Special Issue of Philosophy Today Dedicated to Gianni Vattimo Now Available
September 9, 2026
A new special issue of Philosophy Today dedicated to the Italian philosopher Gianni Vattimo is now available online and in print. Simonetta Moro, President of IDSVA, and Santiago Zabala of ICREA/Pompeu Fabra University co-edited the issue.
Vattimo, who died in 2023, remains one of the most influential philosophers of the last half-century, known for his theory of "weak thought" (pensiero debole) and his wide-ranging work on hermeneutics, postmodernity, and the relationship between philosophy, religion, and politics. This special issue brings together essays from scholars reflecting on the breadth of his thought and its continuing relevance to contemporary philosophical debate.
Vattimo's relationship with IDSVA goes back nearly a decade. He was introduced to the institute through Santiago Zabala, who has served as IDSVA visiting faculty since 2015 and co-authored Hermeneutic Communism: From Heidegger to Marx with Vattimo. Through Zabala, Vattimo entered into an ongoing dialogue with IDSVA, and in 2018 the institute awarded him an Honorary Doctorate of Philosophy in a ceremony in Turin, presented by IDSVA Founder, George Smith, on the occasion of Vattimo’s presentation of his book Being and Its Surroundings. In his dedication, Dr. Smith described Vattimo's contribution to hermeneutics as "a rich and luminous stream of thought" and welcomed him into IDSVA's circle of faculty and honorary degree recipients. Vattimo's concept of "weak thought" and his broader philosophy of art have remained a touchstone for the institute's own philosophical orientation, including in the work of President Simonetta Moro, who edited The Vattimo Dictionary (Edinburgh University Press, 2023).
Moro and Zabala extend their thanks to all of the contributors whose essays shaped the issue, offering a rich and varied engagement with Vattimo's legacy.