Metaphysics as a Source of Violence in the Thought of Gianni Vattimo

Abstract

This article presents an interpretation of the phenomenon of violence in the philosophy of Gianni Vattimo. The main thesis of the article is that, for Vattimo, metaphysics—understood as the belief in the existence of absolutely true and final interpretations—constitutes the fundamental, if not exclusive, source of violence. The appropriate remedy for metaphysical violence is his hermeneutics, articulated as “weak thought” (pensiero debole). The article distinguishes three contexts in which Vattimo addresses violence: the theoretical, the contemporary-historical, and the practical-political. It demonstrates how, starting from general theoretical concepts such as Being as an event or the Verwindung of metaphysics, Vattimo develops specific diagnoses of contemporary reality and the violence present within it, while deriving ethical and political implications for human practice.