Giovanni Gentile

Biography

Wire of a pharmacist and the girl of a notary, it grows with Campobello di Mazara, in Sicily, and studies with the college of Trapani. In 1895, it makes a success of the contest of the National university of Pisa, where it is registered with the faculty of Letters and Philosophy. There has as professors, inter alia, Alessandro D' Ancona (professor of literature, attache to the historical method, positivism and the liberal ideas), Amedeo Crivellucci (professor of history) and Donato Jaia (professor of philosophy, disciple of Bertrando Spaventa), which all three notably influence the formation of its philosophical thought.

In 1897, after having followed an advanced course to Florence, Gentile obtains a pulpit of philosophy to the college Mario Pagano, Campobasso, and three years later with the college Vittorio Emanuele, with Naples. He marries in 1901 Erminia Nudi, of which he had made knowledge with Campobasso. They had six children, Teresa (1902), Federico (1904), Gaetano E Giovanni (1906), Benedetto (1908) and finally Fortunato (1910).

It obtains successively the released docenza in philosophy and pedagogy, in 1902 and 1903, then a pulpit with the Université of Palermo; it teaches there of 1906 to 1914, share then with Pisa, before arriving at Rome in 1919.

During its studies in Pisa, it had become acquainted with Benedetto Croce; the two intellectuals maintained a correspondence followed 1896 to 1923, discussing history, literature and philosophy. Both idealists, they intended to fight interior the Positivisme and the degeneration whose according to them victim was the Italian university. They found together in 1903 the review the critica , to contribute to the restoration of the Italian culture, Croce treating mainly literature and of history, and Gentile of philosophy. At that time, Gentile had not set up its own philosophical system yet; it is only little before the First World War that it will give a more systematic turn to its ideas, by developing its theory of the actualism. In 1920, it founds the Giornalo critico beyond filosofia italiana .

When the First World War starts, a sharp debate takes place in Italy about non-belligerency; Gentile decides in favor of the entry in war: for him, it is a manner of concluding the Risorgimento in an joint effort able to weld the nation. In 1922, at the time of the seizure of power by Mussolini, it does not give an opinion, and until only little interest granted there besides to Fascism. It is however named Minister for the State education of the new mode, and the remainder until 1924, when it voluntarily resigns. To this station, it concludes a school reform of significant width. After its resignation, it is named president of the Commission of the Fifteen (become Commission of the Eighteen thereafter) installation for a reform of the Italian Constitution. In fact, work of the Commission will not have concrete consequences.

In 1923, Gentile adheres to the fascistic Parti, with the ambition to provide him an ideological and cultural program; it publishes two years later the Manifeste of the fascistic intellectuals , in which it delivers its vision of the Fascism, which could according to him be at the origin of the moral and religious regeneration of the Italians, in the continuity of the Risorgimento . This proclamation also reveals the distance growing between its thought and that of Benedetto Croce; this last answers him besides by a contremanifeste.

During years 1920, Gentile exerts a considerable influence on the Italian culture, in particular in the field of education. He is scientific director of Enciclopedia Italiana of the Institute Giovanni Treccani of 1925 to 1938, and vice-president of this same institute of 1933 to 1938. He contributes to the foundation of the fascistic National institute of the culture, in 1925, then director in 1937 is named by it. As from 1932, he is director of the National university of Pisa, and between to the Académie of the Lynxes the same year.

However, it sometimes happens to him to express its dissension with regard to the mode; even if he recognizes Catholicism like historical form of Italian spirituality, he is strongly attached to the secularity of the State, and disapproves the Accords of the Lateran, signed in 1929 between the mode of Mussolini and the Catholic church. Gentile is also opposed to the racial laws of 1938. In 1934, its works and those of Benedetto Croce are put at the Index by the the Holy Office. Lastly, in 1936, it engages a long polemic with the Minister for State education, Cesare Maria de Vecchi, relating in particular to the centralization of the universities undertaken by this last.

In 1943, it gives its two last conferences, on the occasion of which it delivers a summary of its political thought. In the first, the mia religione , marked on February 9th, it is affirmed Christian and catholic while defending the idea of a laic State. The second, Discorso agli italiani , on June 24th, exalte the national unit, whereas Italy east about to know one of the more serious attacks of its history; the ideas that it develops with this occasion will be used as bases with the Italian Social republic created in September 1943. After this last conference, it is withdrawn in Troghi (close to Rignano sull' Arno, in the Province of Florence), where it writes its last work, Genèse and structure of the company , which will be published after its death.

With the autumn 1943, at the request of Mussolini, it expresses its support for the Social republic, and calls with the revival of the national unit. He becomes president of the Academy of Italy, which aims to replace the old Academy of the Lynxes. Regarded by certain currents of Italian resistance as one of the principal persons in charge of Fascism, he is assassinated the April 15th 1944 in his house of Florence by partisans belonging to the patriotic Action group.

Philosophy

The philosophical bases that Gentile claims to give to Fascism take source in the particular way in which it considers ontology and epistemology. He rejects individualism to prefer collectivism to him: the State is the only holder of the authority, and the individual must be to him perfectly subjected, in measurement or individuality does not have a direction not taken in-outside State - what justifies for him totalitarianism.

Works

Tests of general order and works philosophical

the filosofia di Marx, studi critici , Pisa, Spoerri, 1899 (French transl., FOR THE THIRD TIME, 1995)
atto LED pensare as atto puro (1912)
the riforma beyond dialettica hegeliana (1913)
the filosofia beyond will guerra (1914)
the general teoria dello spirito like atto puro , Bari, Laterza E figli, 1916, translated into French by A. Lion under the title the Spirit, pure act , Paris, Alcan, 1925
I fondamenti beyond filosofia LED diritto , Pisa, Mariotti, 1916
Sistema di logica like teoria LED conoscere (1917-1922)
Guerra E fede (1919, collection of articles written during the First World War)
Dopo the vittoria (1920, collection of articles written during the First World War)
Discorsi di religione (1920)
It modernismo E I rapporti will tra religione E filosofia , Bari, Laterza E figli, 1921
Frammenti di storia beyond filosofia (1926)
The filosofia dell' arte (1931)
Introduzione went filosofia (1933)
Genesi E will struttura beyond società (postumo 1946)
the spirit, the truth and the history , collection of articles translated by Joseph Moreau, Paris, Aubier, 1962

History

Delle comedy di Antonfrancesco Grazzini detto it Lasca (1895)
Rosmini E Gioberti (1898, tesi di laurea)
the filosofia di Marx (1899)
Dal Genovesi Al Galluppi , Naples, edizioni beyond Critica , 1903
Bernardino Telesio , Bari, Laterza E figli, 1911
Studi vichiani , Messine, Principato, 1915
the origini beyond filosofia contemporanea in Italia , Messine, Principato, 1917
It tramonto beyond will cultura siciliana , Bologna, Zanichelli, 1917
Giordano Bruno E it pensiero del Rinascimento , Florence, Valecchi (1920)
Frammenti di estetica E will letteratura (1921)
will cultura It piemontese (1922)
Gino Capponi E will cultura it toscana LED secolo XIX , Florence, Valecchi (1922)
Studi sul Rinascimento (1923)
I profeti del Risorgimento italiano: Mazzini E Gioberti (1923)
Bertrando Spaventa (1924)
Manzoni E Leopardi (1928)
Economia ED etica (1934)

Pedagogy

the insegnamento beyond filosofia nei licei (1900)
Scuola E filosofia (1908)
Sistema di pedagogia like scienza filosofica (1912)
I problemi beyond scolastica E it pensiero italiano , Bari, Laterza E figli, 1913
It problema scolastico LED will dopoguerra (1919)
the riforma dell' educazione (1920)
Educazione E scuola laica , Florence, Vallecchi, 1921
the nuova scuola media (1925)
the riforma beyond scuola in Italia (1932)

Policy

Manifesto degli intellettuali LED fascismo (1925)
Che cos' E it fascismo (1925)
Fascismo E will cultura (1928)
Origini E dottrina LED fascismo (1929)
the mia religione (1943, transcription of a pronounced conference with Florence)
Discorso agli Italiani (1943, transcription of a conference pronounced in Rome)

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