Of reality : the purposes of philosophy / Gianni Vattimo ; translated by Robert T. Valgenti.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

We think it is wise to accept reality, rather than fight for something that does not exist or might never be. But in Of Reality , Gianni Vattimo condemns this complacency, with its implicit support of the status quo. Instead he urges us to never stop questioning, contrasting, or overcoming reality, which is not natural, inevitable, or objective. Reality is a construct, reflecting, among other things, our greed, biases, and tendencies toward violence.

It is no accident, Vattimo argues, that the call to embrace reality has emerged at a time when the inequalities of liberal capitalism are at their most extreme. Developed from his popular Gifford Lectures, this book advances a critical approach that recovers our interpretive powers and native skepticism toward normative claims. Though he recognizes his ideas invite charges of relativism, the philosopher counters with a discussion of truth, highlighting its longstanding ties to history and social circumstance. Truth is always contingent and provisional, and reason and reasonableness are bound to historical context. Truth is therefore never objective, and resistance to reality is our best hope to defeat the indifference that threatens the scope of freedom and democracy.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Is reality a bad thing? Vattimo (emeritus philosophy, Univ. of Turin; A Farewell to Truth) argues that at best the idea of a fixed reality is inaccessible and unnecessary. Taking reality seriously, however, privileges certain interpretations as foundational and consequently is oppressive. The book is composed of Vattimo's 1998 Leuven and 2010 Gifford Lectures, followed by a series of appendixes. This may seem to make for a fractured anthology, yet it flows smoothly. Vattimo's initial touchstone is Friedrich Nietzsche's aphorism, "There are no facts, only interpretations-And is this too an interpretation?" This leads into Martin Heidegger's idea of dasein, followed by Vattimo's synthesis "weak thought," a sort of nihilism. To oversimplify matters, Vattimo takes Heidegger's modification of Edmund Husserl and relieves it of any fixed ontology. Vattimo then continues with a critique of epistemological foundationalism-starting with Alfred Tarski's principle that "P" is true if and only if P. In presenting his thesis, Vattimo ably takes on both continental and analytical tradition, including standard arguments against nihilism. The appendixes are indispensable in unpacking the two densely argued lecture series. VERDICT An engaging and refreshing read for any serious student of philosophy, regardless of one's approach.-James Wetherbee, Wingate Univ. Libs., NC © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

Of Reality: The Purposes of Philosophy offers two sets of lectures given by philosopher Gianni Vattimo (emer., Univ. of Turin, Italy). The lectures in the first set were delivered at Univ. of Glasgow in 2009-10, as part of the famous Gifford Lectures series; the second set of lectures was delivered in 1998 at Univ. of Leuven, Belgium. Throughout these lectures Vattimo explores questions of ethics and objectivism, and the relation between the two. He argues that accepting an objectivist thesis about the world is ethically suspect (because it leads to violence) and philosophically stifling (because it causes one to stop inquiring). Echoing Nietzsche, Vattimo contends that reality is itself a construct representative of one's desires and interpretations, and as such is ultimately driven by greed and egoistic desires. He explores the relationship between antiobjectivism (which must itself be an interpretation not based on an objective fact about the world) and the analytic debates regarding the myth of the given; the current temptation to realism; and ethics, violence, and evil. Intended for professional philosophers, this volume will be valuable to those doing research on questions of reality and the problems of conceptual realism. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students, researchers, faculty, professionals. --Andrew Jaeger, Benedictine College