas, en las que, trascendiéndose a sí misma, puede descubrir en parte el sentido del propio vivir. La autotrascendencia implica el encuentro y la aceptación de los demás, pues el hombre existe, se forma, crece, florece sólo con la ayuda de los demás hombres. El misterio de la “relación” supera largamente el misterio del “ser”. Es, pues, en el encuentro con el otro y por el otro, cuando la vida adquiere su sentido más auténtico. Hay que añadir, sin embargo, que tal trascendencia para que verdaderamente confiera sentido a la vida no debe referirse sólo a los demás, sino que ha de abrirse al Absoluto.
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Evil is not only the absence of a due good, but also the breaking-down of an asymmetrical relation (that of donation and trust). It is the beginning of the symmetry between the victim and the wrongdoer as well, because the victim often... more
Evil is not only the absence of a due good, but also the breaking-down of an asymmetrical relation (that of donation and trust). It is the beginning of the symmetry between the victim and the wrongdoer as well, because the victim often tries to repay evil with evil (as in vengeance and retaliation). Forgiveness makes possible to recover donation from the starting point of symmetry in evil. It neither makes that the past evil disappears nor that both victim and wrongdoer come back to the original relation. Rather it liberates the victim from bad reciprocity and symmetry and creates the condition for the wrongdoer’s repentance and his future forgiving others. Forgiveness is always an asymmetrical relation: it is a duty that does not come from any right, but from a precedent gift. In this sense forgiveness is a gift that creates the possibility of new gifts. By having been forgiven, it is borne in us the duty of forgiving; otherwise it would be as if the gift had not be accepted. In the man who does not forgive the dynamics of the gift gives up. The duty of forgiving depends on an asymmetrical relation which has its origins and destiny in the figure of a third person.
Research Interests:
Desde la denominada psicología introspectiva de la primera mitad del siglo XIX hasta la actualidad, se han seguido sin solución de continuidad numerosas escuelas psicológicas con el intento de explicar la psique humana. Ante la... more
Desde la denominada psicología introspectiva de la primera mitad del siglo XIX hasta la actualidad, se han seguido sin solución de continuidad numerosas escuelas psicológicas con el intento de explicar la psique humana.
Ante la imposibilidad de dar cuenta de todas ellas, me limitaré a las que pretenden dar una interpretación del psiquismo humano basándose en métodos experimentales o clínicos. Aunque no siempre es aceptado por estas escuelas, algunas de sus tesis no son puramente “científicas”, sino que contienen, de modo implícito o explícito, concepciones de carácter antropológico. A veces, esas escuelas defienden dichas concepciones del hombre desechando sin más o, por lo menos, no prestando demasiada atención a las experiencias y a los fenómenos que pueden hacerlas entrar en crisis. Debido a esos límites antropológicos, además de los propiamente científicos, ninguna de estas escuelas tomada aisladamente ofrece una explicación adecuada de la personalidad. En todas ellas, sin embargo, se encuentran aspectos que ayudan a entender los procesos y las motivaciones de la psique humana.
Las escuelas psicológicas que examinaré a continuación son cuatro: el conductismo, el cognitivismo, el psicoanálisis y la fenomenología. A la hora de elegirlas como objeto de estudio, he tenido en cuenta, sobre todo, el papel especial que estas cuatro escuelas han desempeñado y siguen desempeñando en la psicología. Lo cual no excluye que, desde el punto de vista científico, haya otras igualmente importantes .
Ante la imposibilidad de dar cuenta de todas ellas, me limitaré a las que pretenden dar una interpretación del psiquismo humano basándose en métodos experimentales o clínicos. Aunque no siempre es aceptado por estas escuelas, algunas de sus tesis no son puramente “científicas”, sino que contienen, de modo implícito o explícito, concepciones de carácter antropológico. A veces, esas escuelas defienden dichas concepciones del hombre desechando sin más o, por lo menos, no prestando demasiada atención a las experiencias y a los fenómenos que pueden hacerlas entrar en crisis. Debido a esos límites antropológicos, además de los propiamente científicos, ninguna de estas escuelas tomada aisladamente ofrece una explicación adecuada de la personalidad. En todas ellas, sin embargo, se encuentran aspectos que ayudan a entender los procesos y las motivaciones de la psique humana.
Las escuelas psicológicas que examinaré a continuación son cuatro: el conductismo, el cognitivismo, el psicoanálisis y la fenomenología. A la hora de elegirlas como objeto de estudio, he tenido en cuenta, sobre todo, el papel especial que estas cuatro escuelas han desempeñado y siguen desempeñando en la psicología. Lo cual no excluye que, desde el punto de vista científico, haya otras igualmente importantes .
Research Interests:
Rethinking human sexuality is today a priority that no longer allows any delay, because we must respond to the challenges that come to us from biotechnology, social fashion, laws and, above all, from a dominant mentality that sees sex as... more
Rethinking human sexuality is today a priority that no longer allows any delay, because we must respond to the challenges that come to us from biotechnology, social fashion, laws and, above all, from a dominant mentality that sees sex as an activity at the service of pleasure, of affective well-being, or even as a simple game, lacking of any important human sense that is to be discovered.
Research Interests:
How important is the difference between a man and a woman nowdays? We asked Professor Antonio Malo: "In our society every kind of cultural, religious or political difference is defended as a manifestation of healthy pluralism and human... more
How important is the difference between a man and a woman nowdays? We asked Professor Antonio Malo: "In our society every kind of cultural, religious or political difference is defended as a manifestation of healthy pluralism and human wealth, only the difference between man and woman is mistreated. We do not realize that this difference, besides being the origin of all the other human differences, is the origin of people and their relationships, starting from marriage and from the family "